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Emanuel County officials travel to Washington to advocate for Helene Recovery Funding at White House Leadership Conference

thecrossroadsnews by thecrossroadsnews
July 2, 2025
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Emanuel County officials travel to Washington to advocate for Helene Recovery Funding at White House Leadership Conference
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by HALEI LAMB, COUNY CLERK

Emanuel County’s leaders are determined to finish what Helene started. Chairman Jim Sherrod and County Administrator Guy Singletary are working to keep Emanuel County’s promised storm recovery funds front and center in the minds of state and federal lawmakers. They’re so committed to the cause that they recently traveled more than 1,200 miles round-trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the 2025 White House Leadership Conference, also known as “County Days” on Capitol Hill, pressing for the remainder of the funding.

While the county has already secured approximately $18 million for the effort, an estimated $38 million more is still needed to pay for debris removal. Chairman Sherrod and Singletary departed on Monday, June 2, and spent the first two days of the week meeting with congressional offices and federal agencies to share Emanuel County’s experience and make the case for continued support.

Sherrod was quick to clarify that the $18 million wasn’t new money for local projects. Instead, it was payment for cleanup work already completed.

“That money wasn’t here 24 hours before it was wired out to the contractor,” he said. “They’ve been floating us along this whole time, knowing full well we were waiting on state and federal funds, because we just don’t have that kind of money sitting around.”

In that regard, Sherrod went on to explain that the trip to Washington wasn’t about asking for funding for new initiatives but rather about securing the rest of what’s owed so the county can pay off the remaining balance on storm recovery.

That urgency was part of what convinced Sherrod to make the trip.

“I’m not a big traveler,” he said, “but I went because I felt like if we got face-to-face with some of the decision-makers or if we could even get in the same room as them, we might have better luck pitching our case and getting the rest of our money. Everybody knows that government funding from the highest level comes with a lot of red tape, a lot of paperwork, a lot of hoops to jump through, a lot of waiting. For a small county like us, we don’t have time to wait. We knew it was a long shot, but it was a chance we felt like we had to take. Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and we wanted to make sure they heard us squeaking.”

In their meetings, Sherrod emphasized not only the ongoing physical and financial toll left behind by Helene but the broader issue of rural preparedness as well.

“We also knew this would be as good an opportunity we’d get to share with people at the Capitol what rural areas like us endured with Helene and what truly effective preparation beforehand and help after the fact should look like, God forbid another natural disaster like this comes our way,” he continued. “Obviously we want to finish paying our debris removal company without committing a single local dollar to the cause, but we also recognize how important it is to take what we’ve learned and put it to use.”

The conference came with a formal, exclusive invitation from the White House to chairmen of county boards of commissioners, marketed through the National Association of Counties (NACo). In the Peach State, that invitation was distributed to county government chairmen by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG). After a slow response from Georgia leaders, organizers broadened the invitation to include all county officials, not just chairmen. Even so, no one from Emanuel County initially planned to attend, but as the date approached, Sherrod recognized it as a rare opportunity to speak directly with federal decision-makers about the county’s lingering storm recovery needs, regardless of which administration was in office.

“Politics aside, we need to be in people’s ears,” he said. “That’s how you make things happen for your community. It wasn’t on my radar at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized this might be our shot to get in the room with people who can actually help us.”

That’s exactly why Sherrod couldn’t shake the feeling that Emanuel County needed someone there to speak up. He mentioned it to his family, and his daughter, Brittany, who works for American Airlines, caught wind. She encouraged her dad to let her repay, in just a small part, so much of what he’s poured into her over the years and offered to use her sky miles to help him get there.

“She told me, ‘Daddy, you’re going,’” Sherrod said with a smile. “I figured I had the time, Brittany had the sky miles, so I figured it might as well be me. But I didn’t want to go alone, so I asked Guy if he’d be interested in going. He found us a nice but affordable Airbnb in the area, and that helped both of us feel better about going. We were already saving on the flight, but we were able to lower the cost of lodging, too, which was great.”

With travel arranged and ticketing provided through ACCG, Sherrod and Singletary made the most of their time, joining in a series of policy discussions and educational sessions on topics ranging from federal disaster coordination and rural broadband expansion to digital equity and long-term recovery funding mechanisms. Among the featured speakers was White House Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Alex Meyer, who Sherrod described as the most “useful contact” they made during the trip. Other presenters included U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, U.S. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

While in Washington, Sherrod and Singletary also toured the U.S. Capitol and several national landmarks, including the Vietnam, World War II, Korean War, MLK Jr., FDR, Lincoln, and Jefferson memorials. They returned home to Swainsboro on Wednesday, June 4.

The Emanuel County Board of Commissioners governs Emanuel County, focusing on legislative and administrative responsibilities. Comprised of representatives from five districts, the board oversees policies and programs that impact local development, budgeting, and public services. Commissioners work collectively to ensure fiscal responsibility and address community needs, collaborating with other county departments and agencies. They are committed to supporting economic growth, public safety, and community well-being across Emanuel County.

For more information about the commissioners and for the latest from the county government, visit 124 North Main Street in Swainsboro; call 478-237-3881; follow us on Facebook; or visit www.emanuelco-ga.gov.


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