League of Women Voters of Blount County 2006 Candidate Survey

Name Howard Kerr Phone: Home # 865-982-6750 and Cell # 865-216-2550

Candidate for Blount County Mayor

Please write your answers in the space provided or use a separate sheet, and return your survey in the enclosed stamped envelope. It is very important that you write legibly. Please consider e-mailing your completed survey by requesting an electronic survey at rderycke@bellsouth.net

The League of Women Voters will acknowledge receipt of your completed survey.

I. Qualifications and experience:

1. Please list your diplomas and degrees, along with the areas of study.

High School Diploma – Everett High School – 1960

B.S. in Nuclear Engineering – University of Tennessee – 1964

Graduate Student Training Program – Westinghouse Corporation – 1964-1965

Graduate program in Nuclear Engineering – University of Tennessee – 1966 through 1974

2. What relevant experience do you have, including previous public offices held?

Oak Ridge National Laboratory – 1965 – 2001

· Research Scientist on energy and environmental issues

· Manager of Special Projects Group; major developments in Strategic Defense Initiative

· Manager of national and international safeguards and criticality safety programs

· Chairman of Research Reactor Safety Committee

· U. S. representative to International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna Austria

· Manager of US/Russia bilateral programs on nuclear non-proliferation

Tennessee State Representative – 20^th District (Blount & Loudon Counties)

· Served three terms – 1994 – 2000

· State & Local Government Committee

o Vice Chair of State Government Sub-committee

· Children & Family Affairs Committee

· Employee and Consumers Affairs Committee

· Chairman, National Conference of State Legislators Committee

Technical Consultant for Bechtel Engineering Co.

· Design of Japan Nuclear Fuel Services storage facilities

· Training staff at Thailand’s Atomic Energy for Peace Center

3. Please list local service and civic groups in which you have participated, including when and for how long.

Blount County Solid Waste Authority – Helped create & served continuously since

Blount County Public Building Authority – Helped create & served continuously since

Blount County Chamber of Commerce – 1990 - present

Boys and Girls Club of Blount County – 1970’s – present

Blount County Beekeepers Association – 1970’s – present

Blount County Sister City Organization – Helped create and served continuously since

Kiwanis Club of Maryville – 2004 – present

Alnwick Community Club – 1988 – 2000

Boy Scouts of America – more than 30 years as merit badge counselor and troop sponsor

4. Please indicate any business activities that could constitute a conflict of interest in the event you are elected.

None – unless County wants to buy honey! Then we should buy it from other beekeepers.

5. Name three leadership skills that you practice.

1. First and foremost – surround myself with knowledgeable & capable people.
2. Listen to & be respectful of others and their ideas.
3. Plan my work & work my plan!

F. What unique qualities, besides the above leadership skills, do you have to contribute to this office?

1. Many years of experience using my engineering approach to addressing issues
2. Very conservative fiscal policies; my motto is affordable excellence
3. A genuine concern for people and great desire to serve them.

II. Questions about your understanding of the office you are seeking:

A. What do you see as the three most important functions of this office?

1. Spokesperson for Blount County
2. Working with other County departments to plan & administer the budget
3. Appointing qualified persons to serve on boards and committees

2. What would you identify as the three most important issues facing Blount County in the future?

1. In general, the rapid growth in our population is the key issue that is driving several important issues that are the responsibility of local governments – planning for housing, education, roads, utilities, recreation, law enforcement, environmental quality, and economic development. We must work to assure that we maintain the desirable characteristics that make this a great place to live, work, and raise families.
2. Improving the quality and scope of educational opportunities for all children and adults in the entire county so they enjoy a great quality of life and have fulfilling jobs.
3. Maintaining a vibrant local economy that can help support the needs of the people without compromising our environment.

3. What can you do in this office to impact these three most important issues?

1. Engage the public in developing effective long-range plans and consistent policies that reflect the interests of the public.
2. Identify educational needs, define viable approaches to meeting those needs, and assuring that all resources are efficiently and effectively applied to implementing those approaches.
3. Work closely with other elected officials and with business and industry leaders to be proactive in supporting our existing businesses and in attracting new businesses that offer better jobs for the people living in Blount County.

SEE PAGES 4 – 7 FOR RESPONSES TO SECTION III AND IV QUESTIONS.

III. Positions on specific issues of importance in Blount County: Use a separate sheet to respond.

A. Means for insuring the fair and respectful treatment of all Blount County citizens, regardless of race, gender, religion or ethnic background, given recent concerns about racism and bigotry in our county

B. Promotion of greater diversity in our hired and appointed government officials and employees

C. Reconciling the potentially competing interests of growth/development and adequate infrastructure in our county, including the application of the Hunter Growth Strategy

D. The environmental impact of development and/or non-attainment status with the EPA

E. Identifying and resolving conflicts of interest of public officials

F. The consolidation of:

1. city and county schools

2. city and county government

3. or a feasibility study on consolidation

G. Health care.

IV. Questions for CANDIDATES FOR COUNTY MAYOR: Use a separate sheet to answer these questions.

1. How would you facilitate communication and collaboration between county departments?

2. How would you ensure the accountability of the various county departments?

3. Which recommendations of the Hunter Growth Strategy do you support, and why?

4. How will you represent the county interests at regional forums such as the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization? How will you communicate these activities to your constituents?

