George Dunlap has represented District 3 on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners for 17 consecutive years. Nine terms. He is the board's chairman emeritus.
This year, he takes on a larger stage. Dunlap was elected First Vice President of the National Association of Counties on July 14, 2025, and is ascending to the presidency of an organization that represents more than 3,000 county governments, 40,000 elected county officials, and millions of government employees across the United States.
What NACo Actually Is
The National Association of Counties is the only national organization that represents county governments before Congress and the executive branch. Its membership includes urban, suburban, and rural counties. Its president sets the national policy agenda for county-level governance — from Medicaid funding to infrastructure investment to the federal programs that 140,000 Mecklenburg residents relied on before SNAP benefits were disrupted during the federal government shutdown.
That last point is not abstract in Charlotte. The county mobilized its food pantry network when 63,000 families lost access to benefits. Dunlap's future platform at NACo gives Mecklenburg a direct line to the national conversation about federal-local partnerships.
Charlotte Gets the Conference
Dunlap's NACo role is already producing for the county. The large urban county conference — NACo's annual gathering of leaders from the nation's most populated counties — will be held in Charlotte in December 2026.
Chair Mark Jerrell highlighted the significance during his 2026 State of the County Address on March 25.
"This is not a small feat," Jerrell said, "because in his role as President of NACo, George Dunlap will be responsible for leading an organization of more than 3,000 county governments, made up of 40,000 elected county officials, representing millions of government employees."
Jerrell added: "This is bigger than Commissioner Dunlap because this will yield much greater visibility and a louder voice to some of the challenges and opportunities we face as a county, region, and state."
More Than 30 Years of Public Service
Dunlap's path to NACo was built on decades of county-level work — committee assignments, intergovernmental coordination, and the kind of institutional knowledge that comes from sitting through hundreds of budget workshops, zoning hearings, and work sessions.
He has served as board chair. He has chaired committees. He has more than 30 years of total public service. Jerrell called him "our chairman emeritus" and asked the State of the County audience to recognize "the next President of the National Association of Counties, Commissioner George Dunlap of District Three."
What It Means for Charlotte
Mecklenburg County is growing by 80 new residents a day. The population is projected to add 200,000 people over the next decade. Charlotte ranked second nationally in job growth last year, adding 38,000 jobs.
The county just passed a historic transit tax referendum projecting $20 billion in economic impact over 30 years. It has invested $334.6 million in housing since 2018. It fully funded CMS at $893 million.
Having the NACo president represent this county — at a moment when federal-local tensions are as visible as they have been in a generation — is not ceremonial. It is positioning.
The December conference will bring county leaders from across the country to Charlotte. Dunlap has spent 17 years on this board. The national stage is next.
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