GEORGETOWN, Del., Oct. 19, 2005 – Sussex County Administrator Robert L. Stickels will serve another one-year term on a steering committee for the National Association of Counties.

Mr. Stickels received notification recently from NACo President Bill Hansell of his reappointment to the Community and Economic Development steering committee. Mr. Stickels has served twice on the committee: from 1996 to 1999, and from 2001 through the present day. He also sat on the Energy and Land Use committee, from 1999 to 2001.

The Community and Economic Development committee reviews policies and legislative positions that pertain to general community development and redevelopment; residential, commercial and industrial development; housing programs; building and housing codes; subdivision regulation; and public works and economic development.

“I am pleased, once again, to be able to continue to serve on this committee,” Mr. Stickels said. “The information that I have obtained on job retention and economic development, I believe, has and will continue to benefit Sussex County.”

Sussex County enjoys the lowest unemployment rate in Delaware, at 3.0 percent in the month of August, according to Delaware Department of Labor statistics. The county’s unemployment rate also came in well below the national average of 4.9 percent.

The National Association of Counties is a national organization based in Washington, D.C., representing more than 2,000 U.S. counties. The organization is an advocate at the federal level for county governments, and provides a host of services to members, including legislative and technical assistance.