Western New York County Officials Named To National Leadership Posts

Three western New York county officials were appointed to leadership positions with the National Association of Counties (NACo) at its recent Annual Conference in Adams County Colorado. NACo President Denise Winfrey named the three county leaders to be influential vice chairs of subcommittees that set the policy agendas for the association. 


Allegany County Legislator Brooke Harris was appointed vice chair of the Agriculture & Food Safety Subcommittee. 

Genesee County Highway Superintendent Timothy Hens was tapped to be vice chair of the Airports Subcommittee. 

Niagara County Legislator David Godfrey will serve as the vice chair of the Information Standing Committee and Vice Chair of the Telecommunications and Technology Steering Committee.


“New York's counties are on the cutting edge of innovation and leadership at the local level and have a wealth of insight to bring to other county leaders around the state and nation,” said NYSAC President Marte Sauerbrey. “I'm proud to see members of our association taking the same creative vision and passion for local government and public service to the National Association of Counties that they have for our association.”


“As families across New York State and the nation grapple with increasing costs of food, it's more critical than ever to have a strong voice at the national level advocating for on behalf of our farmers,” said Allegany County Legislator Brooke Harris. “I'm incredibly honored to receive this appointment and look forward to working with county officials across the nation to strengthen local farms and our local food supply.”


“Airports are the gateway to many of our regions and critical to ensuring a vibrant economy,” said Genesee County Highway Superintendent, Timothy Hens. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that our local communities maximize the benefit from recent federal investments in infrastructure.”


“Every day our local governments are working to connect our residents with high-speed internet and protecting our essential government services from cyber-attacks,” said Niagara County Legislator David Godfrey. “I'm honored to have been chosen to help shape national policy on the critical issue of protecting our taxpayers' private information and vital county services, as well as helping to expand access to reliable and affordable high-speed broadband access in the most cost-effective and efficient manner possible.  The tremendous results this would bring to our communities include accelerating economic development, providing better access to regional and global markets, job growth, increased educational opportunity and enhancing property value."


The National Association of Counties (NACo) serves nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. Founded in 1935, NACo advocates for county priorities in federal policymaking, promotes exemplary county policies and practices, nurtures leadership skills, optimizes county and taxpayer resources and cost savings, and enriches the public's understanding of county government. 


The New York State Association of Counties (NYSA), founded in 1925, is an affiliate of NACo and works closely with the organization to advance priorities of New York's counties at the state and federal level. 


“As counties across New York State work to rebuild from the pandemic and respond to new and challenges and opportunities facing local government, it's critical to have strong representation in the nation's capital,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario. “Having county officials from New York State helping to guide advocacy at the National Association of Counties will help build better and more resilient local governments in our great state and around the nation for future generations.”