Reno set to welcome county officials from across U.S.

• Benefits of attending the NACo Annual Conference

North Carolina attendees will elect a new representative to the National Association of Counties Board of Directors during NACo's Annual Conference & Exposition, which will be held July 16-20 at the Reno-Tahoe Convention Center in Reno/Washoe County, Nev.

Edgecombe County Commissioner Viola Harris and Robeson County Chairman Noah Woods are the two announced candidates for the board seat being vacated by Vance County Chairman Danny Wright, who is completing his third and final two-year term. The NCACC constitution limits commissioners to three terms in one of the state's NACo board seats. Wright, a past president of the NCACC, is also not seeking re-election to the Vance County Board of Commissioners.

The new director will be elected during the North Carolina Caucus, which will be held Monday, July 19, from 7:30 – 9 a.m. In addition to hearing from candidates for North Carolina's NACo board seat, attendees will also hear from candidates for NCACC second vice president – a position that will be elected Aug. 28 during the NCACC Annual Conference. The only announced candidate at the time of this issue of CountyLines is Hertford County Commissioner Howard Hunter III.

Attendees will also hear from and vote to endorse one of the three announced candidates for NACo second vice president: Burrell Ellis of DeKalb County, Ga., Joe Giles of Erie County, Pa., and Chris Rodgers of Douglas County, Neb.

The majority of NACo Annual Conference events will be held at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. (Photo courtesy Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority)

Other than the caucus, the only other North Carolina event is a meeting of the N.C. Association of Black County Officials, which is scheduled for Sunday, July 18, from 2 – 4 p.m.

North Carolina registrants will receive state-specific events and details in the mail in July.

NACo will celebrate its 75th anniversary at the conference. In addition to its usual slate of workshops, general sessions on July 18 and July 19 will feature keynote speakers Robert Reich, a former secretary of labor who is also an economist and author, and Joe Dittmar, who survived the collapse of World Trade Center Tower 2.

Reich will address attendees during the opening general session on Sunday, July 18. His upcoming book, "Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future" is due out in September and will explain where the economy will be heading after the Great Recession and what to expect over the next decade. One of the nation's most respected public leaders and thinkers, Reich has served in three presidential administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under Bill Clinton. In a brilliant and humor-infused "call-it-like-I-see-it" presentation, Reich brings his experience and analytic prowess to bear on the economic policies of the Obama administration.

During the Monday, July 19, general session, Dittmar will provide an eyewitness account of the sights, sounds and scenes from inside and outside the World Trade Center complex on Sept. 11, 2001. He presents an intriguing and gripping perspective on what really happened before, during and after the terrorist attacks.

For more information on the NACo Annual Conference, visit www.naco.org and select "Annual" from the "Conferences & Events" drop-down menu. Register by July 15 at the "advance" rate of $515; the on-site registration fee is $625.