Here is the answer to one of the questions from the Chamber candidate questioner: Qualifications: Why should voters hire you? 1. I was hired by the city and worked there for nearly 20 years. I dont want to be hired by the voters. I want to be elected. Im qualified because Ive done actual city budgeting under eight (interim) and city managers. Ive been behind the scenes. Ive seen waste in some departments. One example is when a department bought a $300,000 asphalt machine to repair roads. It sat in the maintenance yard, away from Road and Drainage for years because they didnt use it. It rotted. It was later sold at auction for a deeply discounted rate. Thats extremely wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. Two years ago, the utilities bought a $100,000 machine to extend water and sewer lines. Go check, its sitting under a tarp at the Utilities Department unused because no one has training on how to operate it. During budget hearings, I will ask for accountability for the long-term outcome and even justification for some of the upper management positions. I dont think commissioners have a general understanding of the needs of the field workers because upper management makes presentations that paint a different picture. Residents arent represented the way the should be on boards. The local business community is somewhat ignored right now and theres a huge strained relationship with the county that needs repair. I will work to restore many of these issues. Lastly, theres a huge lack of common sense when it comes to some commissioners decisions. I rarely hear them discuss the outcome of the issues impacting the taxpayers. For example, not once did a commissioner talk about the more than $20,000 it would cost each month to keep Warm Mineral Springs closed. If they would have asked the estimated costs, what budget it was coming from and the estimated loss in revenue, the outcome may have been different. For nine months, thousands of dollars were taken from the parks and recreation budget. That money could have been used toward building a pool that so many in the community begged for over the years. I will work to restore the lack of direction, miscommunication and even willful ignorance by some city leaders who dont care about opportunities with the county, school board, Chamber and other groups who could be a huge resource to the city.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 19:15:24 +0000
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