President's Message - Convention Issue 2001

Williams Assumes Role as ACCA President

Below is the text of the speech delivered by ACCA President Billy Ray Williams, elected at the ACCA’s 73rd Annual Convention.

"President Mark Culver, Vice Presidents Johnny Flowers and Mary Buckelew. Immediate Past President Roger Hayes, Past Presidents Sam Jones, Stanley Menefee, Hardy McCollum, Larry Bennich and "Pappy" Dunn, members of the board of directors, fellow county officials, ladies and gentlemen.

Tonight's occasion is truly one of the highlights of my political career. The honor you have bestowed upon me is one I accept with humility and with resolve to uphold the traditions established by the persons who have held this position before me. I understand the challenge and I accept it only because I know I can depend on your support, participation and your help.

My becoming president of this Association may be seen by many of you as an end to the tenure of our out-going president, Mark Culver. Just as a year ago when Mark stood before you at this time, you may have felt that Roger Hayes' time as our leader was ending. But my election today means something quite different.

Last January we watched the transfer of power in Washington D.C. President Clinton left the White House on a rainy Saturday morning and later that day the new president and his wife assumed the role as our country's leaders and spent their first night in the same home the Clinton's had left hours before.

Today we give little thought to President Clinton. His policies, his leadership, his vision for this country are simply lines in a history book. Our country is now focused on President Bush and his ideas. This process has served our nation well. But our Association has taken a different path in its leadership.

Let me tell you what I mean.

Most of the county commissioners in this room have attended at least some of the classes of the Alabama Local Government Training Institute. Tonight, in Bullock County, Alabama, former ACCA president John Will Waters is not thinking about my election as president. But it was more than a decade ago during his tenure as president that the Association established this outstanding training program for county commissioners. And it was a few years later, during the presidential year of former Houston County Commission Chairman Robert Crowder, that we began our efforts to make this training program mandatory for all new commissioners. And although this effort began under President Crowder, it was during the presidential year of Larry Bennich that the legislation was passed making the program mandatory for all of you.

With this one example, you can see how our Association has flourished because we have not sought to forget our past presidents, but to remember their contributions and to work to carry out the programs they establish.

Last year at this time Mark told you that I would rise and ask about your progress in constructing the bridges authorized by the passage of Amendment 1. And although the amendment was ratified while Mark was president, the legislation setting the program in place was passed a year earlier, while Roger Hayes was president. But the effort began earlier, during the tenure of Sam Jones, when the need for new bridge money was made public during the Road and Bridge Summit. Now it will fall to myself, Johnny Flowers and our new second vice president to help lead you in such a way that all of the bridge money is spent timely and efficiently. Again, our success has been the product of working together, not working as individuals.

I believe it is this spirit of oneness, this desire to see our goals accomplished without regard to who gets the credit, that is the root of our success. Sam Jones knew four years ago that we could not reach our goals on the bridge replacement program during his 12 months, but he started the ball rolling knowing that we would pick up his baton and carry it over the finish line.

So as we look toward this year's plans, I want us to remember how far we have come, as well as dreaming of how far we hope to go. My role as president will be to inspire more of you to participate, to challenge more of you to be active members and to impart to you the responsibility you have to help us reach our goals.

For you see, I am not a person who began his involvement with this organization with an eye on becoming president. I have the privilege of being elected your leader simply because I came when asked; I offered my services; and I did whatever I could to help this Association reach its goals. I was not elected because I always dreamed of being president of the ACCA or because I am the smartest, strongest or most politically powerful commissioner in this state. No, I was elected because I am willing to assume the responsibilities that come with being a member of this Association and because I love this Association and its people.

Over the years, I have watched this Association protect county authority when some felt it could not be protected; generate increased county revenue when it looked like there would be no new revenue; defend county positions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court; face off with powerful political leaders who seemed disinterested in county government. And all the while, we've still found time to respond to even the simplest call about county commission meeting procedures or the Alabama Sunshine Law. This Association is as much as part of the Etowah County Commission as Billy Ray Williams or any of the other commissioners. For without this Association, all of us would face difficulties too strong to overcome.

