All three Highland County commissioners were scheduled to visit the White House campus Tuesday where the Trump administration is hosting Ohio county commissioners “in its continuing efforts to develop and promote relationships between the Administration and the influential leaders of local communities,” according to a media advisory from the White House.
The county commissioners “will participate in localized policy discussions with members of White House staff, as well as hear individualized presentations from various federal agencies with the intention to improve and build stronger relationships with local governments,” according to the advisory.
“Tuesday’s event continues the administration’s innovative localized outreach efforts. Previous administrations have never held White House events dedicated solely for local county commissioners,” the advisory stated.
Commissioners Shane Wilkin, Jeff Duncan and Terry Britton were scheduled to attend.
Wilkin said Monday that meeting President Trump was not on the agenda. Trump was scheduled to travel to Texas on Tuesday to view storm damage from Hurricane Harvey.
Wilkin said one of the benefits of the visit will be establishing relationships with administration officials, much like the value of such relationships with the offices of Congressman Brad Wenstrup and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman.
“When you’re able to establish that personal relationship, you have a go-to person to talk about what we’re trying to do for Highland County,” said Wilkin. He said he has spoken with officials in other states who have attended similar meetings with the Trump administation, and was told the visit would be “absolutely worth it.”
The Trump administration is anticipating more than 80 commissioners and local elected officials will attend from across the state of Ohio, according to the advisory.
Reach Gary Abernathy at 937-393-3456 or on Twitter @abernathygary.
