League of Women Voters of Blount County 2006 Candidate Survey
Name Ronald W. French Phone
865-577-8393
Candidate for Blount County Commission District 9 Seat A
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.
B.S.
Environmental Health,
Served
as Chief, Health and Environment,
- What relevant
experience do you have, including previous public offices held?
Served
as
Member
of Intergovernmental, Risk and Insurance, and Education committees
Accomplishments
during Blount County Commission term, 1998-2002, follow:
The
Through good management practices
and sound business decisions, we were able to complete the following projects
and reduce the tax rate to $2.15 before leaving office:
1. Construction and staffing
of five new schools – Townsend
Elementary, Heritage Middle, Carpenter’s Middle, Mary Blount Elementary and
Eagleton Elementary.
2. The old Mary Blount and
3. Construction and staffing of
a new
4. Renovation of the old
Courthouse.
5. Renovation of the old jail
into a modern
6. Renovation of the old
7. Jointly with the Cities of
Maryville and Alcoa the construction of a state of the art Blount County
Library.
8. Funded hiring over twenty
five (25) teachers to meet the BEP standards.
We also left about eight (8) million dollars in the
fund balance. The tax rate for debt
service was $.50 and we were able to reduce that to $.45 while fully funding
the above projects and increasing the fund balance.
We tried to operate under a self-imposed policy of
growth based budget and did not approve increases in the budget which exceeded
the growth of revenue in the county. I
believe that by practicing a little bit of “common-sense” government, that we
can bring
- Please list local
service and civic groups in which you have participated, including when
and for how long.
Past
member Board of Directors, Seymour Optimist Club
Past
member Board of Directors and Vice President, South Knoxville/Seymour Business
and Professional Organization
Past
member Seymour Rotary Club
Current
member and Vice-Chairman Board of Directors, Seymour Volunteer Fire Department
I
am also a member of MENSA
- Please indicate any
business activities that could constitute a conflict of interest in the
event you are elected.
Currently
own and have operated Seymour Hardware and Building Supplies in
- Name three leadership skills that you
practice.
1. I try to be fair, honest and truthful in dealing with all situations.
2. I try to place myself in the other person’s shoes before making decisions.
3. I try to treat others as I want to be treated.
F. What
unique qualities, besides the above leadership skills, do you have to
contribute to this office?
The
experiences I have gained from owning and operating my own business for twenty
five (25) years in dealing with the public coupled with my previous experience
as a Blount county Commissioner have taught me to thoroughly investigate both
sides of an issue before making a decision.
I am not a “yes” man. I can think
for myself!
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. Striving to represent the will of the voters
while making sound business decisions for the good of
2. For improving the quality of life for our children and grandchildren
3.
- What would you identify
as the three
most important issues facing
1. Budgeting to improve the infrastructure so as not to put an undue burden on Blount Countians.
2. Providing means for growth and development to attract major corporations.
3. Achieving a balance between 1 and 2 to provide
for a better quality of life for all residents of
- What can you do in this
office to impact these three most important issues?
I feel through good management practices and sound business
decisions that not only these issues but all issues that are brought to the
commission may be resolved in a manner that is beneficial both to
III. Positions on specific issues of importance in
A.
Means for insuring the fair and
respectful treatment of all
My parents raised me in a home of seven siblings to realize that all people are created equal. I have and continue to live according to this principle. It is not only guaranteed by our constitution but is also a God-given right.
B.
Promotion of greater diversity in our hired and appointed government
officials and employees
The old adage “Two heads are better than one,” certainly comes into play regarding this issue. The more diversified we become, the more apt we are to discover new ideas and possible solutions to various issues that are brought before us.
C.
Reconciling the potentially competing interests of growth/development
and adequate infrastructure in our county, including the application of the
Hunter Growth Strategy
Trying to maintain a delicate balance between the competing
interests of growth/development and adequate infrastructure in our county will
be a challenging problem in the future.
I think by looking at the five guiding policies, not only on an
individual level but also collectively, and exploring all possibilities and
avenues of approach we can arrive at a satisfactory solution for all parties
involved. I feel we can adequately
encourage growth and development and at the same time maintain the quality of
life Blount countians deserve and to which they have become accustomed. I feel that if we suppress all development in
the county, then we deny opportunity for
D.
The environmental impact of development and/or non-attainment status
with the EPA
As an environmental health major in college, I learned how development can adversely affect our quality of life. However, by exploring each project individually through the use of environmental impact statements and other information, we can determine if the long-range effects can be harmful or beneficial.
E.
Identifying and resolving conflicts of interest of public officials
Any public official, who has a conflict of interest or even a hint of such, should recuse himself or herself from participation. Once identified, these conflicts of interest should be investigated and eliminated.
F.
The consolidation of:
1. city and county schools
2. city and county government
3. or a feasibility study on consolidation
I understand that there are both pros and cons to the consolidation of school systems and to a metro government. However, without an in depth feasibility study of either, it would be difficult to make an informed decision either way.
G.
Health care
Health care is a broad subject. If we are speaking of health care and
insurance for
IV. Questions for
CANDIDATES FOR
- How can you communicate
effectively with your constituents?
As a county commissioner, I am always available to
the people of
- Which recommendations
of the Hunter Growth Strategy do you support, and why?
I
have just become aware of the Hunter Growth Strategy in the last week. While I am familiar with the Five Guiding
Policies of the
- How do you propose to
fund infrastructure growth and improvements?
- A wheel tax
- An adequate facilities
tax
- Other____________________________________________
While a wheel tax (will provide revenues from all
users of our
- How can the county
address the needs of the senior population?
Before the needs of the senior populations can be
addressed, they must first be identified.
Through the use of senior citizen forums and “town meetings” the county
can not only identify these concerns and needs but may solicit ideas as how to
best approach and satisfy these concerns.
- What is your position
on hiring a county law director vs. the current practice of retaining an
attorney for the Mayor?
I
would like to see an independent study made to determine what is best for the
county. However, without any clear,
concise data supporting either position and based on previous experience as a
commissioner, I would lean toward the hiring of a county law director.
- Concisely describe your
vision for
My
vision for