Legislator Godfrey Advocates for County Priorities in Washington, D.C.

Niagara County Legislator Dave Godfrey joined nearly 2,000 county leaders from across the country for the National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference last week in Washington, D.C.  Conference attendees shaped NACo’s legislative agenda, received updates on key federal policies from senior Administration Official and Member of Congress, and advocated for county priorities on Capitol Hill.

Godfrey, who is Vice Chairman of NACo’s Justice and Public Safety Committee, said this conference is instrumental in learning from other counties and building intergovernmental partnerships across federal agencies on issues important to our community.

“Although we all come from different parts of the country, it becomes readily apparent that county officials all share many of the same priorities on issues like surface transportation, federal disaster policy, data centers and much more,” said Godfrey.

Godfrey also spent time with his Orleans County counterparts meeting with federal officials from the offices of Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand and Congresswoman Tenney to discuss funds for dredging local harbors along Lake Ontario.  This joint effort is part of Niagara Orleans Regional Alliance (NORA).

“Our joint efforts through NORA led to the creation of a Regional Dredging Management Plan for the on-going maintenance dredging of harbor access channels along the south shore of Lake Ontario,” said Godfrey.  “Access to these harbors generates more than $100 million annually in terms of recreational boating, fishing and related activities.  We need federal support to help us to continue to fund the plan and keep our harbors functioning.”