Thompson told members of the National Association of Counties at the group’s annual conference that of $1.1 billion that went to the states last year, 41 percent went to the local level.

He told about 1,000 county leaders at the Midwest Airlines Center that he wants to make sure they get their share of $1.5 billion earmarked for this year. He said he would visit counties and cities to learn firsthand how the money might be distributed better to first responders.

“I know full well that if we’re going to have an incident in America, it’s going to be you at the local level that’s going to make sure that we’re able to counteract it, be able to contain it and be able to respond,” Thompson said.

Thompson, Wisconsin governor from 1987 to 2001, told reporters again that he won’t stay on as Health and Human Services secretary if President Bush wins the 2004 election.