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Maine County Commissioners Association president visits Knox County, warns of growing cybersecurity and 911 training gaps
Summary
Andre Cushing, president of the Maine County Commissioners Association, briefed the Knox County Commission on statewide concerns including recent county cybersecurity incidents, shortages in TOC PSAP certification, and upcoming MCCA events and convention plans.
Andre Cushing, president of the Maine County Commissioners Association (MCCA) and a Penobscot County commissioner, addressed the Knox County Commission on May 13 to outline MCCA priorities, recent cybersecurity incidents affecting county operations and shortages in certified public-safety dispatch training.
Cushing described two recent cybersecurity incidents in other counties: a sophisticated attack in Penobscot County that used a staff email account to alter an ACH payment and a brute-force attack in Franklin County that triggered defensive software and required remediation. "Municipal and county governments are starting to experience some of those challenges," he said, and MCCA is coordinating briefings and resources for counties.
He also described a shortage of certified terminal operator (TOC) instructors and courses for public-safety answering point (PSAP) staff, saying the wait list for TOC certification can extend more than a year. Commissioners at the meeting discussed immediate outreach to state offices and possible legislative routes to expand training capacity. "We need more TOC availability," Cushing said, adding that MCCA will press partner organizations and state agencies for solutions.
Cushing invited commissioners to MCCA meetings and the association's annual convention, scheduled Sept. 18'20 at Sebasco Harbor Resort, and previewed topics including cybersecurity, municipal finance, PFAS, the impact of renewables on the grid and technology for public service delivery. He noted examples of counties using cloud services to handle high call volumes and automate routine nonemergency requests.
Commissioners discussed regional training bottlenecks and agreed to pursue both short-term outreach to state certification offices and longer-term legislative strategies to address training capacity. No formal county action or vote resulted directly from the presentation; commissioners were invited to participate in upcoming MCCA events and follow up on training and cybersecurity coordination.
