Calhoun County, AL – On Thursday afternoon, August 25th, the Association of County Commissions of Alabama (ACCA) elected its new slate of officers. The newest Vice President is Calhoun County Commission Chairman Lee Patterson. Mr. Patterson will take on the progressive seat as vice president during year one, president-elect during year two, President in year three, and Past President in year four. This is a statewide position and the ACCA represents all 67 Alabama counties. This is not the only position Mr. Patterson has accepted of late. He has also been appointed to the National Association of Commissioners (NACO) as well as the Rural Action Caucus (RAC) , a to NACO subcommittee, and to the Veterans Committee. Mr. Patterson has stated it is important to him that Alabama and Calhoun County are seen on the state and national level, and he is willing to put in the work to make sure they are.
The role of Vice President is a support role and year one of this progressive seat is about learning and preparing to be President Elect and President. It is a unique position because of the automatic progression. Once President the position works very closely with the state legislation, with the Governor’s office, and with the Governor directly. It is a role that comes with heavy responsibility, but also with the opportunity to help shine light on your county. The motto of the ACCA is 67 Counties One Voice. It is important that the slate of officers work as one unit to represent each and every county from the smallest to the largest.
There has only been one Calhoun County Representative elected previously to this role and that was Pappy Dunn who was also the first African American President of the ACCA. Mr. Patterson has stated he is honored to follow in Mr. Dunn’s footsteps and knows he has big shoes to fill! While in his role of Vice President, Mr. Patterson does acknowledge there are benefits to Calhoun County as well. This seat puts him and Calhoun County on the frontline of what is happening statewide. He also gets a front row seat to what is working and not working in other counties. He gets to hear from all representatives and that knowledge can be brought back to benefit Calhoun County because knowledge is key to always striving to improve. Mr. Patterson also said, “I’m humbled and honored to be chosen and I know there is no room to fail because this is a huge responsibility.” He went on to say he is excited about what he will be able to learn and bring back to Calhoun County.
Chairman Patterson also said he had received nothing but support from his fellow County Commissioners. Two of his fellow commissioners shared their thoughts. Commissioner Carolyn Henderson said, “I think he will make a great Vice President. I am glad to have someone from our area.” Commissioner Danny Shears stated “I’m proud for Lee. He works hard and is passionate about what he does. It is also good for Calhoun County. When you are leadership you are on the forefront of what is going on. This can be a benefit to the county you represent because you are able to bring that back and invest on a county level as well as a state level.” Chairman Patterson also wanted to stress that this in no way takes away from his role as County Commissioner. This is a supplementary role and he stated Calhoun County will always be his top priority.
As the Annual meeting of the ACCA concluded for this year, all representatives enjoyed a reception and opportunity to network and congratulate the new slate of officers who now have the responsibility to be a unified voice for all of Alabama.
