League of Women Voters of Blount County 2006 Candidate Survey
Name
Candidate for Blount
County Commissioner District 4 Seat B
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:
- Please list your
diplomas and degrees, along with the areas of study.
I
graduated from
- What relevant
experience do you have, including previous public offices held?
I
have served 13 years on the Blount County Commission serving as Chairman and
Vice-Chairman. While on the Commission,
I served as committee member on Budget, Education, Insurance, Public Service,
Inter-governmental, Visitors’ Bureau, Highway, Cable and 911. I have had an insurance career and retired
from a position as claims manager from Transamerica Insurance Company. I presently co-own a small business, making
payroll and staying within a budget. We
have a family owned business of residential and commercial rental property and
a family farm on which we raise beef cattle.
- Please list local
service and civic groups in which you have participated, including when
and for how long.
I
am a charter member of the
- Please indicate any
business activities that could constitute a conflict of interest in the
event you are elected.
I
have no business activities that could constitute a conflict of interest.
- Name three leadership skills that you
practice.
1.
Willing to research and being prepared to vote on issues of
2. Builder of relationships thru honesty and integrity
3. Interpretation of a budget
F. What
unique qualities, besides the above leadership skills, do you have to
contribute to this office?
My
career has always involved problem solving, and I like the challenge. As a third generation Blount Countian, I have
seen many changes both good and bad for our community. I recognize the opportunities that a
commission has to bring improvement to
II. Questions about your understanding of the office you
are seeking:
- What do you see as the
three most important functions of this office?
1. Being a voice for the citizens of the Fourth District
2.
Serving as a legislative body for
3. Preparing and operating within an annual budget
- What would you identify
as the three
most important issues facing
1. Effect of growth on schools
2. Effect of growth on county
3. Budget
- What can you do in this
office to impact these three most important issues?
Work
with the School Board and Education Department to raise quality; and, as a
commissioner, I will try to remove the obstacles. I especially want to continue to look for
ways to meet and improve student/teacher ratios. I will work with department heads, citizen
input committees to look for grants and other sources of revenue. I want to work with cities to improve and
enhance connector roads. I want to look
for growth that is within our vision for the future of
III. Positions on specific issues of importance in
A.
Means for insuring the fair and
respectful treatment of all
Comply with and enforce all
of local, state and federal laws, which are applicable to insuring the fair and
respectful treatment of all
B.
Promotion of greater diversity in our hired and appointed government
officials and employees
Reach
out to the people in my district and encourage them to become involved. Bring the need to the community and ask for
participation.
C.
Reconciling the potentially competing interests of growth/development
and adequate infrastructure in our county, including the application of the
Hunter Growth Strategy
These
issues would require large expenditures and a substantial commitment by the
taxpayers of the county. No doubt, some
of these items could be done with very little or no additional taxes and be
considered for implementation. The
citizens of
D.
The environmental impact of development and/or non-attainment status
with the EPA
We
make incoming industry abide with the EPA, and there should be no difference
made with other growth in the county.
E.
Identifying and resolving conflicts of interest of public officials
State
statute lays out what constitutes conflicts of interest of public
officials. This is not rocket science,
and it should be obvious, and officials should react accordingly.
F.
The consolidation of:
1. city and county schools
2. city and county government
3. or a feasibility study on consolidation
It
is probably the time to consider a feasibility study for city and county
governments. The study would reveal
whether there could be a savings for the operation of government. In theory, there should be a savings in the
combination, but I feel entities of
G.
Health care
I
believe everyone is entitled to “reasonable health care”. It will be necessary for local government to
work in ways to promote good health thru demanding clean air, water and food
supply and providing areas for recreation and encouraging physical education
for our children.
IV. Questions for
CANDIDATES FOR
- How can you communicate
effectively with your constituents?
By
operating a family business in the hub of the Fourth District, I have an
excellent place to communicate effectively with my constituents. It is my intention to keep the district
informed on major issues facing the county within my district by holding
informative district meetings. I will be
available, and, most of all, I will listen.
- Which recommendations
of the Hunter Growth Strategy do you support, and why?
Anyone
who has reviewed the Hunter Growth Strategy will realize that if all
recommendations were implemented,
- How do you propose to
fund infrastructure growth and improvements?
- A wheel tax
- An adequate facilities
tax
- Other____________________________________________
As
a commissioner, I would look for other sources of revenue besides property
tax. But first of all, we should look
for ways to reduce any waste or misuse of taxpayers’ dollars. If additional revenue is a need (not a want),
elected officials should look for optimum ways to raise the revenue. Individual citizens should not be required to
subsidize unneeded growth.
Realistically, there is only one way to fund infrastructure growth—thru
some form of taxation.
- How can the county
address the needs of the senior population?
The
best way to address the needs of the senior population is to keep the taxes to
the lowest level possible. Most of these
individuals have made a long-term contribution to society and do not require
much from local government. When making
new legislation, commissioners should keep in mind the senior population who
are normally on fixed incomes due to age or health.
- What is your position
on hiring a county law director vs. the current practice of retaining an
attorney for the Mayor?
The
- Concisely describe your
vision for
My
vision for