Clark says travel sparked her term

County News asks outgoing NACo presidents to reflect on their years in office. Here are the thoughts from El Paso County, Colo. Commissioner and NACo President Sallie Clark.

CN: How would you describe your year as NACo president? As I look back on the last year, the common thread has been being engaged with elected officials across the nation on a variety of issues and the passion of public service.

It’s clear that we all have similar challenges, although our local culture and constituencies may differ from state to state and county to county.

It’s difficult to parcel out the presidency from my entire tenure as an officer, but I do remember most the welcoming hospitality of state associations, counties, parishes and boroughs and their interest in furthering the understanding of county government among citizens, and state and federal representatives.

The ability to travel throughout the country, the opportunity to experience local cultures and events (duck racing in Luna County, N.M. comes to mind), history, foods, to learn about specific issues, hear about innovative programs while visiting everything from a solid waste plant to an alternative fuel facility in Louisiana, a working dairy farm in Washington state, to a home and school built by Milton Hershey for orphans (now for underprivileged children), a vertical garden in Wyoming, port tours in California, a rail trip in Montana, a center for Veterans in Utah and so much more.

It’s clear that counties are truly the innovators, no matter where we live, work or play.

What was the most challenging part of your role as president?

The most challenging part of being president of NACo is definitely the travel schedule. While it is exciting and rewarding, it sometimes entails two to three weeks a month away from home and it definitely takes an understanding spouse (thank you, Welling!) and supportive County Board (thank you, Dennis, Amy, Peggy and Darryl!) to do this job properly. It could be compared to Planes, Trains and Automobiles with the occasional unexpected adventures in flight schedules, home schedules, meetings, conferences and obligations.

During my time as an officer, I’ve been able to visit almost every NACo member state (check out my map in the NACo D.C. office), sometimes traveling to as many as four different places without a stop at home (i.e. Washington, D.C.; Kentucky; Mississippi and Oregon).

Despite all the travel, I’ve very much enjoyed the outstanding opportunities to meet with elected officials across the United States and gain important insights into issues facing counties.

What did you find most interesting or exciting?

What I’ve found most interesting (and sometimes exciting), is the opportunity to see so many different communities, whether large or small, meet commissioners, supervisors, police jurors, councilmembers, county mayors, executives, chairman on their home turf. As an officer, I’ve travelled to Mackinac Island in Mackinac County, Mich.; Skamania County, Wash.; Pendleton in Umatilla County, Ore.; Perdido Beach, Baldwin County, Ala.; Hilton Head, Beaufort County, S.C.; Biloxi, Harrison County, Miss.; Alameda County, Calif.; Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kan.; Hot Springs, Bath County, Va. to New York City/ County, N.Y. and so many more! Thank you to ALL the states to which I have been invited and visited over the last few years, and I look forward to more stops this year as your NACo past president to try and finish out my NACo map visits.

What are you proudest of?

I’m most proud of the contributions and relationships that have been built to promote a stronger voice for counties and the cause that counties matter. To look back and realize that you are one of only a small number of elected officials that have been elected to represent 3,069 counties nationwide over NACo’s 80-plus years is an incredible honor and a privilege that I take very seriously.

It’s been an incredible journey to learn about every facet of county government, to talk to elected officials throughout the nation on their concerns, their frustrations and their accomplishments. In the political world that we all live in, serving our constituents and making tough decisions is a challenge on a daily basis and one that we face in the election process. Regardless of what issues we face at a particular point, I have never observed harder working individuals who truly want to do what’s best for our citizens, to help people, to be mindful of taxpayer dollars and to be accountable.

What advice would you give your successor?

Continue to focus your attention on your home county issues, maintain your personal health, wellbeing and family relationships, appreciate and make use of the abilities of our amazing NACo staff and our Executive Director Matt Chase, who provides the needed assistance to keep the president informed, organized and prepared.

Be open with your community and the media about your role as president and emphasize what it brings to your own county to serve in this position. Use your presidency as an opportunity to inform your local civic groups and citizens about how what happens at the state and federal levels of government impacts their daily lives and talk about the importance of county government. Most of all, enjoy the year to its fullest; it goes by in a flash.

What’s next for Sallie Clark?

As I rotate off as president into the past president role, I am still considering options. My position at the local commissioner level will also end in January of 2017 since I am term-limited next year, so there are new opportunities for me to contribute in many ways. I have been appointed to a local nonprofit board, Court Care, which offers free childcare to those needing a place to leave their children during court proceedings. And, there are potential positions in elected office I am considering for the future. Welling and I will continue to operate our bed and breakfast inn, Holden House, in Colorado Springs, and I will shift more time on inn improvements, tourism and marketing efforts. The experience I’ve gained as a city councilmember, county commissioner and president of a national organization like NACo has fostered my ability to advocate on policy issues at both the state and national level.

My work and passion for community resilience, disaster recovery and emergency management will continue, and I will seek out more opportunities in which to offer a local perspective based on personal experiences. I would certainly welcome NACo members to contact me anytime to discuss opportunities that may arise and greatly appreciate having had the honor to represent NACo as president.

Final thoughts?

When I was elected as second VP in 2013 in Tarrant County, Texas, the transition into my role as president was made much smoother by the leadership and mentorship from then NACo Past President Chris Rogers, President Linda Langston and First Vice President Riki Hokama, as well as so many past presidents who offered their advice and guidance including people like Glen Whitley, Lenny Eliason, Valerie Brown, Don Stapley, John Horsley, Kay Braaten, Colleen Landkamer, Karen Miller and Michael Hightower, just to name a few.

The opportunity to learn from experience for the first two years was invaluable to me in working toward the presidency when sworn-in as NACo’s first vice president in New Orleans Parish, La. and president in Mecklenburg County, N.C.

I also want to thank the NACo membership for trusting and having the confidence in me to represent the association and our issues in this important role. I hope that I have successfully provided a strong voice for county government on issues and contributed to the voices of all our NACo members, many who have testified on the Hill as well.

My great appreciation to every single NACo member and to our NACo leadership members; steering committee members, chairs and vice chairs, each of whom work each day to make your counties, parishes and boroughs a better community.

Thank you also for your support of the Safe and Secure presidential initiative this year and to those of you who attended our conference in El Paso County, Colo.

As I have said at many of your meetings and conferences, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” Let’s continue to advocate for counties not only having a seat at the table, but one that is meaningful, so important a goal as we look to next year and a new president of the United States.

New White House leadership will also bring new opportunities for us to advocate for local government, because stronger counties make a stronger America.

Thank you for the honor of serving you and NACo.