Let my first words be those of gratitude to all of you for having elected me as your president.  This is a great association and it is a great honor to be its president.  I recognize clearly the weight of the responsibility that you have placed upon me and I pledge to give to you and to all the members the best that is in me.

          A progressive association must look to the future, more than to the past; however, from time to time it is also important that we review our achievements as well as failures of the past.  Immediate Past President Christian Leinbach emphasized “2014…A Year for Growth and Influence” during his leadership term.   Our membership numbers are at the highest level this association has seen for several years, over 100 – a great achievement.  A failure is that our membership has not been actively engaged to strengthen NCRCO ideals and objectives.  I want to change that – and I expect you to make the difference! 

          I am pleased with the recent growth of NCRCO’s reputation and influence and that is what I will mainly focus on into 2015. 

          I am not speaking about influence that is built with political clout or money.  Our influence is built by being helpful, by being willing to develop facts and figures to support our philosophies.  It is built by dedicated individuals like you and me, each with a somewhat different experience, and different words to explain their views, but with a common set of ideals and goals.

           You and I believe in the American system, and we are willing to devote our time and effort as a working part of that system, either as an elected public official, as a public employee, as a public servant, or as a volunteer.  You and I believe that government is meant to work for people, not enslave them, and that our contributions to local, county, state and federal government can benefit all Americans.

           You and I believe in growth, and change, and development, both in our personal life and in the life of an association like NCRCO, for none of us ever stops learning and growing.  You and I believe that we can work as individuals, in groups, and through government to make our counties a better place when we leave it than it was when we first took office.  Those are the kind of ideals that make NCRCO strong today, and that will help this association to continue to grow in strength and influence in the future.

            While I serve as your president, you have also elected an outstanding team of officers and regional directors. NCRCO must either go forward or backward.   At this point and time, it isn’t like us to go backward!  Therefore, I hope that each of you will make the commitment to carry on the NCRCO ideals and objectives during the coming year to ensure greater influence of our association.  “United we stand, divided we fall.”  Thank you!

Cindy R. Bobbitt
President