County Commission | The Magazine April 2018 | Page 6

THE COUNTY LINE
I
Sonny Brasfield
Executive Director
Election
years always
shape this
Association’s
future
There has always
been someone
to come along,
pick up the baton
and march forward
6 | COUNTY COMMISSION
t's about this time every couple
of years that I start to dread the
oncoming election.
As a political reporter more
than three decades ago, elections
were exciting times. The energy
of covering campaign stops, the
endless back-and-forth between the
candidates and those campaign ads
were always fun.
Honestly, there was nothing
like election night, especially if you
didn't have your name on the ballot!
But over the last 30 years, our
view of elections has moderated just
a bit. With all the excitement and
energy aside, now election night
almost always signals the end of our
"official" relationship with folks who
are either stepping down or who fail
to secure re-election.
I have always shied away from
writing a column like this one
because singling out even a few
people always means that you fail
to mention a name that should
have been listed. But this year's
election cycle includes the retirement
of several key figures in county
government – and three former
Association presidents.
The folks who are moving on to
other things will leave big shoes for
someone else to wear in the coming
years. Rest assured that it will be
necessary for someone to wear
those shoes. The challenges – and
opportunities – will not end with
election night just a few weeks
from now.
The question is whether we'll
find a way to be just as successful
without those key players.
We always hope there are others
standing by, waiting for their
chance to be a part of what has
been built over the last 40 years.
But the concern about just “who”
will be the one to step up is part of
the reason why election night is no
longer very exciting.
The obvious need to grow new
leadership is one of the reasons the
Association established the PLAN
program almost four years ago. The
first “class” of new leaders included
16 commissioners entering their
second term. Most of those 16 are
now seeking re-election this fall. If
they are successful, we hope that
most of them are ready to wear the
shoes of leadership.
The second PLAN group, this
one composed of 17 commissioners,
is nearing the end of its 18-month
journey. When it is completed,
there may be a future Association
president among the group – and
others who will take their places of
leadership in their communities.
And the third “class” of PLAN
members will be shaped by this
year’s election; those commissioners
first elected in 2014 who are re-
elected in November will actually be
eligible for the program that begins
in January.
This sort of ritual has been
repeated for the last 30 years. The
names and faces of this Association
have changed, but there has always
been someone to come along and pick
up the baton and march forward.
At the staff level, that
happened nine years ago when the
Association's 36-year executive
director chose to enjoy retirement,
and the Board handed me the
opportunity to use what I had
learned from watching him.
When he left, he certainly
expected that we would have a
strong sense of responsibility to
follow his lead to make county