County Executives of America Conference

Brown Partners with Albany County Visitor's Bureau, Hilton Garden Inn, Albany and County Executives at County Executives of America Conference

August 12, 2015

A day-long conference held today by Albany County Executive McCoy at the Hilton Garden Inn at Albany Medical Center provided a great opportunity for county executives across New York State to discuss issues that they all face. As Vice President of the Northeast Region of County Executives of America (CEA), McCoy hosted the session and was joined by Michael Griffin, CEA Executive Director.

McCoy gave a presentation on crude oil transportation and community safety, emphasizing concerns he has about issues that have yet to be resolved including that trains need to be required to have financial assurance, and that all routes carrying flammable liquids should have Positive Train Control. .

“We may be from different parts of the state but many of us are dealing with crude oil being transported across our counties,” said McCoy. “Not all of them could join me for the summit on crude oil transportation I hosted in June and I wanted to make sure they learned what I did from the experts who spoke. Unfortunately, as these brave responders pointed out, these disasters could happen in just about any county, which is why it is important that we all take steps towards safer measures.”

“We came here to talk about issues that apply to all counties,” said Michael Griffin. “We came to talk about issues that are universal. Whether that is protecting our community’s environment, caring for the elderly, serving those less fortunate, or providing for our youth’s futures, these are all topics affecting each and every county.”

Presentations were also shared by the Director of the NYS Office for the Aging Corinda Crossdale and Executive Director of the NYS Commission on Indigent Legal Services William Leahy.

County Executives of America (CEA) is the only non-partisan association dedicated specifically to chief elected county officials and has spent over 40 years helping county leaders reach their goals. This CEA conference has been done in partnership with assistance from the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Hilton Garden Inn at Albany Medical Center and Brown’s Transportation.