[Durham INC] Durham County Commissioners participate in 2021 NACo Annual Conference

[Jones, Henry R.]

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release                                          Date: 07/15/21
Contact: Public Information Office                   Phone: (919) 560-0000/Fax: (919) 560-0020
E-mail: publicinformationoffice at dconc.gov<mailto:publicinformationoffice at dconc.gov>

Durham County Commissioners participate in 2021 NACo Annual Conference

Durham, N.C. - Durham County Commission Chair Brenda Howerton and Commissioner Nimasheena Burns joined more than 2,200 county leaders from across the nation in Prince George's County, Maryland for the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference, held July 8-12. The 2021 conference was the first large gathering of NACo members since early 2020, when county officials gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Legislative Conference, just ahead of the shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This conference was a hybrid model, allowing many county officials to attend in person, but others were also able to participate in workshops, committee meetings, and general sessions virtually.

Commissioner Larry Johnson of DeKalb County, Georgia, was elected NACo President for 2021-2022. He shared his vision for his year ahead in a speech to county officials. "I am pleased to announce that I will focus on the theme 'Counties Thrive." The THRIVE acronym stands for: Technology, Health, Readiness, Infrastructure, Vulnerable Populations and Economic Opportunity.

Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the opening session thanking county leaders for their critical service to residents during the pandemic. During the five-day conference, attendees also heard from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge.

The event featured dozens of workshops and sessions on topics of interest to county officials including stories of successful responses to COVID-19, updates on the most pressing issues in front of the 117th Congress, preparations for administering the 2022 elections, and updates on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

One critical session included a robust and candid conversation on employing various strategies to act on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Chair Howerton served as a panelist for this important topic. Currently, more than 75 counties, including Durham County have declared racism a public health crisis. In addition, Chair Howerton received Presidential appointments to NACo's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee, Vice Chair of NACo's membership Committee and Vice Chair of NACo's Healthy Counties Initiative.

NACo also approved various policy resolutions and Durham County's proposed Resolution on Funding Early Childhood Development was included in the final document. NACo staff will use these policies to lobby Congress for programs and services of interest to counties.
During the NACo Annual Business meeting, Chair Howerton assisted with the election of new leadership as she had the task of calling out the names of the states to allow them to announce their vote responses.

In summarizing this year's conference, Chair Howerton said, "It was vital that county leaders gather together, network and share best practices. As we continue to recover from the past year, we must also recognize that the pandemic exposed many critical conditions that must be addressed intentionally as we go forward. Also, attending NACo's Annual Conference allows me to learn about issues and solutions that can help us here in Durham County."

Three Durham County Departments received NACo Achievement Awards for their innovative work during the past year. They are Durham County Tax Administration, Durham County Information Services &Technology  and Durham County Elections.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo assists America's 3,069 counties in pursuing excellence in public service to produce healthy, vibrant, safe and resilient counties. NACo promotes sound public policies, fosters county solutions and innovation, promotes intergovernmental and public-private collaboration and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. More information at: www.naco.org<http://www.naco.org>.

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