As I look around this room, I see many people who have dedicated their free time to the Association's success - people who are willing to serve on any committee; people are willing to drive to Montgomery at the drop of a hat; people who are willing to give of their time, energy and political influence to ensure our success.

But I also see others of you who only participate by attending this convention or by voting for the motion to pay your Association dues. It is to those commissioners that I wish to speak for a few more minutes.

In any organization, there are a few people - sometimes as few as 10 percent - who end up doing most of the work. And for most organizations that is normal and in some ways acceptable. But our group is made up of people who are in office only because they are willing to serve. Each of you campaigned for the office of County Commissioner; you knocked on doors; bought cakes and pies at the volunteer fire department fundraisers; you nailed signs on trees and telephone poles; and you stood around on election night wondering if you would be picked. You are here as a member of this organization because you were willing to serve. And for that reason, it is not acceptable for you to simply pay your association dues and sit by while others do the work for you and your county. Let me say that again, it is simply not acceptable for you to sit by and let others do the Association's work for you and your county.

I cannot begin to list the accomplishments of this Association during just the last 10 years - a bond issue for county roads, the protection of our oil lease revenues, county insurance programs that protect our property and revenue and the passage of an unfunded mandate constitutional amendment, just to name a few. These goals were reached in part because of our staff and its leadership and hard work. But our move forward is primarily the result of a core group of county commissioners who are totally committed to our goals.

I could list that core group by name, but I don't need to do that. You all know who they are. Look around this room and up here on this head table. You recognize their faces and you see them at whatever event this Association sponsors.

But, perhaps more importantly than you recognizing their faces, you know in your heart if you are NOT one of those dedicated few. During the next five years our Association will face new challenges, new enemies and new opportunities. We will not be successful unless our group of committed leaders continues to grow.

During each election cycle the membership of our organization changes dramatically. More than 50 percent of county commission seats have turned over during each of the last five elections. Look around this room, in four years about half of you will no longer be county commissioners. That is the truth. So it is important that our organization not rely on the same group of leaders. We need new ones to carry on the programs that have been started by people like Mark Culver, Roger Hayes and the other past presidents I have already mentioned.

On the tables as you leave tonight you will find a list of the steering committees I have appointed for the coming year. We have created a new committee on Justice and Public Safety to carry forward the momentum Mark Culver generated this year with his hard to resolve the jail-overcrowding crisis. The other committees have been expanded to include more members. Many of the names are persons who have never before been asked to serve on an Association committee or board. And I hope those persons will accept the appointment, and more importantly, will be active participants.

And there will be other places for you to serve during the year. This is not the only chance for you to serve; it is only your FIRST chance. So if your name is not on a committee list, please see me, Johnny Flowers, Mary Buckelew or a member of the staff. We will get you involved!

You know, there is an old bumper sticker that says "Lead, follow or get out of the way." The sticker sums up my theme for this year, with one little change. You have only two choices - you can lead or you can follow. We need you too much to let you get out of the way. We have less than 700 commissioners, engineers, administrators, attorneys, revenue officers and EMA directors. We make up less than one-20th of one percent of our state's population. But we are expected to speak for ALL of county government. That is a heavy responsibility. And that is why we cannot afford to leave you behind.

As I said at the beginning, I am not president because I sought out this job. I am president because I love this Association and because I believe in its goals. I believe in the friendships I have made over the last decade and I believe in the staff and its dedication. I also believe that we will not reach our full potential without you. And I mean each and every one of you.

The work that needs to be done will fall on the shoulders of the same willing leaders unless you step forward and take some of that work on your back. Now, the work will get done - don't you doubt that for one minute -- the work WILL get done. I think our track record makes that clear. But we will have missed your skills, we will have missed your abilities and we will have missed the chance to benefit from your insights. Don't let that happen.

Remember there is no one else to speak for county government except this Association. And the ACCA cannot speak without you. I know we will have a wonderful year, but we won't reach our full potential unless you get more involved. I have dedicated the next 12 months of my life to doing whatever is necessary to help this organization succeed. And I need your help.

Enjoy yourself tonight and then let's get to work tomorrow.