Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams installed as President-elect of N.C. Association of County Commissioners, appointed to two national committees
BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. — Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams was installed as President-elect of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) during the association’s annual conference, which was held virtually due to COVID-19. He was also recently appointed to two National Association of Counties (NaCo) committees.
The other newly installed NCACC officers are President Ronnie Smith of Martin County, First Vice President Tracey Johnson of Washington County and Second Vice President Johnnie Carswell of Burke County. Kevin Austin of Yadkin County is Immediate Past President. Williams was elected 2nd Vice President in 2018 and 1st Vice President in 2019. Williams will be sworn in as NCACC President in August 2021.
“County governments all across North Carolina provide important, basic services that impact citizens’ daily lives, including school construction, trash collection, courthouse construction and operation, funding our Sheriff’s Office and Register of Deeds office, building and maintaining water and sewer infrastructure, and managing local emergency response efforts, just to name a few,” said Williams. “While every county is different, all North Carolina Counties face certain common challenges, and we must address those issues with a strong, united voice.”
“Actions taken by the state and federal governments impact county governments and county residents in many ways, and often bring unintended consequences,” Williams added. “It is critical that North Carolina’s counties speak with a strong voice on these issues, and I look forward to continuing to work with commissioners from all 100 counties to ensure that the NCACC remains that voice. With that said, Brunswick County is and remains my number one priority. I only have the opportunity to serve our association because I serve our great county.”
Williams was also re-appointed to the NaCo International Economic Development Task Force for a second year and was appointed to the Rural Action Caucus (RAC) Steering Committee. Only county officials and staff from rural counties are eligible to serve on the RAC committee. Nearly two-thirds of the nation’s 3,069 counties are designated as rural, with a combined population of 60 million.
“While Brunswick County is rapidly growing, portions of our county remain very rural in nature, and the N.C. Rural Center considers 80 of North Carolina’s 100 counties to be rural,” Williams concluded. “Serving as Chair of the Rural Transportation Advisory Committee has reinforced my belief that rural counties will have to fight even harder to be heard as our state’s urban areas continue to grow. Serving on the Rural Action Caucus will help me connect with other rural county leaders from throughout our state and nation to strengthen our collective ability to advocate for rural counties.”
Williams is in his second term as a Brunswick County Commissioner and currently serves as the board’s chair. He also serves as chair of the Cape Fear Rural Planning Organization Transportation Advisory Committee and on the boards of the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) and Brunswick Business & Industry Development (Brunswick BID).
The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is the official voice of all 100 counties on issues being considered by the General Assembly, Congress and federal and state agencies. Founded in 1908, the Association provides expertise to counties in the areas of lobbying, fiscal and legal research, communications, intergovernmental relations, information technology, field visits and risk management services. For more information visit http://www.ncacc.org.