The GOP Primary is fast approaching (Tuesday May 8th) and I urge you all to get out and vote, and support the candidates that you feel will best represent you at the County or Federal level.
I have had several people ask me to give an overview of what I feel will be some of the important issues facing the County and what can be expected of me, should I win the Primary and go on to win the General Election this fall.
First, I would like to say that I am proud to be a Republican and a conservative. I have been actively involved in the Huntington County GOP since the early ‘90’s and have served as precinct committeeman, GOP State delegate, City Councilman, County Councilman and County Commissioner. I have served on several boards and commissions, including HCUED, Lime City, City Plan Commission and I currently serve on the Huntington County Alcoholic Beverage Commission. I have also served as a board member of the United Way, Huntington County Red Cross and the Dan Quayle Center and Museum.
I believe in the Republican principles of less government, and controlled (conservative) spending at all levels of government. Easy to say, much tougher to do!!!!
I want to stress that I am running for County Commissioner and that as Commissioner I am only 1/3 of a troika (a 3 person commission). I understand that as Commissioner I am merely 1/3 of the vote, so there is a premium of discussion, debate, and compromise with the goal of making the best decision, what is good for the entire county as the goal. I will work with the other Commissioners, and will offer my ideas and opinions to every discussion and to each decision that come before us.
I also understand that as Commissioner, we are responsible to set policy for the County and its employees. I feel that as Commissioner it is important to keep in mind that there are several other offices (Auditor, Assessor, Clerk, Treasurer, Recorder, Surveyor, Sheriff) and other departments that are headed by other elected officials. I will work WITH these elected officials to deliver the best possible service to the residents of Huntington County. I have no desire to tell these elected officials how to run their departments, but I will work with them to improve the process and services that county government is responsible for.
It is the responsibility of the Commissioners to maintain the roads, ditches, buildings and facilities owned by the County. Spending wisely and long term planning is essential to ensure a consistent, well planned approach to the needs of the county in these areas.
A long term plan for our roads and highways that is flexible enough to meet the county’s needs in regard to development, use (volume of traffic) and type of traffic is a priority for me. There are several roads that were not designed or constructed to handle the volume of traffic that is currently in some areas.
Maintaining the Courthouse, Jail and Annex Building is an expensive and ongoing issue. Again, proper planning and wise spending are imperative to maintain these older and highly used buildings. As with any older home or property it is often costly to maintain these buildings. Spending wisely (not cheaply) is necessary for some of these older buildings (especially the Courthouse)
As Commissioner I will also be an advocate for economic development. Wise (in my case) conservative use of CEDIT dollars will be a priority for me. I believe that CEDIT monies should be used directly for infrastructure and related directly to our economic development efforts. There is a shortage of industrial zoned properties in the city of Huntington, so I think we need to look at the smaller communities of Roanoke, Markle, Warren and Andrews for this type of development or even to a County Industrial Park for future development.
I think we need work with developers to eliminate roadblocks and make it as easy as possible to do business with Huntington County.
As a manager, I believe in hiring good people, giving them clear goals to achieve and then getting out of the way and let them do their job. I am not a micro-manager.
These are a few of the issues I feel will need to be dealt with and I my philosophy and approach to dealing with these issues. I am always free to discuss any topic with you!!!!
