On the road with Hillary Clinton

Woodbury County Auditor & Recorder, Pat Gill shares his story about a recent event with Hillary Clinton:

Hillary Clinton was in Sioux City on Saturday May 26th. I had a chance to meet her one on one prior to a public event that drew about 400 people. During the public event there was a question at which time I was able to ask The Senator about her commitment to improving the partnership between local governments and the federal government and more specifically county government.

I explained to her that along with my other duties, I am also the county commissioner of elections and that I had read her bill on election reform. I told that reading her bill left me with a feeling that was very representative of the relationship between counties and the federal government. I told that I felt county governments could be very responsive to a lot of the problems that plague our country if they were recognized as a full partner when developing solutions to problems such as mental health issues, jail-overcrowding as well as election reform.

The Senator responded by saying that her intention was to do just that. She talked extensively and knowledgeably about the impact of unfunded mandates on county governments and that it was her intention to seek out innovative programs that counties are employing and also looking to individuals in county government who are considered experts and have ideas and experience in areas that could be useful throughout the country. It was apparent to me that this was not the first time someone from county government had stated their case to be included in needed solutions.

A big thanks to Pat for attending the events and making sure that the candidates are addressing county issues. And kudos to Senator Clinton for her willingness to make counties part of her campaign!