Jesse Scheckner
For the next two years, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kionne McGhee will lead the National Association of Black County Officials (NABCO), which represents African American officials throughout America’s 3,069 counties, boroughs and parishes.
Members of the 47-year-old organization and its associated group, the National Organization of Black County Officials (NOBCO), elected McGhee as its President at the National Association of Counties (NACo) Conference in Denver.
McGhee assumed his new responsibilities — taking over for Eddie Jones Jr., a Commissioner in Shelby County, Tennessee — on Friday after his induction ceremony.
“I am honored to serve as the next president for NABCO/NOBCO,” McGhee said in a statement. “My executive team and I are excited to showcase NABCO/NOBCO’s progress, while continuing to advocate for issues affecting our member counties.”
McGhee was elected to a four-year term on the Miami-Dade Commission in 2020 after serving for eight years in the House, the last two as Democratic Leader. He replaced longtime District 9 Commissioner Dennis Moss, whom he’d interned for as a teenager.
Since joining the County Commission, McGhee has been a vocal advocate for the South Miami-Dade communities he represents. Recently, that’s included clearing nearly $9 million from the county budget for efforts to curb gun violence, boost educational opportunities and shore up food insecurities in the area.
His tenure as NABCO/NOBCO President runs through July 2024.
McGhee wasn’t the only Miami-Dade Commissioner to win election at this year’s NACo conference. Eileen Higgins, who represents District 5 from the county dais, won election as Chair of NACo’s Transportation Steering Committee.
An outspoken advocate for public transportation use and improvement, Higgins has served as Chair of the County Commission’s Transportation, Mobility and Planning Committee since her appointment to the role in February 2021.
In a July 25 Twitter post congratulating Higgins, McGhee wrote that Miami-Dade’s leadership “is displayed on the national stage!”
He added, “Together, the Chairwoman and I, as (NABCO/NOBCO) President, will move the needle!”
Boom! Congrats to my sister Commish @CommishEileen on being elected as @NACoTweets’s Chairwoman of Transportation Steering Committee. @MiamiDadeCounty leadership is displayed on the national stage!Together,the Chairwoman and I, as @nobcoinc @NABCO President, will move the needle! pic.twitter.com/ZUM1jRZnTV
— Kionne “Commish” McGhee (@kionnemcghee) July 25, 2022
