11/18/16 ~ Small County Coalition Elects Officers at November Fall Meeting

Contact:  Chris Doolin                                                                                FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cell Phone:  850-508-5492                                                                             November 17, 2016

Wakulla County Commissioner Ralph Thomas has been elected to serve as Chair of Florida’s Small County Coalition, a position responsible for overseeing the activities of the  39 county members of the Small County Coalition.  Thomas was elected to the position by his commissioner colleagues attending the Fall meeting of the Small County Coalition in Tallahassee.

In other action, Hardee County Commissioner Sue Birge was elected to serve as Vice-Chair of the Coalition and Madison  County Commissioner Ronnie Moore was elected to serve as the Coalition Secretary.    The election was held during the Fall Business and Legislative meeting of the Small County Coalition in Tallahassee, Florida on November 16 and 17.    Coalition Officer Terms will run through June of 2017.  

• Commissioner Thomas, elected to the Wakulla Commission in 2012, is a ninth generation Floridian.  Thomas was re-elected to his second term on the Commission this past General Election.
• Commissioner Birge, elected to the Hardee County Commission in 2010, has lived in Hardee County all of her life.
• Commissioner Moore, is a lifelong resident of Madison County and has served on the Commission for 20 years.  Moore was re-elected to a sixth term in this past election cycle.

Established in 1993, the Small County Coalition is a statewide alliance of 39 county commissions from small and rural counties with a population smaller than 150,000.   The Small County Coalition’s primary mission is to help Florida’s small and rural counties address legislative issues from a small county/rural perspective and work effectively with state agencies leadership.  There are 15 Senate Districts and 23 House Districts that include all or a portion of a small county.  

 Statement from Wakulla Commissioner Ralph Thomas, Small County Coalition Chair

“It is an honor to be elected to Chair the Small County Coalition.   I will work with my colleagues from around the State to increase support for the needs of Florida’s small and rural counties.   The Small County Coalition is a very important organization for small counties and I look forward to working on the issues that are important to Coalition members - jobs, transportation, water, agriculture, health care, and  environmental stewardship.”

Statement from Columbia County Commissioner Scarlet Frisina, Outgoing-Chair

“Commissioners Thomas, Birge and Moore have all demonstrated strong leadership in serving their communities as life-long Floridians,” said outgoing Columbia County Commissioner Scarlet Frisina, the outgoing Chair.   “Each of these commissioners has extensive experience working with local, regional, and state organizations.  They will make a great team working on small county issues at the state level.”

In addition, Commissioner Alan Bush (Washington County) was elected to represent the North Central Region on the Coalition Executive committee.  The North Central Regions includes Calhoun, Gadsden, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Madison, and Washington.

A listing of the Small County Coalition Officers and Board of Directors is provided.

Small County Coalition Officers for 2016-17
Chairperson – Commissioner Ralph Thomas, Wakulla County
Vice-Chairperson – Commissioner Sue Birge, Hardee County

Secretary –Commissioner Ronnie Moore, Madison County

Past- Chairperson - Commissioner Karson Turner, Hendry County

Executive Committee Members
Northern Gulf Region
(Wakulla, Franklin, Gulf, Walton, Jefferson, Santa Rosa* and Okaloosa*)
Commissioner Sara Comander (Walton County)– 2017
Commissioner Cheryl Sanders, (Franklin County) – 2018
North Central Region
(Hamilton, Gadsden, Jackson, Liberty, Madison, Washington, Holmes and Calhoun)
Commissioner Alan Bush (Washington County) – 2017

Commissioner Chuck Lockey (Jackson County) – 2018

North East Region
(Bradford, Columbia, Union, Baker, Nassau, Flagler, and Putnam)
Commissioner Ron Williams (Columbia County ) – 2017
Commissioner Danny Leeper (Nassau County) – 2018
Central Florida Region
(Gilchrist, Lafayette, Dixie, Levy, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Citrus and Hernando)
Commissioner D. Ray Harrison (Gilchrist County) – 2017
Commissioner John Meeks (Levy) – 2018
South Region
(*Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Okeechobee, Martin, and Monroe)
Commissioner Buddy Mansfield (DeSoto County) – 2017
Commissioner Weston Pryor (Glades County) – 2016

Small County Coalition Members

Coalition Consultants

Robert P. Jones & Associates

Bob Jones and Chris Doolin

1118-B Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32303

1-850-224-3180 or cdoolin@nettally.com