Posted on

Guest View: County conference at White House canceled

By Mark Kuhn, Floyd County Supervisosr

Every county supervisor in Iowa’s 99 counties received an invitation from the White House in late February to attend a conference to discuss “items of mutual concern.”

After discussing the invitation at a Board of Supervisors workshop and calling the White House to learn more, the board decided that Supervisor Doug Kamm and I would attend the conference.

Why not? The upside potential was unlimited. An invitation to discuss Floyd County issues with the Trump Administration is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Supervisor Kamm and I arrived separately at the briefing/dinner at the National Association of Counties (NACO) headquarters in Washington D.C. the night before the conference.

We were briefed on what to expect. We were told that the purpose of the conference is to build working relationships between local elected officials and the federal government.

Vice President Mike Pence attended previous meetings with county elected officials. Two or three high level cabinet officials would be in attendance during the three-hour meeting. Kellyanne Conway, special counsel to President Trump, would likely be there too.

The conference agenda was wide open to discuss whatever we wanted to bring to the table.

I was excited to hear that because I was prepared to discuss four items important to Floyd County:

• Mental health — Supporting measures with the federal government that enhance the ability of counties to prevent and treat mental illness.

• Infrastructure funding — Learn more about President Trump’s Infrastructure Plan that creates new county match funding opportunities for improvements to roads and bridges, flood control and broadband initiatives.

• Tariffs on China — Express my deep concern on the effect of placing tariffs on China, under consideration by the Trump Administration, and the possible impact on exports of Iowa produced pork and soybeans.

• Remove the cap on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres — Lobby for allowing landowners with expiring CRP contracts to re-apply and maintain this environment friendly program that protects 22,053 of Floyd County’s most fragile acres.

I was a little surprised that only 37 county supervisors from 24 counties in Iowa signed up for the conference. Two counties sent all three supervisors and five counties, like Floyd County, sent two supervisors.

But that was just going to allow more personal contact and follow-up opportunities with federal officials for those county supervisors in attendance.

Stranded in Washington D.C.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans.

Supervisor Kamm and I were informed early the next morning that the conference had been canceled due to a nor’easter storm that dumped five inches of wet snow in Washington, D.C.

Thousands of flights were canceled due to the inclement weather and my return flight home was delayed for a day.

As of now, we have not received word from the White House if the Iowa County Supervisors Conference will be rescheduled or not.

Social Share

LATEST NEWS