Washington Fly-In – April 25-27, 2006

 

Beginning in 1996, the Camden – Kings Bay Area Chamber of Commerce has sponsored an annual 2-3 day Fly-In to Washington, D.C. to visit our Congressional delegation and keep them apprised of issues in our community.  The goals of the trip are to thank the delegation for their past support, inform the delegation on the status of the County, request support for future requirements, and solicit feedback from our Congressional delegation and Pentagon officials on issues affecting Camden County. 

 

This year’s trip took place April 25-27, and included 24 participants from Kingsland, Woodbine and St. Marys who represented the JDA, The Camden Partnership, Navy League, School Board, Southeast Georgia Health System Camden Campus, the Chamber, and other businesses and organizations involved with economic development and who have a stake in the future of Camden County.

 

On Wednesday, April 26, our delegation hosted a Breakfast for Congressman Kingston and his aides.  An evening reception and dinner was held for all the legislative aides and distinguished guests.  The relationships with the staffers are important in obtaining information and support throughout the year. We would like to acknowledge and thank the sponsors who made these important events possible by their generosity and support:  Aaron Paxton, NeXgamerz, Georgia Power Company, and Bill Gross, W. H. Gross Construction. 

 

Meetings were held with, and notebooks containing 2006 Issues and Information documents were distributed to:

  • Rear Admiral Joel Whitehead, USCG, Commandant for Government & Public Affairs
  • United States Chamber of Commerce, Legislative Specialists
  • Honorable Saxby Chambliss, United States Senate
  • Honorable Johnny Isakson, United States Senate
  • Congressman Kingston and his Staff
  • RADM Joe Walsh, Head of Pacific Fleet of Sub Master of Arms, Director N77 Submarine Warfare
  • Mr. B. J. Penn, Assist Secretary of Navy, Installations & Environment
  • Mr. John Leigh, Office of Economic Adjustment, U. S. Department of Defense

 

Two themes tie the 2006 Issues and Information documents together.

 

The first is the tremendous growth that Camden County is experiencing.  To manage this growth we are crafting a vision to support the planning and development necessary to preserve our quality of life, define our community character, and meet the needs of key stakeholders.  Our community must understand the near and long-term needs of the maritime services, one of our key stakeholders, in order for this effort to be successful.

 

The second theme is building relationships.  Our experience during the base realignment and closure (BRAC) process emphasized the importance of personal contact between elected representatives, and their staff, and the community.  We are committed to strengthening these ties.

 

As part of our ongoing communication effort, The Camden Partnership is pleased to make available the Issues & Information documents used as talking points during our congressional and Department of Defense visits.

 

The issues are organized in three major sections: Planning, Education and Development.  In addition, a fourth section includes additional background documents.  The author of each document is included in parentheses.

 

1. Planning:

 

2. Education:

 

3. Development:

 

4. Additional Documents: