NACo Annual Conference draws thousands for committee meetings, workshops, speakers

NACo’s new officers pause for a photo Monday in Clark County, Nev. (Left-right): Immediate Past President Greg Cox, San Diego County supervisor; First Vice President Gary Moore, Boone County, Ky. judge/executive; President Mary Ann Borgeson, Douglas County, Neb. commissioner and Second Vice President Larry Johnson, DeKalb County, Ga. commissioner. Photo by Denny Henry

Douglas County, Neb. Commissioner Mary Ann Borgeson was sworn in Monday as NACo president in Clark County, Nev. at NACo’s 84th Annual Conference. Borgeson took her oath of office at the association’s annual business meeting and tops the new four-person team of officers.

Just before voting began July 15 for NACo second vice president, candidate Christian Leinbach, a Berks County, Pa. commissioner, announced from the stage that he was dropping out of the race and throwing his support behind candidate Ray Jeffers, commissioner, Person County, N.C.

That narrowed the race to just Jeffers and DeKalb County, Ga. Commissioner Larry “LJ” Johnson.

Johnson won the race, receiving 1,421 votes or 61.14 percent of the vote to Jeffers’ 880 votes or 37.87 percent. Twenty-three or .99 percent abstained from voting.

Borgeson is joined by First Vice President Gary Moore, judge/executive of Boone County, Ky.; Second Vice President Larry Johnson, DeKalb County, Ga. commissioner and Immediate Past President Greg Cox, supervisor, San Diego County.

Borgeson was sworn into office by her son Ed surrounded by members of her family, including husband Bob, son Rich and daughter-in-law Beth.

Her presidential initiative will explore how counties can best serve the nation’s aging population.

Borgeson was first elected to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners in 1994. She was re-elected to her sixth term in 2014. In 1997, Borgeson was the first woman elected to serve as chairwoman of the Douglas County Board and has served in this capacity for numerous years. Borgeson has served as chair of the NACo Health Services and Cyber Security Committees and vice chair of the Large Urban County Caucus, Healthy Counties, Health Services Committee, and is a member of the International Economic Development, Arts and Culture, Membership and Programs and Services Committees. Commissioner Borgeson is past president of Women of NACo.

NACo members adopted a number of new resolutions.

The Clark County/Las Vegas conference attracted about 3,000 attendees. General sessions featured speakers David Kwong, an illusionist and Small Business Administration chief Chris Pilkerton. Other General Session speakers included Roy Spence, co-founder and CEO of the Purpose Institute and Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president for U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop.