League of Women Voters of Blount County 2006 Candidate Survey

 

Name _Robert L. Ramsey_________________________Phone984-8124  ________

 

Candidate for _County Commission District 5 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:

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

 

Diploma Maryville High School

University of Tennessee – Knoxville, B.A.

University of Tennessee – Memphis, Doctor of Dental Surgery

 

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

 

Four terms on County Commission (Blount) 1990 – 2006

Interim County Executive 1992

Commission Committees various times – Beer Board, Intergovernmental, Planning Commission, Budget Committee, Adult Entertainment Committee, Public Service Committee.

Acting County Mayor Jan. 2006 - present

 

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

 

Co-chair Dogwood Arts 1988, Member of Medical Executive Board,1979, Chair Blount Health Board 2003, Dental Society Peer Review 1982 – 1996, Chair Solid Waste Board 1999, First Baptist Church Teacher 1979 – 1988, First Baptist Church Deacon 2005 – present, Community Action Agency Board 2002- present, Martin Luther King Choir 2004-2006, Friends of Library 1992, Strength in Diversity 2005, Maryville Kiwanis 1976 -

 

  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. Cooperation______ _______________________________________

2. Service Oriented__________________________________________

3. Courage__________ ______________________________________

 

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

 

            I am a conservative, honest person.  I am sincere, and sensitive to the needs of our community.

 

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.   Fiscal supervision of the County budget ___________________________

2.   Foster cooperation between Legislative and Services of Government ____

3.   Communicate between public and government    ____________________

 

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

               1.    Support for our school system and teachers________________________

2.   Improvement of highways______________________________________

3.      Managed growth_____________________________________________

 

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

 

Seek cooperation between branches of our local governments and county services and departments.  Develop sound and equitable sources of revenue.  Implement the Hunter Growth Study suggestions.  Seek a sense of community.

 

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

 

Encourage race relations meetings, strength in diversity, and like efforts to promote dialog.

 

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

 

Encourage communication, publicly announcing available appointments and jobs.

 

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

 

Part government, part citizen implementation committee to establish a program for actively promoting the growth management guidelines of our planning bodies and the Hunter Study.

 

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

 

Seek appropriate impact evaluation of development and demand adherence to regulations concerning infraction of environmental standards.

 

E.                  Identifying and resolving conflicts of interest of public officials

 

Require strict obedience to ethics guidelines and laws.  We have new laws being structured in the state legislature.

 

F.                  The consolidation of:

1. city and county schools

2. city and county government

3. or a feasibility study on consolidation

All of these should be studied to determine what the advantages and disadvantages could be.

 

G.                 Health care

 

Healthcare has become such an overwhelming burden to local government I would hope the federal government would be able to address the problem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

  1. How can you communicate effectively with your constituents?

Answer, call back, talk and be receptive.

 

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

 

I support most of the suggestions for highway facilitation, city and county.  Examination of lot size alternatives.  Transportation and greenway considerations and the concept of compact residential areas.

 

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

All avenues of revenue should be explored.  I voted for a wheel tax and an adequate facilities tax in the past.  There is still a .50 sales tax that should be looked at.

 

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

Support of senior activities and services which are already in place.

 

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

 The law director has been shown to be more expensive, and not all departments could use that service.

 

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

 

More population, of course.  Each segment of the county having the sense that this is a community.  Preservation of open land and development of areas where citizens can work, play, and live in the same area.