League of Women Voters of Blount County 2006 Candidate Survey

 

Name:  Kevin J. Rowland                                                     Phone:  681-8567

 

Candidate for Blount County Commission, 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.

 

Masters in Education Curriculum from the University of Tennessee, 2003

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Maryville College, 1997

 

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

 

I am a high school U.S. Government teacher, currently in my ninth year.  During that time, I have always encouraged my students to actively participate in the government process.  I also try to lead by example.  I hope this election year will demonstrate the positive changes which can occur when active and concerned citizens throughout the county offer themselves as public servants in order to create a better community.

 

I have not previously served in public office, but I have demonstrated leadership abilities within my profession, such as serving on our Faculty Leadership Council.  I even have experience working with large budgets as far back as my years at Maryville College when I was a student representative on the Planning and Budget Advisory Committee to the President of Maryville College.

 

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

 

I have been a member of the Professional Educators of Tennessee since 1997.  I have been a member of Farm Bureau since 1999.  I have worked with the YMCA of Middle Tennessee in the Youth Legislature program since 2003.  I have been involved with a number of volunteer activities, including volunteer work with the Blount County Children’s Home over the past seven years.

 

  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.  Willingness to listen

2.  Availability

3.  Character – The citizens can expect me to be honest and dependable. 

 

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

 

I will be able to adequately address concerns and needs of the schools, as I deal with those issues on a daily basis.  Also, I believe I can offer a well-rounded perspective on county-wide issues as I work for the county school system, but live in the city.

 

 

 

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.  Maintaining a low tax rate

2.  Providing the necessary tools to promote the safety, health, and education of our community

3.  Creating the proper balance of growth in the county while maintaining the beauty of the county

 

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

                1.  Growth of the county

               2.  Overcrowded schools

               3.  Maintaining and improving our roadways

 

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

 

I believe we need zoning regulations that allow for necessary growth in the county, while simultaneously keeping the rural character of our county in tact.  Proper zoning can also keep our schools from becoming more crowded.  Currently, the commission needs to work closely with the school boards about long-range plans for alleviating overcrowding so the commission can properly plan for the financial impact those plans may have.  Also, the commission should be working closely with the Road Superintendent on long-range plans regarding the use of our roads.  With proper planning, we could avoid situations like we have now where some of our roads were built too narrow and with no intention of accommodating the amount of traffic they currently handle.

 

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

 

We need to continue to have regular community meetings regarding race issues in Blount County.  Continued input and action from concerned citizens will be the key to bridging any racial gaps in our community.

 

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

 

As we seek the most qualified candidates for hired or appointed positions within the government, we should make an effort to reach out to minorities during the process by advertising positions in predominantly minority publications, as well as recruiting from predominantly minority colleges and universities.

 

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

 

Growth is inevitable.  What we need in Blount County is a common sense growth plan that allows for growth to continue at an acceptable rate while maintaining an adequate infrastructure.  Growth in areas where there are overcrowded schools or substandard roads, should be temporarily halted until those issues can be addressed through the appropriate boards or commissions.  I believe there needs to be more citizen input about the Hunter Growth Strategy before the implementation of its major provisions begins.  One of my main concerns with the plan is the potential shifting of growth to the south and the east with the possible Southern Loop and the extension of the Pellissippi Parkway.  I believe this could have a large impact on businesses in the downtown area which could see loss of revenues due to these potential by-passes.

 

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

 

Air quality is certainly a concern in Blount County.  Due to our geographic nature, pollutants are pulled into the valley.  We can take some action to help reduce the problem.  However, this is an issue that must also be dealt with on the state and national levels, as the environmental actions of surrounding areas impact us as well.  One thing we could do in Blount County though, is to use some common sense development strategies, such as possibly focusing on areas where the population is not as concentrated.

 

E.                  Identifying and resolving conflicts of interest of public officials

 

I believe the county government should consider adopting a code of ethics similar to what the state government recently adopted.  Blount County employees and elected officials should be bound to a code of ethics to help eliminate any conflict of interest.

 

F.                  The consolidation of:

1. city and county schools

2. city and county government

3. or a feasibility study on consolidation

 

I am opposed to consolidation of city and county schools, and opposed to consolidation of city and county governments.  Consolidation of the two governments would ultimately not be so much a consolidation, as it would be an expansion of government services.  What would the tax rates look like if city services such as garbage pick up, leaf pick up, fire coverage, the sewer system, etc. were expanded into the county?  I do not believe a feasibility study is necessary at this time either.  First, we should find out how much support for these ideas exists in the community.  If significant support does exist, then we could consider a feasibility study as a next step.

 

G.                 Health care

 

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

 

  1. How can you communicate effectively with your constituents?

 

At the date of completion for this questionnaire, I have already gone door to door to over 1,000 homes in our district.  By the time early voting begins, that number will have reached 2,500.  As I have talked to the people who live in this district, I always invite them to call or email anytime with questions or suggestions.  That offer will continue even after the campaign is over.  I encourage, and look forward to, phone calls, emails, and letters from constituents.  I am also willing to hold public forums on a regular basis.  I believe in public service, but in order for that to effectively happen, it is vital that a commissioner stay in touch with the public.

 

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

 

The Hunter Growth Strategy contains an enormous amount of information.  We need to continue to study the recommendations laid out in the plan, and educate the citizens of Blount County about those recommendations.  I am certainly in agreement with the plan’s insistence on preserving our rural nature as we grow.  We should not forget what it is that attracts so many people to Blount County in the first place.  Along with that, the plan also calls for the county to match its growth with the appropriate infrastructure.  Any growth strategy must include plans for maintaining adequate roads and schools during the growth process.

 

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

 

I personally do not support a wheel tax, but that will of course be decided by the citizens this year in a referendum.  I do believe an adequate facilities tax is the fairest method of funding our infrastructure growth and improvements.  The developers should bear some of the responsibility for some of the increased costs associated with growth.  The county commission should also continue to be good stewards of the people’s money.  We need to do a better job of identify areas in the budget where we could economize and save money.

 

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

 

I believe the county commission should support the legislation on the state level which calls for a freeze on property tax rates of anyone 65 and older.  Taking care of seniors, especially those on fixed incomes, should be a top priority.

 

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

 

I do not believe the county needs a full-time attorney.  What I suggest is for the county to hire a county attorney who could attend commission meetings, during which time he could offer any necessary advice.  The attorney would be paid for time at meetings, but would not be given benefits.  If the mayor needs an attorney, he could be approved on an as needed basis.

 

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

 

My vision of Blount County is one in which taxes remain low, our county debt is paid off, and spending is prioritized so we can adequately fund the most important functions of our county government – police protection, quality schools, and sufficient roads and infrastructure.  With commissioners who are truly dedicated to public service, who have no personal agendas, and who demonstrate a little common sense, we can lead our county into an era of fiscal responsibility and a healthy balance of growth along with the preservation of the beauty that is Blount County.