Curry County selected for National Economic Mobility program

CURRY COUNTY, N.M. (KAMR/KCIT) — Curry County has been selected as one of 10 rural counties to be a part of the National Association of Counties’ new Rural Leaders for Economic Mobility program.

According to officials with Curry County, RLEM is a national program with teams of county elected officials and non-elected county leaders to pursue effective strategies to improve economic mobility conditions that move individuals and families out of poverty.

Officials stated that Seth Martin, Curry County Commissioner, District 4 and Kristian Price, Curry County Community Services Administrator represent the team from Curry County and will engage in virtual and in-person learning opportunities, receive technical assistance for program implementation and utilize a $50,000 subgrant to incorporate data- and evidence-based policies into local government decision making.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity afforded by this program to expand my knowledge of bettering the economic mobility of our younger generations and adding to Curry County’s ability to support their futures with this grant,” Martin said. “It’s encouraging to see support geared towards rural communities like ours.”

The inaugural RLEM counties are:

• Audrain County, Mo.
• Curry County, N.M.
• Hertford County, N.C.
• Holmes County, Miss.
• Jim Wells County, Texas
• Presidio County, Texas
• San Juan County, Utah
• Telfair County, Ga.
• Union County, Ore.
• Venango County, Penn.

Officials stated that team members will explore economic mobility strategies and support one another in customizing and implementing strategies in their home jurisdictions based in NACo’s signature peer learning model.

“The unique circumstances of rural counties – in this case counties with populations less than 50,000 – make it invaluable for local leaders in these communities to have an opportunity to connect and exchange around solutions to drive economic mobility,” said NACo President Mary Jo McGuire. “We look forward to sharing best practices from this group’s work for the benefit of all counties.”

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