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President’s Perspective
Conference perspective from the head table
President’s Perspective
The 47th annual Association of Arkansas Counties conference in Washington County was a wonderful success. More than 600 county officials, staffers and vendors gathered in Springdale from Aug. 5-7 to not only celebrate county government, but to make it better as well.
This was my first conference as the AAC board of directors president, and I was honored to serve the county government family during our association’s flagship meeting of the year. On a light note, I obviously enjoyed the opportunity to trade jokes with our esteemed executive director, Chris Villines, and I’m hopeful this friendly banter will continue for years to come.
Our annual conference’s theme was “Counties Getting in the Game.” Attendees experienced several highlights, as the opportunities for education, networking and fellowship among county officials are unmatched at our conference.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson addressed our general assembly one morning and even made time to pose with hundreds of county folks for the cover shot on this edition of County Lines. Thank you, Governor. We look forward to continuing our work toward stronger and stronger partnerships with the state. Obviously, our collective relationship with the governor is a cornerstone of that effort. There is no doubt that prison overcrowding, criminal justice reform, highway funding and 911 services will provide us opportunities to exemplify our ability to work together.
We were also treated to a visit from National Association of Counties (NACo) past-president Riki Hokama who iterated in his comments several times just what catalysts county officials are to their communities across the nation. I’m certainly honored to serve Arkansas and the counties across the country as a NACo board member. Their representation in Washington, D.C., and legislative support for state associations’ staffers is very valuable to all 3,069 counties.
For the last 17 years, AAC conference activities have teed off with a golf tournament. Now benefitting the Randy Kemp Memorial Scholarship, our tournament players and sponsors have helped maintain a stable fund for this scholarship. We were honored to award Randy’s niece, Katherine Kemp, with the Randy Kemp Memorial Scholarship for the second time. As many of you know, Randy was the first AAC communications director from 2008 to 2011 and his fingerprints and dedication remain evident in our communications program.
Attendees enjoyed various breakout session topics ranging from workplace violence to public dispute management and from best practices to Affordable Care Act documentation requirements. Conference allows hundreds of county officials and staffers to fellowship with not only each other, but also with legislators and state agency representatives. I’m honored to serve in this capacity and look forward to what we can accomplish for county government together.
Judy Beth Hutcherson AAC Board President; Clark County Treasurer
Judy Beth Hutcherson
Gov. Asa Hutchinson addresses a room filled with county officials. He spoke about economic development and jail overcrowding. Sitting on either side of the podium are Judy Beth Hutcherson, Clark County treasurer and AAC board president, and AAC Executive Director Chris Villines.
