WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Board of Legislators. February 28, 2008: Federal lobbying will be the order of the day when Chairman Bill Ryan attends the annual Legislative Conference of the National Association of Counties (NACo) beginning on March 1st. Ryan along with representatives from across the country will meet with federal officials to discuss issues confronting county government, including health care, transportation, public safety and housing, among other priorities.
Chair of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, William Ryan. May, 2007.
During the conference, Ryan will meet as part of NACo’s 34-member Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) Steering Committee to which he was recently reappointed. LUCC members, collectively, represent 130 million people living in the 100 largest counties in the United States.
“As second vice president of the New York State Association of Counties, I recognize the tremendous importance of county government and the challenges we face in delivering needed high-quality services,” said Ryan, who was first appointed to the LUCC Steering Committee for 2006-2007.
Ryan will also be assuming another major responsibility as part of the NACo’s newly-formed County Hospital Task Force. He was appointed due to his involvement in saving the Westchester Medical Center from financial collapse and closure in 2004. Since then, Ryan has served as the only elected official on the Financial Improvement Committee (FIC), which implemented the successful turnaround plan and continues to guide the hospital.
“Pulling the medical center back from the brink of financial ruin, equipped me with first-hand knowledge on dealing with a health care facility in crisis,” Ryan said. “I am anxious to participate in the work of this important and timely hospital task force. I look forward to bringing valuable information home to Westchester for our consideration.”
As a part of the 10-member task force, Ryan will help promote NACo’s focus on the health care crisis and its impact on metropolitan counties. Members will discuss and share best practices and lessons learned in county hospital operations, identify common issues and, where appropriate, submit recommendations to the NACo Health Steering Committee regarding legislation.
The National Association of Counties is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,066 counties.
The organization advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money.
