Elected Officials to Be Recognized for Their Public Commitment to Housing - 12/20/2004 - Real Estate Education Training Schools Conferences

Elected Officials to Be Recognized for Their Public Commitment to Housing

This year’s winners were nominated by local and state home builders associations around the country:

• Commissioner Cherie K. Berry, North Carolina Department of Labor. She has worked with the North Carolina HBA and other businesses on her two top priorities — education and outreach — and her Hispanic Task Force created Labor One, the first mobile training unit in the United States.
• Sen. Jon Dolan and Rep. Bryan Pratt, Missouri General Assembly. These leaders this year helped guide a Notice and Opportunity to Repair (NOR) bill through the Assembly before it stalled at the governor’s desk. In the 2003 session, Pratt ensured that the bill was heard in the proper committee and he testified on its behalf. Signing on this year as the bill’s chief author, he was its lead advocate in the House. In addition to leading the NOR bill’s fight in the Senate, Dolan sponsored legislation to change escrow requirements for builders, allowing them to post a letter of credit or a bond instead of requiring cash.

• Rep. Lynn Herman, Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He was the lead sponsor and champion of legislation from the Pennsylvania Building Association capping water and sewer fees so that neither consumers nor builders are overcharged. He also used his committee chairmanship position to block legislation that would have been harmful to the building industry.
• Sen. Luke Esser, Washington State Senate. As Senate Floor Leader during the 2004 session, Esser negotiated reform of the state’s condominium act to ease the liability insurance crisis faced by condo builders. These improvements were signed into law in March.
• Mayor Connie Marshall, Bellevue, WA. She worked with a coalition formed by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties to lobby her city council to vote down a costly and unnecessary fire sprinkler mandate that was promoted by area fire marshals.
• Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal David Phipps, Suburban St. Louis. He helped to develop code regulations that protect public safety without digging too deeply into the pockets of consumers or builders.
• Chairman Tom Brian, Washington County, OR, Board of Commissioners. He played a pivotal role in improving fish and wildlife habitat regulations that would have been devastating to Portland’s housing industry.
• Commissioner Betty Sue Morris, Clark County, WA. A friend to the building industry for the past 16 years, even when it has been politically damaging, she most recently helped overhaul a proposed ordinance that would have restricted businesses, including builders, from operating out of their homes.

NAHB members and guests are invited to attend the breakfast, which will be held on Jan. 13 at Orlando’s Rosen Plaza Hotel.

To purchase tickets or for more information, e-mail Marie Yarroll or call her at 800-368-5242 x8279.