The Nevada Association of Counties recently held its conference and annual banquet at the Aliante in Clark County. At the Sept. 30 banquet, current president Lorinda Wichman awarded two long serving and distinguished county elected officials NACO’s Honor Roll and Participatory Democracy Awards.

Mineral County Commissioner Jerrie Tipton was inducted into the NACO Honor Roll for her exemplary service as a Mineral County Commissioner. Tipton was elected in 2006 and has served as Chair, as Mineral County’s representative to NACO’s Board, and, for the past five years, as one of two Nevada representatives on the National Association of Counties Board of Directors.

Tipton has worked tirelessly to make sure that Mineral County residents have a voice at the Nevada Legislature, advocating for a bill in the 2015 Legislative Session that ensured that Mineral County’s Parks, Juvenile Services, and Community Center could continue to be housed in a repurposed armory building that the county had been improving. As memorialized on the award, the NACO Honor Roll “serves as a public record and reminder of the accomplishments of a select few who gave freely of their time and energy to contribute to the integrity of county government and the betterment of their community.”

Esmeralda County Commissioner Nancy Boland also received an award for her hard work on behalf of the residents of Esmeralda County. Elected to the Commission in 2004, Boland has served as Commission Chair as well as the President of the Nevada Association of Counties. She was awarded the prestigious Participatory Democracy Award in recognition of her efforts to engage her constituents in the democratic process, both in her county and at the Nevada Legislature. She has also been a strong advocate for the long-term sustainability of her county – Esmeralda County is larger in size than the State of Delaware yet has a population of less than a thousand people.

Assemblyman John Ellison representing Assembly District 33 was awarded NACO’s Legislator of the Year Award. Recipients of this award have demonstrated exceptional support for county governments and the services they provide to the citizens of Nevada. This award was given to Assemblyman Ellison in recognition of his ceaseless efforts during the 2015 Legislative Session to shepherd through a handful of bills that were priorities for counties. Assemblyman Ellison has served in the Legislature since the 2011 Session and was Chairman of the Assembly Government Affairs Committee this past Session. Before that, he served on the Elko City Council, the Elko County Commission, and was also a NACO Past President and member of the National Association of Counties Board of Directors. President Wichman thanked Assemblyman Ellison for his service, as well as his hard work and advocacy of county interests.

NACO’s Annual Conference was co-hosted by Clark County and the Banquet was attended by over 145 people.

NACO, formed in 1924, is the non-partisan, non-profit association that represents all 17 counties in Nevada. For more information about NACO visit www.nvnaco.org