League of Women Voters of Blount County 2006 Candidate Survey

 

Name _Keith W. Brock______________________________________________________________

 

Candidate for _Blount County Commissioner District 5 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:

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

Bachelor of Arts Degree from Maryville College – Business Administration

 

 

 

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

Blount County Commissioner 11 years, Blount County Budget Committee 7 years, Blount County Insurance

Risk Management Committee 11 years, Blount County Intergovernmental Committee 8years, Blount County

Human Resource Committee 2 years, Blount County Beer Board 3 years, Blount County Data Processing Steering Committee 3 years, Blount County Education Committee 3 years  

 

 

 

 

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

Graduate of Leadership Blount & Monroe County, Board Member Smokey Mountain Convention & Visitor

Bureau, Former Board Member of Blount County Boys Club, Former Board Member of Blount County Chamber of Commerce & Past Vice President and Board Member of Maryville Little League, Blount Chamber Air Quality Improvement Committee, Blount Chamber Advocacy Committee

 

 

 

 

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

None

 

 

 

  1. Name three leadership skills that you practice.

1.  Set goals and plans to complete the job.

________________________________________________________

2. Getting things done through working with people.

________________________________________________________

3.  Take responsibility for what needs to be done.        ________________________________________________________

 

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

 

I have the ability to weigh the choices and make a personal decision as to what I see is the right choice and stand by that decision.

 

 

 

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

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

1. Good stewardship of public money.

____________________________________________________________

2.  Setting the Tax Rate & the County Budget

 ____________________________________________________________

3.  Monitoring the Elected Offices and infrastructure to be able to make sound financial decisions when emergencies occur. ____________________________________________________________

 

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

                1. Blount County Schools and needed facilities ________________________

____________________________________________________________

2   Development & Growth in Blount County and how to deal with the infrastructure needed. ___________________________________________________________

3.     Industrial recruitment to expand the tax base so that property taxes won’t continue to rise to cover the ever growing need for services associated with our 2% continuous population growth. ___________________________________________________________

 

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

As a Blount County Commissioner you have to work with the other Commissioners to come to an agreement that you feel is the greatest good for the greatest number of Blount County citizens. You have to recognize that Industrial Recruitment, Development & Growth is the way you can vote for money to be spent for Schools and new School facilities without putting all the burden on the citizens through property taxes.    

 

 

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

A Commissioners means for insuring fair and respectful treatment of all Blount County citizens is to support the Sheriff in his effort to enforce state and federal laws regarding hate crimes.

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

Blount County Government has a Human Resource Department that is excellent in following laws pertaining to diversity in 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

A County Commissioner is charged with the job to get their arms around the total potential competing interests. If the Commission will look at the whole picture and strategically plan the Hunter Growth Strategy can be a road map for growth/development and adequate infrastructure in our county. 

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

Development and growth will impact non-attainment unless we make major changes in our Air Quality through better emissions.

E.                  Identifying and resolving conflicts of interest of public officials

Conflict of interest is when an elected official or Commissioner does business with the County and owns 51% or more of stock in the company doing business.

F.                  The consolidation of:

1. city and county schools

Consolidation of city and county schools could happen someday, but at the present the Cities do not see consolidation as a benefit to them and Maryville City School System does not see consolidation helping them in anyway and would not support consolidation. Maryville City School System would have to support consolidation before it could be passed by state law.

2. city and county government

      I would like to see consolidation of city and county government and I see a lot of support for this, but I

      am not sure how long it would take to work out the details as how consolidation would work.

3. or a feasibility study on consolidation

There is no need to spend the money for a feasibility study until the City Governments and School systems are in agreement with the idea.

G.                 Health care

As a Commissioner we support the Blount County Health Department for the citizens of Blount County.

 

 

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

 

  1. How can you communicate effectively with your constituents?

I receive phone calls and letters from constituents and respond to them and I speak with them in community activities.

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

Preserve the County’s rural, small town, and natural character. Land use and development should be managed and regulated to preserve the quality of our growing County.

  1. How do you propose to fund infrastructure growth and improvements?
    1. A wheel tax
    2. An adequate facilities tax
    3. Other_property taxes___________________________________________

The wheel tax and adequate facilities tax are proposed user taxes that might not get passed. I believe and support the wheel tax for funding the infrastructure associated with county highways. The adequate facilities tax is still in the state legislature and does not have a good chance of passing, but they will probably send back to the County some type of adequate facilities tax that we would have the chance to pass locally, therefore, the primary way to fund infrastructure growth and improvements is the property tax.

 

 

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

I do not know how a Commissioner can address the needs of the senior population other than a property tax discount for senior citizens.

  1. What is your position on hiring a county law director vs. the current practice of retaining an attorney for the Mayor?

I have worked under the current practice for 11 years and 4 different Mayors or County Executives and I am comfortable that they need to have a person that they choose in order to have total confidence in the county attorney.

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

My vision for Blount County would be to bring parity for the County Schools with the City Schools. I also would want future growth/development to be planned out and implemented in unison with the Hunter Interests Inc. Blount County Growth Strategy.