League of Women Voters of Blount County 2006 Candidate Survey

 

Name ___Linda A. King____________________Phone__________681-0662__________________

 

Candidate for ___Blount County Commission - 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:

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

 

Lots of Common Sense.

High School graduate with 2 years in the National Honor Society

Completed several college business courses

 

 

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

 

Retiree with 30 years experience at General Motors Corporation; several years spent as Administrative Assistant to the North American Purchasing Manager. 

Responsible, and successful, at running a household budget without going in debt.

 

 

 

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

 

For 1 ½ years, I have represented the taxpayers at Blount County Commission meetings concerning civic matters.

Member of Hillcrest Baptist Church and active in their choir

Assistant G.A. Leader at Hillcrest Baptist Church

Spokesperson for Citizens for Blount County’s Future

Nominated as one of Blount County’s “People Who Matter”

 

 

 

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

 

Retired – No conflicts of interest.

 

 

  1. Name three leadership skills that you practice.

1. I speak out in support of citizens in the community

2. I research information until I am able to provide concise answers.

3. I am conservative, honest, and trustworthy.

 

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

 

When necessary, I will step forward to take a leadership role, as when I urged the Wheel Tax be put on a referendum, the funding for the Civic Arts Center be denied by the County, the Senior Property Tax Freeze be implemented, etc.

 

 

 

 

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. Controlling departmental budgets to eliminate waste and encourage conservative spending.

2. Protecting the rights of citizens; i.e. constitutional guarantees, land ownership usage, fair taxation, etc.

3. Allowing for natural, rather than forced, growth in the community.

 

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

                1. Overcrowding, traffic and congestion.

2. Conserving the rural countryside.

3.     Paying down our debt and living within a budget.

 

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

 

Let growth occur naturally instead of luring it to Blount County with incentives; forcing growth both increases our tax base and causes a growth pace that the county cannot handle.

Say “no” to frivolous spending.

 

 

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

 

Under the law, our constitution guarantees equal rights to all people; the Bible teaches us that all men are created equal.  I believe in the law and in requiring stricter enforcement through our courts.

 

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

 

I believe in hiring the best qualified person for a job, not in the “buddy” promotion policy.

 

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 cannot handle growth if the infrastructure is not in place.  I agree with holding development to a minimum until a specific area is up to par.  At the very least, if those who are impacting an area are held accountable for the increased need for schools, roads, etc., and charged an adequate facilities fee, it will naturally slow some of the rapid sprawl.

 

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

 

Our clean air is being impacted by the forced growth, instead of natural growth.  Our Chamber of Commerce is encouraging more and more tourism.  The Smoky Mountains have always brought in its fair share of tourists without trying to add man-made attractions to the area.  The Industrial Development Board states that their mandate is to bring in as many new industries as possible, without a clear plan for when “enough is enough” for the county.  Those companies, which are given tax incentives for moving here, not only add to our tax burdens, but also add to our overcrowding, traffic congestion and air pollution.

 

E.                  Identifying and resolving conflicts of interest of public officials

 

Don’t put people in positions who can personally benefit from decisions on which they will be asked to vote.

 

F.                  The consolidation of:

1. city and county schools

 

2. city and county government

 

I am against consolidation of city and county schools and city and county government.  It would cause bigger bureaucracy and less accountability with no cost savings.  We would not see less people employed due to duplication of positions; just see more new positions created.  The county people would be under the same ruling as the cities of Maryville and Alcoa, just as the city residents are now.  I feel that the County would have little say-so in decision making.

 

3. or a feasibility study on consolidation

 

Feasibility studies usually cost the taxpayers senseless money.  They are conducted by out-of-state think-tank groups who move from place to place presenting carbon copy plans.  Blount County has been listed as one of the top places in the country to live; so why would we want to be compared to other cities or counties?  They should want to compare themselves to us!

 

G.                 Health care

 

If medical law suits were controlled with reform measures, we could all afford reasonable insurance coverage.

 

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

 

  1. How can you communicate effectively with your constituents?

 

If elected, I plan to have district forums to listen to concerns and encourage phone calls from constituents.

 

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

 

The Hunter Growth Strategy clearly states that we need to protect our rural areas and quality of life.  I think that the farming culture of East Tennessee needs to be recognized and preserved.  Promoting development and seeing our area become an extension of Knoxville is not, what I consider, preserving Blount County.  The idea of adding proposed highways, such as the Southern Loop, encourages urban sprawl and destroys the natural beauty of our countryside.

 

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

 

I am against new taxes or tax increases until the County addresses the elimination of waste in departmental spending.  Also, during the budget process, department increases should be no higher than the average cost-of-living in the private sector.  They should then be held to that figure and required to spend accordingly.

 

I worked vigorously to have the Wheel Tax put on a referendum so that the citizens can decide whether or not they wish to pay an additional amount for their vehicle stickers.  Personally, I am against the Wheel Tax because it opens up another avenue where taxes can be increased in the future.  If you look at other counties in Tennessee, there are some that already pay up to $98.50 for their license plate renewals.  They probably started out with a $24 fee plus a $10 Wheel Tax.  Where does it end?

 

If a new tax must be instituted, it should definitely be levied against those who create the need for more infrastructure.  An Adequate Facilities Tax fills that requirement.

 

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

 

Begin to help our senior population by supporting and instituting the Property Tax Freeze at age 65.

 

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

 

Any lawyer hired and used by the county should be there to represent the entire county, not just retained for the Mayor’s use.

 

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

 

I hope to see Blount County remain the beautiful, rural county it is today, with clean water, clean air and less congestion.  All of these factors will occur with natural, instead of forced growth.  To remain the peaceful, scenic community we have today, we need to decide that all of the “progress” that some people propose, is not always in the best interest of our county and its citizens.