Shirley Dawson, Gila County Supervisor, brought the concerns of Gila County to the nation’s capital as part of the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2008 Legislative Conference March 1st - March 5th in Washington, D.C. The theme of this year’s conference was “Restore the Partnership.”
For decades, the county and federal governments have worked together to answer the challenges facing the Nation. But in recent years, that partnership has begun to wane. To combat this, NACo has launched the 2008 Presidential Election Project to get each candidate to commit to restoring the federal/county partnership & to address the problems facing counties & their residents. During the 2008 Legislative Conference, more than 2,000 participating county officials helped to bring that message to Capitol Hill.
Supervisor Dawson was able to meet with Arizona’s Congressional Representatives including Congressman Raul Grijalva & Senator Jon Kyl. Specific issues Supervisor Dawson addressed included the land exchange necessary for Resolution Copper to continue development in Superior. This discussion included concerns which have been expressed by many Native American tribes.
Dawson also discussed issues recently brought before the Board of Supervisors regarding flooding of the Tonto Creek. She pointed out to Senator Kyle that this issue belongs in the lap of the Corp of Engineers & their engineer flaws during the 70 foot addition to Roosevelt Dam. She will be inviting Kyl to look once again at the problems in Tonto Basin & encouraged him to get the Corp of Engineers & the Bureau of Reclamation to start working on a plan of remediation.
Supervisor Dawson serves on the NACo Health Steering Committee. “I will be working with the Board of Supervisors to make a Discount Prescription Card available to all county residents. This card is designed to help those who are either uninsured or underinsured. There were testimonies from several different supervisors from across the country stating that this card has offered thousands of dollars of savings to their constituents. I hope we will be equally successful in helping the residents of Gila County,” says Supervisor Dawson.