By Rick Goldstein
The first day of the 90th Annual Conference & Expo, APCO 2024 in Orlando, Florida, concluded with the General Business Session on Sunday as members declared their candidacies for the APCO 1st Vice President position, new life members were named and the association’s government relations progress was outlined.
Before those remarks, APCO International President Becky Neugent introduced APCO regional board members and the Commercial Advisory Committee. Neugent also introduced First Vice President Stephen Martini, who will rise this week to President, and Immediate Past President Angela Batey. Neugent will become Immediate Past President as Batey rotates off the executive committee.
Eight new members were voted in as APCO life members:
- Scott Andrews of the Northern California Chapter
- David Dodd of the North Carolina Chapter
- Jennifer Kirkland of the Colorado Chapter
- Stephen Martini of the Tennessee Chapter
- Jennifer Reese of the Oregon Chapter
- Mary Sue Robey of the Washington chapter
- Jay Sommerville of the Ohio Chapter
- Charles Vitale of the New York Chapter
In light of the tragic news of Mark Spross’s passing, APCO has made some contingencies for the upcoming 2024-25 Executive Committee election. In accordance with Bylaws provision 8.5, APCO is required to conduct an election for the incoming first vice president and second vice president. Regarding the former, the unfortunate and untimely death of Mark means “there are no eligible candidates” for incoming first vice president. Pursuant to Bylaws provision 9.5(b), such a vacancy (after April 1) should be filled at “the next regular election of officers.” On that basis, PM 6.4, section 7, describes the pathway: “It becomes necessary to accept nominations from the floor at the Annual Conference.”
Candidates nominated for first vice president are Capt. Jack Varnado, 911 Director, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office Communications Division, Livingston, Louisiana; and Melissa Stroh, Director, Idaho State Police, Couer d’Alene, Idaho. Candidates will not officially qualify for the ballot until certified as eligible by the Credentials Committee.
Varnado has been a member of APCO since 1991 and served on numerous committees including currently as a Gulf Region Board of Directors representative. He has done training all over the country and in Aman, Jordan. After Hurricane Ida in Louisiana, Varnado helped the federal government understand weaknesses exposed to emergency communications and testified about telecommunicator issues on Capitol Hill. Varnado pledged to work to implement fully interoperable NG9-1-1 and to work to update APCO course offerings.
Stroh, who is a West Region Board of Directors representative, began her service to APCO in 2003. She earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s in business administration while working as a public safety telecommunicator. She said her goal if elected is to engage new generations – millennials and Generation Z – in the association. She said the association should focus on solving the industry’s staffing problem and making sure that members are well taken care of.
Running unopposed for Second Vice President is Michael O’Connor, executive director of the Western Will County Communications Center (WESCOM) in Plainfield, Illinois.
O’Connor, North Central Region Board of Directors Representative, joined APCO in 1999 after being hired for his first director position. He said his motivation for running for the executive committee is to pay back the benefits he has received from the association during the 25 years he has been a member. He listed among his goals standards development, promotion of NG9-1-1 and developing future systems for emergency communications centers, such as artificial intelligence.
Voting for second vice president is open until Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. ET. The First Vice President election will be conducted in person at APCO 2024 during the Second General Business Session at 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting by paper ballot of all certified candidates will occur from among voting-eligible attendees of the Second General Business session. The winner must receive at least a simple majority of the votes cast (50% + 1 vote).
Jeff Cohen, APCO chief counsel and director of government relations, delivered an advocacy update.
The government relations team is working with Congress to change the law and with the Office of Management of Budget to change by regulation the classification of telecommunicators from the administrative/clerical category to the “protective service” category.
“The federal government’s catalog of occupations, the Standard Occupational Classification, categorizes public safety telecommunicators as an administrative/clerical occupation. As you all know, this is clearly wrong and public safety telecommunicators should be categorized under the much more appropriate ‘protective service’ category,” Cohen said.
“A House committee passed the 9-1-1 SAVES Act with language that weakens the directive to OMB to only require the agency to consider changing the classification rather than directing OMB to do so. APCO expressed disappointment with this language change and continues to push for the original reclassification language,” Cohen said.
The Federal Communications Commission adopted new location-based 9-1-1 routing rules. Cohen said this method based on caller location “instead of the cell tower transmitting the call” can make routing more reliable, thus saving lives.
Cohen said APCO continues to work with the Public Safety Next Generation 9-1-1 Coalition partners to pass $15 billion to implement nationwide NG9-1-1 in a “comprehensive, end-to-end, secure, interoperable and innovative manner.”
In a boost to NG9-1-1 implementation, the FCC now requires service providers “to deliver 9-1-1 traffic in an IP-based format to points designated by a state or local 9-1-1 authority,” Cohen said. The agency also requires service providers to be responsible for associated costs and testing.
