I’d like to express my sincere thanks for all of your dedication and enthusiasm that was on display during MACo’s Summer Conference. It was an honor for me to meet with so many of my county colleagues, and to talk with policymakers and leaders from across the state. I was extremely pleased with the array of sessions and workshops this year, and from your feedback it seems we are hitting many of the notes that you have been asking for in terms of content and structure of the event.

The turnout for our inspirational Keynote address was tremendous and beyond our expectations. I think the enthusiastic turnout coupled with the kickoff of the Healthy Counties Best Practices award made our Welcoming Session the best one we have held so far. I’m confident that we can build on those successes and really make the Thursday morning welcoming event a must-see part of the conference for everyone.

Another important conference take-away for me was the appetite among county elected officials to stay in touch with Annapolis, and make sure the “county voice” is heard. My colleagues on the MACo Board, in concert with the staff, have been working on new and exciting tools for us to achieve this goal. Stay tuned for details on opportunities for the Session ahead – not only do we hope to bring you to Annapolis to interact with our Senators and Delegates, but we also hope to help you connect quickly through email or phone with your legislators. I think our county voice depends on all these things: personal relationships, understanding of issues, and a time commitment. I heard from so many of you during the conference about the importance of our county voice – I’m hopeful that we can bring all of these elements together for you in the coming year.

I look forward to visiting many more county officials through the rest of this year, and to hear what issues – statewide or local – are on your mind. That’s one of the best parts of my role with MACo; not only do I get to visit your local courthouses and learn about your local projects, but I get to hear about your issues and priorities and add them to the message of our county voice.