County Commission | The Magazine January February 2018 | Page 4

President’s PERSPECTIVE
I
Hon. Steve McKinnon
President
Put on Your
Game Face
We are the only
ones fighting for
county government.
4 | COUNTY COMMISSION
n a matter of days, state
lawmakers will gather on Goat
Hill to kick off yet another
legislative session. Months of
preparation are about to be put to
the test, so if you haven’t already, put
on your game face.
This session, I’m asking every
member of county government to
give their all to the process. The
County Team can only be successful
if every team member is ready.
Why, you ask. We are the only ones
representing and fighting for county
government. When we get tired,
when we need a break, there is no
second or third string for county
government. It is only us. That’s why
we must ALL be in it to win. If we’re
not, the final result will be on us, no
one else.
The County Team Captains
who preceded me have paved the
way for us to be the No. 1 team in
public policy. Now it’s up to me, to
all of us, to seal the deal and push us
to the No. 1 spot. So, as this year’s
County Team Captain, I’m urging
each member of the County Team to
perform three simple tasks.
1. Learn the Playbook
Study and know the 2018
County Platform and our 2018
Legislative Priorities, both of which
are provided in this issue of the
magazine. (Turn to pages 7 and 24.)
To contribute to the team this year,
you must know the issues, and these
documents let you know where
we stand and where we want to
go. Members of the County Team
put in a great deal of time and
effort in crafting these principles
and priorities. The least we can
do is learn them so that we can
communicate them to others.
2. Connect with the Key Players
Interact with your state
legislators. Call them. Email them.
Text them. Meet with them.
Connect with them on Twitter and
Facebook. Participate in County
Days. It’s never too late to establish
a relationship – or build upon
your current relationship – with
your legislators. Your position in
county government is important
and influential, so stay in touch
with your legislators; let them know
where county government stands on
the issues. If you don’t speak up for
county government, no one else will.
3. Perform the Play Calls
Do what’s asked of you when
it’s asked of you. Throughout the
session, you’ll receive calls to action
from the ACCA staff, the ACCA
leadership and your county’s ACCA
Legislative Committee member
via email and the ACCA67 mobile
app and over the phone. Be on the
lookout for these play calls, and
be ready to respond. You won’t be
able to stop the clock during the
Legislative Session to ponder your
next move.
If we all perform these three
simple tasks, I’m certain there’s
nothing we can’t achieve. But it
will take all of us. Again, we are the
County Government Team. No
one else is representing us, whether
we like it or not. But we have the
opportunity to be victorious, thanks
to the decades of hard work put
in by many. We simply need the
commitment of every member of the
County Team.
Won’t you join us this session in
giving your all? n