County officials got the chance to offer testimony before a mock Maryland General Assembly committee composed of state legislators at the MACo January 2015 Winter Conference.  At “The County Officials’ Guide to Lobbying in Annapolis” panel Rifkin, Weiner, Livingston, Levitan & Silver LLC lobbyist Patrick Roddy moderated a panel of state legslators who offered tips on how to testify before the various General Assembly committees.  Panelists included Senator Joanne Benson and Delegates Steven Arentz and Susan Krebs.

After receiving advice from the panelists, county officials then got a chance to practice what they had learned by testifying about an issue before the panel.  Similar to a real committee, the panel asked participants questions.  The panelists also offered praise and constructive criticism after each group of officials finished their testimony.

County officials offer testimony to a mock General Assembly committee consisting of (from left to right) Delegate Steven Arentz, Senator Joanne Benson, Delegate Susan Krebs, and lobbyist Patrick Roddy