5. What do you propose to fund infrastructure growth and improvements?

1. A wheel tax

2. An adequate facilities tax

3. Other____________________________________________

6. Do you favor hiring a county law director vs. the current practice of retaining an attorney for the mayor?

7. How can the county address the needs of the senior population?

8. Concisely describe your vision for Blount County’s future.

Howard Kerr’s responses to Section III topics

1. The best way to assure fair and respectful treatment for all people living in and visiting Blount County is to assure that they have a place at the table in all county government functions and to actively solicit their input AND feedback on actions taken by the county. The county government should encourage and support community activities that recognize and embrace our diversity. Any incidents of bigotry or racism must be addressed promptly and firmly.

2. We can promote diversity among our appointed officials and our county employees by actively identifying capable people in all communities and providing them with real opportunities to get involved. Real diversity cannot be achieved if you ignore any community. We must have employment policies that give all residents equal opportunity to know about, to apply for, and to be hired for any and all positions. And the county mayor must deliberately strive to achieve diversity in appointments to county boards and commissions.

3. I believe continued growth in our population is inevitable because this truly is a great place to live, and as other people visit here many of them will decide to move here. The real question is whether or not we as a community have the collective will to manage that growth so we maintain and protect those qualities that make this a great place to live. If we fail to manage the growth, it will continue to degrade and destroy those qualities until such time that this becomes a terrible place to live. Then the growth will stop. But who wants to live in such a place? I don’t! Those of us who truly care about life in Blount County will demand that we take the steps necessary to manage the growth so that our desirable qualities are protected. Those who oppose managing our growth are only interested in their near-term self interests, and they will likely take their profits and leave the county after they have destroyed it. I truly hope they are few in number! We already have some guiding policies that have been formally adopted by the County government (identified in the Hunter’s study), and we have some recommendations offered in that study on how to implement those policies. We must now develop a formal plan of actions and policies that will be applied fairly and uniformly.

4. The EPA non-attainment status involves two different issues: ozone non-attainment and particulate non-attainment. Both issues are driven primarily by two societal activities: driving automobiles and electricity production by coal fired power plants. Unfortunately the major sources of our air quality problems are not local matters that we can address unilaterally. They involve societal and regional matters that must be addressed on a broader scale. For example automobiles must be designed to produce fewer harmful emissions, and there are several technologies that can be adopted to achieve this goal on a grand scale. Likewise there are technologies for production of electricity that do not significantly impact air quality, and these will be adopted over several years. But there are things we can do on a local level that will help alleviate some of the air pollution we generate ourselves. We can coordinate our traffic lights to minimize stop and go driving, and we can reduce the miles we drive. We can practice energy conservation measures in our homes and businesses. We can manage the developments within our county to encourage greater opportunities for reducing essential driving, encouraging more walking and bicycling, and recruiting clean industry.

5. The potential for conflicts of interest inevitably arise when public officials have personal interests and friendships that coincide with their domain of public responsibility. All public officials must declare any potential conflicts of interests and must abstain from participating in any decisions that may result in personal gain for themselves, family members, or close associates. We must avoid even the appearances of impropriety!

6. The consolidation of city and county schools and/or governments is a matter that will need to be addressed sooner or later. Some city/county cooperative efforts already exist and more may be easily achievable. Historically the county governments were established to provide certain basic services to all county residents, and the cities were established to serve as commercial and cultural centers. Many people lived in the cities, and those who lived outside the cities generally lived on farms. Due to the higher population densities, the cities were able to provide to city residents some services such as utility water and sewers. Eventually the cities were able to extend these services outside the cities, and some cities started their own school systems. Over time the non-farm population living outside the cities has increased dramatically, and the situation has evolved until we now have extensive duplication of many services. It is now time to make an objective assessment of the pros and cons of consolidation of some or all of the county and city government functions. This assessment will take a few years and considerable community effort to complete, but the benefits may be considerable. And it will happen only if the majority of residents in the entire county support it!

Howard Kerr’s Responses to Section IV topics:

1. Facilitating communication and collaboration between county departments is one of the prime duties of the County Mayor. The mayor must spend enough time with the heads and the employees of each department to become familiar with the operations in each department and to build a spirit of mutual trust and cooperation. After all, we all work for the same people – the citizens of Blount County. The mayor should organize regular public meetings of the officeholders to discuss items of common interests and can report the results of those meetings on the mayor’s web page and in the local media. It would also be useful to have cross-training internships wherein employees in various departments would work for short periods of time in other departments to see how those departments function. This would increase knowledge of other departments and could provide additional staffing to a department that has seasonal workloads. Sharing of ideas usually produces positive results.

