Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore wins election to Leadership of Prestigious National County Association
For Immediate Release
July 25, 2022
Contact: Farrah McDaid Ting, Director of Public Affairs and Member Services
Phone: (916) 595-7360; Email: fmcting@counties.org
SACRAMENTO – Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore has been elected Second Vice President of the National Association of Counties (NACo) with 71 percent of the vote from his fellow county supervisors and commissioners nationwide. Gore will now serve 2022/23 as 2nd VP, 2023/24 as 1st VP and 2024/25 as NACo President. Supervisor Gore currently serves as the Immediate Past President for the California State Association of Counties (CSAC).
Gore’s resounding first ballot win reflected broad, bipartisan support from his peers throughout the 3,069 counties nationwide representing rural, urban, and suburban communities. The vote took place in Adams County, Colorado for the NACo Annual Conference July 21-24, 2022.
“This opportunity to lead nationally while continuing to deliver back home comes at a time in our country when divisiveness and disasters are at an all-time high. We must lead our communities, from the local level up, through these turbulent times to ensure a healthy, safe and vibrant future. With all the divisiveness in our state and national political arenas, it falls upon us at the local level to bring our ground truth to the table and forge progress,” Supervisor Gore said. “I will collaborate and fight for my constituents in Sonoma County and all counties across our nation as part of NACo’s leadership.”
Supervisor Gore’s priorities for local and national leadership include:
- Leveraging American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into more dedicated, flexible funding for counties;
- Navigating and adapting beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, including tackling the behavioral health crisis and Monkeypox;
- Protecting and promoting public and working lands (62% of counties have federal land within their borders);
- Building local resiliency and funding for disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response.
Graham Knaus, CSAC Executive Director, had this to say on Supervisor Gore’s NACo Second Vice President victory: “Supervisor Gore is a powerhouse, deeply committed to the success and prosperity of Sonoma County and all counties – urban, rural, or suburban – across the nation. He will bring the same energy and tenacity he has given each day to the people of California as a leader at NACo.”
Supervisor Gore also serves on a number of NACo, state and federal bodies, including:
- Sonoma County Board of Supervisors (chair)
- NACo Board of Directors (member)
- NACo Programs and Services Committee (chair)
- NACo Resilient Counties Advisory Board (past chair)
- California Governor’s Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force (member)
- FEMA National Advisory Council (member)
The National Association of Counties (NACo) strengthens America’s counties, serving nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. Founded in 1935, NACo unites county officials to:
- Advocate county priorities in federal policymaking
- Promote exemplary county policies and practices
- Nurture leadership skills and expand knowledge networks
- Optimize county and taxpayer resources and cost savings, and
- Enrich the public’s understanding of county government.
California State Association of Counties (CSAC) is the voice of California’s 58 counties at the state and federal level.
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