Howard Hunter III Sworn in as President

Howard Hunter III being sworn in as NCACC President.

As one of the youngest presidents in NCACC history, Howard Hunter III of Hertford County recognizes that he did not achieve this accomplishment on his own. That is why President Hunter selected mentoring as a priority for his 2012-13 presidential term.

"When I became a county commissioner, I had a great mentor," Hunter said during his inaugural address on Aug. 18. "Past President Dupont Davis, one of the great leaders of this Association, took me under his wing and helped me to better understand my responsibilities as a county commissioner, as a community steward. Dupont saw beyond the boundaries of Hertford County. He got me involved with this Association and encouraged me to seek the presidency. He was my mentor, and my friend.

"He may not be with me tonight to share in this moment, but his spirit lives on – in this Association, and in the many lives he touched in Hertford County. We have a charge to keep, and Dupont recognized this many years ago. That charge is to develop the next generation of county commissioners who will lead their counties and this Association.

"During my year as president, I want to emphasize that we are not just leaders for the next year, or for the rest of our time in office, however long that may be. We have to think about what we leave behind when we leave office. We are setting the stage for future generations. We must make sure that those flames are burning even brighter when we step aside and make way for the next round of leaders.”

Hunter’s initiative will concentrate on three areas. To honor the legacy of previous leaders like President Davis, Hunter wants to encourage county commissioners to mentor other commissioners. He also wants to continue the Youth Summit that was begun in 2010 by Past President Mary Accor as a way to engage the future generation of county leaders, and he wants to set up a mentoring program designed to encourage MPA students to pursue a career in county management. With many county managers approaching retirement age, Hunter says it is imperative that the Association set up a program to groom new managers.

"With so many of our county managers and department heads being among the baby boomer age, there is a pressing need for future managers," he said. "This new program will be an ongoing initiative that will help us maintain the level of professionalism for county managers that our citizens deserve by recruiting new managers and by using existing managers as mentors."

Hunter appointed New Hanover County Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr., to lead the initiative. Barfield is one of several new members appointed to the board by Hunter or elected to the board during the conference. Other first-time members appointed by Hunter include Pitt County Commissioner Melvin McLawhorn (at-large), Camden County Vice Chair Garry Meiggs (at-large) and Hertford County Commissioner Johnnie Ray Farmer (Health and Human Services Steering Committee Chair).

Glen Webb of Pitt County emerged victorious from a four-person race to become Second Vice President. Webb won a tightly contested race with Barfield, Wilkes County Chairman Gary D. Blevins and Gaston County Commissioner Joe Carpenter. Webb secured enough votes on the initial ballot to avoid a runoff.

Seven first-time Board members were elected as District Directors: Brunswick County Commissioner Phil Norris (District 4), Sampson County Commissioner Jefferson Strickland (District 6), Moore County Commissioner Craig Kennedy (District 10), Union County Chairman Jerry Simpson (District 12), Avery County Chairman Kenny Poteat (District 14), Transylvania County Vice Chair Larry Chapman (District 16) and Yadkin County Chairman Kevin Austin (District 18).

NC Spin panel provides political predictions

NC Spin Panel at the 105th NCACC Annual Conference

On Saturday, a panel from the long-running North Carolina political show “NC Spin” took the stage for a wide-ranging discussion of the hot political topics of the day. The program bills itself as “the most intelligent half-hour on North Carolina television” and has been covering the latest news and information about North Carolina politics for a dozen years.

Tom Campbell, the creator, executive producer and moderator of NC Spin, served as the moderator for the general session, and his panelists included John Hood of the John Locke Foundation, former Speaker of the House Joe Mavretic, Chris Fitzsimon of N.C. Policy Watch and political consultant Jeanne Milliken Bonds.

All four panelists predicted that President Obama would retain the White House, but they were split on whether or not Obama would win North Carolina. All four agreed that Republicans would retain control of the N.C. House and N.C. Senate and that former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory would beat Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton in the race for Governor.

A taste of the Legislature

Norma Houston of UNC School of Government presiding over the Legislative Workshop

Among the many workshops held during the conference was a special session at the N.C. General Assembly. More than 50 attendees got to experience life as a legislator and learn about how an idea becomes a law – or in this case, doesn’t become a law.The session was held inside the House Chamber and was led by Norma Houston of the UNC School of Government, who “presided” over the session by playing the dual roles of Speaker of the House and Senate President Pro Tem. NCACC Deputy Director Kevin Leonard and Intergovernmental Relations Director Rebecca Troutman also participated in the session.

Attendees were split into two groups – one representing the House and another the Senate. The House began the action by debating a fictional H100 (Local Government Tax Equity), a bill that would have provided counties a menu of revenue options while also providing school boards with the ability to levy impact fees and a land transfer tax. After much heated debate, the “House” overwhelmingly voted the proposal down.

The Senate then offered up its own version of the bill, which would have required a voter referendum on the menu of options, including the impact fee and land transfer tax for school boards. This version was also voted down.

There were many other workshops, including several tours of Wake County facilities that were well-attended.