As the new Chair of the County Executives of America (CEA), Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale met with President-Elect Obama’s Head of Public Liaison Michael Strautmanis last week in Washington, D.C. During the issues-filled discussion, Mayor Ragsdale pressed the need for the President-Elect to pursue the economic recovery plan with deliberate speed.
Specifically, Ragsdale asked for consideration of a plan to inject billions of dollars into budgets for roads, bridges and school construction, telling the Obama team, “If the money is allocated, county governments across the nation are prepared to act immediately.” This discussion continued for over an hour and ended with an agreement between Strautmanis and the CEA to work cooperatively on the problems facing America and its counties.
In his capacity as CEA’s president, Mayor Ragsdale represents over 700 elected chief executives from county and municipal governments and represents over 50% of the nation’s population. CEA works to provide its members with the voice they need to remain politically and economically strong by cooperating with the principal decision-makers in all areas of the federal government. A non-partisan association dedicated to chief elected county officials, CEA has been helping county leaders reach their goals for over 40 years.
Prior to being sworn in as CEA President, Ragsdale concluded a two-year term as president of the Tennessee Association of County Mayors, an affiliate organization of the County Services Association with members representing all 95 counties in Tennessee.
