Nothing says summer in Maryland like a trip to the shore. Although the legislative session does not start for roughly another five months, everyone begins to wrap their minds around state policy in the middle of August during the Maryland Association of Counties Summer Conference (MACo) in Ocean City, MD. A trip to the beach in the dead of August sounds like it would be a good time, but this conference is not about fun and games. Elected officials, advocates, lobbyists, and others arrive on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to greet one another, but more importantly gather to lay the groundwork for important policy agendas for the 2025 legislative session. The theme for this year’s conference was “Turning the Tide.”
One of the state federation’s greatest benefits to locals is our capacity to effectively lobby and advocate for state and local government employees at the state level. AFT Maryland attended the 2024 conference, engaging with fellow labor advocates and colleagues from across the AFL-CIO family. Additionally, AFT Maryland President Kenya Campbell and Legislative Director Denise Riley had important conversations with local, state, and federal lawmakers. Hot topics discussed at the conference included important issues for the state federation. Elected officials discussed Blueprint legislation implementation, federal funding for local projects, and future budgetary plans for the state of Maryland.
MACo (as it is colloquially referred to) allows policy experts and legislators to converse and interact without the same tensions that the legislative session produces. It is an important event that is necessary for any labor leader in the state of Maryland to attend. President Kenya Campbell thought the conference was productive and put AFT Maryland on the right track for the upcoming legislative session. “It was good to connect with elected officials at the conference. Everyone’s attention is turned to getting out the vote in the upcoming election in November, but we were able to lay the foundation for issues that will be paramount for AFT Maryland, come January,” said Campbell.
Riley added to President Campbell’s observations. She noted that “MACO can appear lighthearted and fun on the outside, but there are tough conversations that happen every year at this conference and it is important to be in the room for those conversations. If you try to make your way to the table in January, you’re already behind. That’s why I’m glad we [AFT Maryland] are here, and legislators know to come to us about anything involving public employees.”
Article by AFT Maryland staff
2024-08-21