On July 25, the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs hosted select state and local delegates from five states to a Regional State Leadership Day Conference. Broken Arrow Mayor Craig Thurmond and City Manager Michael Spurgeon were among those invited to attend. Other delegates represented Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
“It’s always an honor and a pleasure to be invited to the White House for any purpose,” Thurmond said. “This conference was yet another excellent event showcasing the President’s and his Administration’s complete dedication to empowering local governments to tackle the priority issues they face every day, such as the ongoing opioid crisis, infrastructure and economic development. All of these are important issues for Broken Arrow.”
Briefings and discussions were held with senior administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky, on issues pertinent to the respective states and communities represented and on how the Administration is empowering local government to advance shared priorities. Those priorities include combatting the opioid (drug) crisis, improving infrastructure and rural prosperity, promoting affordable housing, driving economic development through deregulation and opportunity zones, and disaster recovery and resilience.
Presenters:
- William Crozer, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director, White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
- Mark Harvey, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Resilience, National Security Council
- Ray Alexander, Director for Contingency Operations, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
- Stan Gimont, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Keith Turi, Assistant Administrator of the Recovery Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- John Melle, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Western Hemisphere, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
- Secretary David Bernhardt, U.S. Department of the Interior
- Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
- Loren Smith, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Ken Humphreys, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
- Peter Wright, Assistant Administrator of the Office of Land and Emergency Management, Environmental Protection Agency
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