A look in the rearview mirror

It is amazing how quickly one year can fly by. It’s also amazing how many miles you can log traversing back and forth across this great state.

President's Perspective By Breeden Blackwell President's Perspective Archive

In my year as president of the Association, I visited – or at least drove through – probably every county in North Carolina. I logged almost 25,000 miles while carrying out my duties, attending meetings from Swain to Pasquotank and – it seems – all points in between.

If there is one thing that I learned on my travels, it is that the NCACC is held in high regard by county officials across this state and in other states as well. Almost every county is a member of at least one of the Association’s Risk Management Pools, and many other counties participate in several of the Association’s other programs, like the Debt Setoff Program or the EMS Medicaid Enhancement Project.

As more and more demands are placed on county tax dollars, it is comforting to know that the Association is constantly searching for ways to educate commissioners about viable cost-saving or revenue-enhancing programs.

There are many issues impacting counties, such as Medicaid relief, the No Child Left Behind Act and other legislative matters, and we worked diligently on all of them in the past year. The battle for Medicaid relief is not over yet, but we made tremendous progress this year. We elevated this goal into the consciousness of the Legislature, thanks to an all-out public relations blitz that has generated newspaper articles and editorials from the coast to the mountains.

Individual commissioners and boards have been diligent in their efforts to discuss Medicaid relief with their members, and I would like to thank each and every one of you for doing your part in helping us in our quest. A majority in both the House and Senate signed on to one of the Medicaid relief proposals in the spring, and we hope they will remember their county government partners before they leave town this summer. I know the Association will not stop fighting this battle until all counties are relieved of this terribly unfair and burdensome responsibility.