Reflecting on session and things to come

Mark Whitmore told me years ago, as I embarked on my first legislative session in the director’s seat, that a legislative session is not just a race … it is a marathon. Truer words have never been spoken. I used to run 5K races, though my current physique would never impart that thought. But the hardest part of running the race (if you are running it right) is the beginning and the end. In the beginning you must pace yourself to have stamina throughout. Once the proper pace is achieved you must maintain it (the easier part) so that when the crushing pressure of the final half mile hits you, you have the strength to finish strong.

I say this to tell you I am incredibly proud of the legislative team we’ve assembled here at the AAC. They have learned to run the race wisely, to put aside rapid gratification and settle in for the long-haul of our biennial regular sessions, and to have exhausted their strength as the sine die line is crossed. There is a plethora of material in this edition of County Lines that covers specific bills and impacts on our county officials, so I won’t double those efforts in this column. But I do have the personal privilege to brag a bit on our staff here.

Many of you are beginning to hear from our staff liaisons. They are presenting to your respective associations about specific bills (now Acts) that will impact your positions. I want to take a moment to give a well-deserved thank you to them here. To our first bill reader and Treasurer liaison Eddie Jones, our Chief Counsel and Judge/Coroner/Sheriff liaison Mark Whitmore, our County Clerk/Circuit Clerk/JP/Assessor liaison Lindsey French and our Judge/Collector/Circuit Clerk/ JP liaison Josh Curtis ... THANK YOU!

And to you, our honorable county officials… THANK YOU! With approximately 85 percent of our AAC package bills being approved, we had an incredibly successful session. As I’ve mentioned before and will again, our vetting process demands we put quality legislation on the table. This shows when we are successful session after session. And with the great relationships you all have with your legislators, it is an enviable position to be in when we discuss legislation with someone who has already heard from the expert – YOU!

As we close the chapter on a successful 2023 Regular Session, I also cannot thank enough the legislators themselves along with our state constitutional officers including Governor Sanders for the hard work and countless hours put in to making Arkansas’ state and local government second to none. And for the staffs of the respective chambers, the Bureau of Legislative Research, and the constitutional offices, thank you all for your commitment to excellence and hard work during this and every other session.

For me personally, I feel a tinge of melancholy knowing that some of my favorites in the legislature will be going through their last sessions, like retiring Rep. Lanny Fite from Benton. As the former county judge of Saline County, he has been a good friend and a great mentor to me — and a fantastic ambassador for county government. He has led well and always does so with the thought of how his decisions would affect county government in Arkansas. Well done, my friend! any questions or recommendations for us moving forward.

Turning an eye to county business, I am excited to help the Association of Arkansas Counties “lean in” to communications as we expand our reach. Communications Director Christy L. Smith and Communications Coordinator Sarah Perry are working on upgrading our capabilities to include better audio and video production. Several times over the last year we’ve had specific issues that would be best addressed through quality video productions. And it is not just us. Most county and municipal associations across the country are embarking on this same step-upward in their communications departments.

Be on the lookout for an increase in these products from us, and as is always the case, shoot us an email if you have

As I close this column, let me do so with a reminder to all of you, make every effort to attend our annual conference this summer in Rogers (Benton County). There are more new county and district officials right now than I believe we have ever had. If I can offer one simple suggestion to you all, it is to attend your association meetings, including the AAC annual conference.

The conference dates this year are August 9-11, and this is our normal Wednesday through Friday schedule. Over the next few weeks, we will begin unveiling the agenda but suffice it to say this looks to be one of the most outstanding conferences we will have had. Already we are on pace to set a record for attendance so register soon.

The theme this year is “Exploring New Frontiers.” Bring your cowboy boots and western gear and get ready to lasso county government with us.