Publisher’s note: The following Q&As represent the candidates’ views verbatim, as submitted via email in response to our questions, and have not been edited. The Primary Election will be held Aug. 6, with voters allowed to select one of the two candidates. As both candidates have filed as Republicans, the top vote-getter will be the Republican nominee in the General Election on Nov. 5 and the presumed northern commissioner elect unless challenged by an Independent, filing for which is open until July 29 with certain requirements that must be met through the County Clerk’s Office. – KT
1. Why do you want to be Northern Commissioner?
After speaking to several people close to me, I was convinced that the taxpayers or citizens of Barry County need to know where their money is being spent and why.
There were questions about the Jail purchase/build that the taxpayers were left in the dark about. As the Northern Commissioner I will be transparent with the taxpayers and citizens of this county, and we will collaborate together to address the needs of our county and community.
We will know where the money is going. I think I can make a difference to the community by informing the taxpayers and listening to them without dismissing or degrading them. If a problem or issue were to arise within the Northern District, it will be addressed with accordingly and a solution will be found.
In the role of Northern Commissioner, it be my job and my pleasure to do exactly that. I have spent my whole adult life advocating for others who need help.
2. What qualifications do you have that best suit the position?
I have been in public service since 1997, my whole adult life I have spent in Law Enforcement.
I have dedicated my time and career to meet the needs of the citizens I served over the last 27 years in their time of need. I have worked in all capacities of every division of the Sheriff’s department.
I know what it takes for Patrol officers to do the job effectively and efficiently.
I know what trials and tribulations that can occur for the Sheriff’s office budget and have helped with several throughout my years. As for the Jail issue, the taxpayers of this county have suffered a huge waste of money and time. The old jail could have been fixed within a month with temporary closure, instead of wasting thousand(s) dollars housing inmates in other facilities across the state. It was told by Steve Blankenship himself, that it would cost the taxpayers 150,000 dollars to fix the problems of the current jail. However, the commissioner(s), Sheriff, and Prosecutor chose to spend over 500,000 to house the inmates outside of the county. The county is paying Webster County, Stone County, Greene County, Polk County and Douglas County to house inmates. There is no excuse for not knowing the exact timeline of the completion of the new jail and having the old one closed for over for over 4 months while outsourcing inmates to other facilities or better yet letting the justice of Barry County suffer by letting criminals walk free. I’ll go a step further on this with simple math: If we had approximately 50 inmates before closing the jail. It costs average $75.00 a day per inmate to house. So, for approximately 150 days = 562,000 it will cost. On top of this unnecessary spending there has been a loss of county employees, due to being unemployed (jailers) during this time as well. You must have the resources and capabilities to save the county money with a project of this nature.
3. What specific goals do you plan to accomplish in your next/first term?
One of the things I’ve observed and collected facts on was the lack of knowledge and information given to the public from the Commissioner Meetings. I would like to see the meetings documented by audio and video recordings. In doing so, the public can address, at any time, any question or information needed to stop or continue to be heard of a matter.
The money or expenses of the citizens taxes should be thoroughly explained and shown to them at any time upon request. I was at a recent commissioner meeting, it was not recorded, and as a citizen it was very upsetting to me. Operating in the same way moving forward is not a base for transparency nor does it allow citizens to question what was being discussed/ completed during a session. The past commissioner schedule only requires 6hrs a week for the meetings.
It has been abused several times but due to no minutes, no one would know or question it. If elected, I will be available at every meeting before and after to the taxpayers.
If the community has meetings that they feel would be beneficial for the commissioners to attend and request for me to be at, I will be there. I would like to have the citizens to have access to a commissioner meeting at a time and place that would accommodate all Barry County citizens. I would propose a nighttime Commissioner meeting maybe twice a month so the taxpayers who work during the current meetings can make it.
Being available for the taxpayer/citizen(s) would be what I would look forward to changing. If presented with issues in the northern district from the public, you would need to go out and evaluate the concerns of the citizens and collaborate for a solution and not just pass the buck.
The mentality that I wish to be passed on from Commissioner, citizens, or whomever is that we are all equal and together we can achieve more.
4. What do you see as the biggest issue facing Barry County and how do you hope to solve it?
It goes back to Transparency, given all the information gathered and have an informed plan or discussion to complete task(s). Keeping the taxpayers informed of where all the county money is going. After speaking to the citizen(s) they don’t understand where and what their taxes are being used for. According to the community, the budget for the Sheriff’s office is the largest it ever been but the current budget doesn’t allow for more adequate staffing and much needed equipment. When the meeting occurs, it needs to be audio and video recorded to be then made available to the citizens of Barry County. Meetings need to be a more businesslike structure. This means no feet on the desk, leaning back in a chair appearing as if you don’t want to be present or hear topics being discussed. I’d like to see the pledge of allegiance recited at the beginning of all meetings. The presiding commissioner will always help keep the structure of the meeting this includes not answering or placing personal calls during a meeting. Also keeping an accurate timeline of the meeting like; new business, old business, or any business from the public that was not on the agenda. Make every citizen feel welcomed to join in the meeting and in this county. The information needs to be made available to the public via the newspaper or even on social media site of the County Commissioners. Following this structure, citizens have the ability to attend, read, or in other ways see the meetings. Currently there is no structure, to my knowledge, in place currently. We as office holders need to be held accountable for the citizens to be informed as much as possible. There should be no question(s) unanswered by the commissioners from the public. It should be a hand-in-hand type relationship. In doing this, this allows the elimination of issues the citizen(s) feel they are left in the dark about or that no one cares about them. For example, the new jail cost 20 million dollars and has plans to be paid off in the next 7 years.
If it was a fixed asset, why wouldn’t it have been put on a 20-year payoff plan and the money saved be used to hire more officers.
With this extra money 6-7 more deputies could be hired for better response and coverage for the citizens in the county and bring more upfront profits and justice into play.
5. What is your philosophy on budgeting county funds?
As with any local government the budgeting of county funds needs to be based on the assessment of community and/ or county needs. The right equipment at the right price and not just because it’s the cheapest available. As citizens we need to be looking for the right training, the right equipment, and the best utilization of the taxpayer’s money. This will help the budget for years to come and have the citizen(s) knowing the money they are spending in taxes is actually going to a specific use. What I hope to encourage most by my office as commissioner is to incorporate the feedback from professional or public consultations, bids, and community meetings to ensure the needs and voice of the community are transparent and citizens of Barry county’s priorities are addressed.
