Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett was elected as regional director of the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) board of directors. He will serve as the director for the Ohio and Michigan region.

The election was held at the NARC 52nd annual conference and exhibition in Orlando, Florida.

According to the NARC website, for more than 50 years they have advocated on behalf of regional councils and on the benefits regionalism provides for local governments.

NARC members work collaboratively in their communities to address challenges that are best solved at the regional scale.

“It’s a really cool opportunity for me. And I’m thrilled to be able to represent our region,” said Barnett.

Barnett is co-chair of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) task force that won the National Major Metro Achievement Award for the Water Resource Plan for Southeast Michigan.

Barnett has co-chaired the task force for the past two years, along with Superior Township Trustee Roderick Green , and both are current vice chairs of SEMCOG.

SEMCOG supports coordinated, local planning with technical, data and intergovernmental resources to improve the quality of the region’s environmental resources, make the transportation system safer and more efficient, revitalize communities and encourage economic development.

“The task force was made up of over 80 professionals from Southeast Michigan and we were updating our plan from 1999.

“I also had the incredibly unique experience of being able to present the plan to David Ross, the US Director of Water, at the EPA office in February,” Barnett said. – By Susan Carroll