Christian Leinbach - 2021 candidate platform

Christian Y. Leinbach

Commissioner/Chair, Berks County, Pa.

The Team Leinbach campaign is all about you, your county, and your constituents. County government is the level of government that works as it was intended. We get things done in our counties and communities every day. In the face of unprecedented challenges over the past 15 months county leaders are an example of calm and thoughtful leadership amid a “storm.”

This “storm” has helped once again highlight the importance of NACo. The strengths of NACo are its ability to be our voice as an advocate for counties, and a source of education for each of us as county leaders. Within NACo, urban and rural counties, red and blue counties, come together to get the job done. We have a powerful voice when we work together.

Since 2012 I have served on the NACo board and am honored to have served for more than six years on the NACo Executive Committee. Since 2011 I also have served on my state association board of directors (CCAP) and was elected as CCAP 2nd VP through CCAP board chair between 2011 and 2014. This experience has helped prepare me to be a better county commissioner and I believe it will help me be an effective NACo 2nd Vice President.

I am committed to listening to and partnering with you. That is how we can better understand what’s required for counties to navigate complicated issues, remain innovative, and create programs and solutions that make a positive difference for our county residents. I am dedicated to using my leadership experience with NACo/CCAP to be an effective NACo 2nd VP.  I’m committed to an open-minded approach to finding solutions and charting a course to address not only common challenges but also helping address specific issues that many of you have shared with me. By working together, we can help NACo and our members do an even better job telling our story.

Through our Team Leinbach website we are providing you with tools to help you Tell Your Story right now. This campaign is not about future promises - it’s about today and it’s about you and your county. Check out the “Tools” section of https://www.teamleinbach.com/tools/.

There are several issues that impact and are important to virtually every county no matter their size, demographics, population or geographical location. Some of these critical issues include transportation and infrastructure, water, air and soil protection, criminal justice reform, mental health and county jails, cybersecurity, public safety and unfunded mandates. 

Regionally and even down to the state level there are clear and unique differences. Secure rural schools and PILT are critical to many western states. In the Northeast United States, we have a few states with no county government while having some of the oldest infrastructure in the nation. The Southeast United States and Gulf states prepare and expect serious hurricanes annually and are impacted in a way no other region is. At Team Leinbach we want to make sure you have the tools and understanding to Tell Your Story. Sometimes there are crises that impact every single county and the COVID-19 pandemic is just such a challenge. Whether it is a story of great accomplishment or rather a story explaining the unique challenges your county, state or region is facing, telling your story is critical in helping your state and federal officials, as well as the media, understand what you do and what you need. Finally, it is critical that your county residents understand what you as a county leader are doing to better represent them. 

I want to help make NACo and counties even stronger and these are the steps we can take to accomplish that objective. Let’s bolster the voice of all our county leaders.

1. The first challenge is to strengthen the system of Federalism that treats county government as a critical part of the policy making effort in D.C. We are either at the table or on the menu!

2. Secondly, we should enhance the ability of county leaders to tell the story of what they are doing every day to improve the lives of their county residents. If we don’t tell our story who will?

3. Thirdly, we must continue to promote the value of NACo federal advocacy. It is clearly the #1 value provided by NACo. Federal advocacy will always be strongest when we work together.

As you contemplate who to support for NACo 2nd VP please consider my NACo and CCAP experience as well as my message. It’s not about a party, it's not about me - it’s about the issues that are important to our counties. It's about solving problems and challenges for our county residents. It's about working together to move our counties and the work of NACo forward. It’s all about telling the story around the great work each of us are doing for our county constituents. I respectfully request your support for NACo 2nd VP.

For more information please visit www.TeamLeinbach.com or email me at CLeinbach@CountyofBerks.com.