County Commission | The Magazine October 2018 | Page 35

FROM THE COVER
“The challenge that we have,
even though you have someone
that has a degree in emergency
management, is to then motivate
them to continually get additional
classes,” Hicks said. “That’s the
thing about our field; emergency
management has changed
tremendously over the years.”
Coping with constant change
was another recurring theme in
the discussion, and affiliate groups
are often proactive change agents.
AAND is a prime example. Not so
long ago, the financial support for
9-1-1 in the state was dependent
on a dwindling number of landline
phones. Legislation was necessary to
ensure the future of 9-1-1, and the
successful reform effort was led by
ACCA and AAND.
Today, vital 9-1-1 services
are financially supported by
wireless and landline customers,
and revenue is distributed in
a manner that ensures reliable
service in urban and rural areas.
“That certainly would not have
been possible without the support
of this group and without Sonny
(Brasfield). His office was where
the legislation was being hammered
out,” Smith said, referring to the
ACCA executive director. “It has
been very positive for the 9-1-1
community across this state.”
Early in CROAA’s history,
the group fought off a legislative
attempt to prevent counties from
collecting their own taxes. The
next year, counties came back
and pushed through a bill that
strengthened the self-collection
authority.
“Who watches your henhouse?
The one who is right there,” Peterson
said. “We know our communities.”
For his part, Brasfield
continually asks commissioners to
renew their support for the time and
cost necessary for their staff to be
leaders in affiliate groups. The groups
are so important to ACCA that
momentum is growing to establish a
stronger connection with jail staff.
Highly effective commissioners
know that strong leadership at the
staff level makes their jobs easier,
and the most valuable staff leaders
understand their role and the limits
of their influence.
The biggest challenge for
a staff leader? “Saying ‘no’ to
a commissioner,” Crear said.
However, as difficult as it can be for
both parties, sometimes “no” is in
the commission’s best interest.
“All of us in the room know
there are times when you have to tell
people things that are inflexible,” he
said, “but that also comes with the
role of leadership.” n
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