Each year, hundreds of people in the Northwest become elected officials for the first time.
Even in offices that are considered to be part-time jobs, there’s plenty to learn. For county commissioners, the job is even more complex because not only do commissioners make laws, but they’re charged with enforcing them as well.
Every two years, the Washington State Association of Counties sponsors training sessions for new commissioners and county executives, including one a few weeks ago in Olympia.
SPR’s Doug Nadvornick spoke recently with the association’s executive director, Eric Johnson, about the challenges of training new people to take over county governments.