2. Each department of county government has an elected department head that is ultimately responsible for operating that department. The county mayor should certainly be familiar with the operation of each department and should work with the head of each department to assure that the departments’ functions are being accomplished in a professional and cost effective manner. If concerns are identified, the mayor should take necessary action to see that those concerns are addressed in a timely manner.

3. The Hunter Interests group started with the five guiding policies contained in the Blount County Policies Plan that was adopted in 1999, and developed a series of recommendations that can be incorporated in a strategic plan for managing future growth. The fundamental goal is to maintain open spaces and improve transportation. The recommendations encouraged higher density residential housing clustered in areas with adequate infrastructure and called for improvements in our roads. I personally like the park development concept as one way to allow residential developments that also preserve significant areas as open space. I also support buying development rights for selected areas. However the county taxpayers will have to be willing to provide the funds to purchase those development rights. Most of the information contained in the Hunter report was previously known by those of us who have been concerned about the consequences of our very rapid growth. And some of the recommendations have already been implemented through the efforts of the Blount County Planning Department and Planning Commission. I do support the formation of the recommended Growth Management Coordinating Committee (GMCC) to focus on further implementation activities. However, the success – or lack thereof – of our efforts will depend on the willingness of the county population to support the effort.

4. The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization has responsibility for addressing transportation issues within and through Knox County and the surrounding counties. The county mayor, the road superintendent, and the county planner from each county needs to participate in the working meetings to provide input and perspectives from their county. Subsequent to each working meeting, a summary report should be prepared and made public through the media. When topics concerning local communities arise, a public forum should be held to provide information, get input, and answer questions. It is essential that local transportation issues within a county be addressed within the context of the regional effort.

5. The funding of infrastructure growth and improvements should be based on the guiding principle that those who benefit from the improvements should carry most of the burden of paying for those improvements. For example, if a development is proposed that will create significant fiscal impacts on county schools, roads, and other infrastructure, then some impact fee could be imposed on that development. But the magnitude of that impact fee should reflect the magnitude of the impacts and should not be so large as to effectively stop development. I have described the idea as green, yellow, and red area impact fees. The funding for general road improvements needs to come from some source that is directly correlated with those who use the roads. For example a wheel tax or a dedicated fuel surcharge could provide enough money that we could leverage additional funds from State and Federal sources.

6. The county has ongoing needs for routine legal services such as preparing documents, reviewing agreements, and providing legal opinions on various questions. We also occasionally find the county involved in a lawsuit, and we need legal representation in those cases. And the historical trend seems to be that our need for legal services is increasing. We should first determine what legal services are available from institutions like the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) and the UT College of Law. We should also determine if there are any circumstances under which one of our sitting judges could offer some limited legal services without compromising their ethical standards. Then - after careful examination of the recent expenditures for legal services – we can estimate the scope and magnitude of our needs for dedicated legal services. That examination would provide a reasonable basis for deciding if it would be more cost effective to (1) engage an attorney on an as needed basis and pay the legal fees or (2) to hire a competent attorney as an employee to serve as County Attorney. We must also recognize that in some cases it may be necessary to hire additional legal services due to the workload or to the special nature of some issues

7. The senior population in Blount County is a growing segment of our population, and they have some needs that are unique to them. Affordable and accessible housing, reliable public transportation if needed, more medical services, and appropriate recreational and cultural programs. As our indigenous population ages and more retirees move into Blount County, we need to assure that the full spectrum of needed programs is available. And most importantly, we need to recognize and utilize the tremendous pool of talent in our senior population. That is a very powerful resource that can readily serve our county in a variety of ways.

8. My vision for the future of Blount County: I see substantial population growth and an increasing amount of gray hair. I believe more people will move into higher density housing such as high-rise apartments and condos. We will still have some development occurring in existing open spaces, but housing will be more clustered and large open areas will be preserved. We will see increased use of the park development concept and special funds established to purchase property development rights in selected areas. We will consolidate many if not all of our local government functions. Our utilities will be more integrated so excellent service will be maintained with equitable costs to all users. Our main transportation corridors will be improved to carry more traffic, and traffic signals will be fully coordinated to expedite traffic flows and reduce pollution and driver frustrations. We will see some increase in public transportation services. Our school systems will be restructured to assure that all Blount County children have access to a first class education and that well qualified teachers are empowered to teach. We will have more educational programs, especially for enhancing vocational skills, and numerous cultural programs. Our local economy will attract more high-tech jobs, and tourism will continue to prosper because we will preserve the natural beauty of our area. Our State government will adopt a modern tax system that broadens the tax base, lowers the rates, provides needed flexibility to local governments, and generates enough revenue to properly operate the essential programs at both the State and local government levels. Blount County will remain a great place to live and to work!