County role play

President Kopp asks all counties to play a role in the Association's next 100 years following memorable centennial celebration in Craven

By Jason King
Assistant Communications Director

C.E. Foy would be proud.

Rep. Carolyn Justice (right) administers the oath of office to New Hanover County Commissioner Bill Kopp. Accompanying the 2008-09 NCACC president onstage were Kopp's wife Barbara, son Daniel and daughter-in-law Erica (not shown). (Photos by Jason King)

One hundred years after the Craven County commissioner called upon county commissioners from across the state to meet to discuss issues of mutual concern, nearly 400 North Carolina county officials representing 92 counties traveled to New Bern – including one from Cherokee County, a 462-mile drive, one way – for the NCACC's 101st Annual Conference to pay homage to Foy's vision in a fitting show of county unity.

New Hanover County's Bill Kopp took the reins from Buncombe County's David Young to become the Association's 92nd president Aug. 23 and cap a memorable centennial celebration that focused on actions counties can take now to forge their future well-being.

"United, 572 commissioners strong, working together these past few years, we have turned C.E. Foy's vision into a powerful force. But it doesn't matter how strong you are if you don't know where you are going," said Kopp, who was sworn into office by Rep. Carolyn Justice, a former Pender County commissioner and co-winner of the 2006 Friend of the Counties Award. "As this Association embarks on our second century of service to counties and to the citizens of North Carolina, it is up to us to figure out how we can make it better.

"I want to dedicate my year as president to helping this Association continue to do it better and also to try to get more counties involved. ... When you return to your counties, I want each of you to begin thinking of what kind of role you can play to help this Association."

Coleman Greene, great great grandson of NCACC founding father C.E. Foy, carried the Craven County flag to lead the parade of county flags.

Joining Kopp and Past President Young as 2008-09 officers are President Elect Mary Accor of Cleveland County, First Vice President Joe Bryan of Wake County, and Jackson County's Brian McMahan, who emerged victorious in a three-way battle for second vice president.

In addition, 10 districts of counties caucused Aug. 23 and selected directors to serve on the NCACC Board of Directors. A full listing of Board members will soon be available online at www.ncacc.org/about/directors.html.

As Kopp called for county involvement, Young saw the realization of his presidential initiative with the rollout of the State of the Counties Report, a resource guide that currently tracks 37 benchmarks that describe the condition of county governments. Distributed to county government offices as a printed publication – which includes 16 indicator graphs – the full data sets for all 100 counties are available online in PDF format at www.welcometoyourcounty.org.

"It is meant to be a resource for all counties to measure themselves against each other," Young said. "It is also a tool to provide our legislators with information they need to consider funding and legislative priorities. It will be a living, breathing document, updated regularly and used frequently to provide vital information.

"It also goes one step further, in building our reputation across the state as a provider of accurate, factual information for our citizens. Our reputation is strong now … but this reputation cannot be taken for granted. It must be valued and built upon for the next century."

In the coming years, data will be refreshed as sources are updated, new sources of county information will be added, and new benchmarks will be established as appropriate.

Haywood County Commissioner Mary Ann Enloe and Mecklenburg County Commissioner Norman Mitchell carry in their respective county flags during the Parade of County Flags to kick off Friday's slate of events.

Keynote speakers Glen Hiemstra and Clark Plexico focused their remarks on those coming years. Through "a letter from the future," written by a young North Carolina girl in the year 2108, Hiemstra painted a picture of a world that is very reliant on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, makes use of flying electrical automobiles that share unspent power in a grid to power homes, and utilizes computer chips in walls and clothing to adjust to preferences and elements.

Plexico provided a global look at trends that will impact counties in North Carolina. Plexico described a great population and economical change under way: Africa and Asia will make up 80 percent of the world's urban growth over the next 30 years. While populations in North America and Europe are graying, one-third of the Arab population is under the age of 15. And America accounts for a small percentage of exports of the world's four largest emerging economies – China, India, Brazil and Russia.

Immigrants are making up a larger percentage of the population in the United States, and that will lead to a major culture shock in many parts of the country. According to Plexico, counties must recognize and manage the cultural changes coming their way in order to find their future economic fit.

While conference sessions and workshops were oriented toward the future, a parade of county flags prior to the Aug. 22 opening general session set the stage for a celebration of the Association's past. Coleman Greene, the great great grandson of C.E. Foy, carried the Craven County colors to lead a procession of 96 flags.

Friday saw both major candidates for governor – Democratic nominee Bev Perdue and Republican nominee Pat McCrory – appear before attendees during separate sessions.

Johnston County Commissioner Ray Woodall lines up for cotton candy during the 1908 Street Fair, part of the Association's centennial celebration.

That night, attendees were treated to a 1908 Street Fair that included local residents dressed in period costumes walking the streets of downtown New Bern, horse-and-buggy rides, a silent movie showing, and cups of Pepsi for a nickel at the original drugstore of Caleb Bradham, creator of the soft drink.

In addition to workshops that included a look at the legalities of immigration ordinances and what county commissioners can do to become engaged in the provision of mental health services, a pre-conference workshop on Aug. 21 thrust participants into the throes of a difficult legislative long session complete with a state budget crunch.

Led by Tom Covington, retired director of the General Assembly's Fiscal Research Division, "Budget Busters: Understanding the State Budget and How Local Elected Officials Can Make a Positive Impact" cast county and municipal officials in roles as lobbyists and members of the Senate and House Ways and Means committees and had them attempt to agree on a tight and balanced budget. Offered under the umbrella of the Local Elected Leaders Academy, "Budget Busters" gave participants invaluable insights into how a state budget comes together and how they can work with legislators during the budget process.

During the business session on Aug. 23, voting delegates unanimously adopted a resolution supporting a state Environmental Review Commission study to examine the effects of the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project relicensing on issues vital to water supply. The resolution urges the ERC to study all available options to the state in light of Alcoa's federal application for a new 50-year license for generating hydroelectric power on the Yadkin River.