The 2016-17 Leadership Clinton class recently convened for their third class on Nov. 17 — Government and Infrastructure Day.
The day started at the Clinton County Courthouse, where the class was greeted by our first speaker and facilitator, Kelly Hopkins. Mr. Hopkins is a 2014 Leadership graduate and is employed with the Clinton County Court System.
The class toured the courthouse, with Mr. Hopkins providing the history along with leading the tour. The class then gathered in the Probate courtroom to hear from Judge Chad Carey and retired Judge William McCracken. They briefly discussed their histories of working in the court system and some of the trends they’ve seen over the years.
The class then traveled to the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office for a tour of the jail from Chief Deputy, Col. Brian Prickett. Col. Prickett lead the class on a journey from initial inmate intake and processing, central control and inmate housing, to the visitation area, recreation facility, medical commissary, kitchen, and the communication center where the county dispatchers operate.
The class enjoyed learning firsthand what is necessary for the jail to operate so efficiently.
The class returned to the Community City Building for lunch and discussion of their project for the year, and remained in there for the afternoon session.
Wilmington Chief of Police Duane Weyand and Col. Prickett continued the government and infrastructure day with a focus on leadership and issues in local community law enforcement. Issues mentioned by both speakers for their respective departments were manpower, budgeting and recruitment.
President of City Council Randy Riley and Mayor of Port William Michelle Morrison continued the afternoon with discussion of leadership in local communities. We learned the similarities and differences of leadership in a small and large community. Mr. Riley and Ms. Morrison opened up the floor for questions, and much was learned and discussed during the question-and-answer session.
Mr. Jonathan McKay of Wilmington Savings Bank and Wilmington City Council introduced the class to Robert’s Rules of Order. Robert’s Rules of Order is a guideline for conducting parliamentary procedures. He explained how it is used for conducting the majority of business meetings and said, “It is considered to be the Holy Grail to those in the political atmosphere.”
The class felt it was a productive day and wonderful to learn about government in their own community.
We would like to thank all the speakers and hosts for a memorable experience.
