League of Women Voters of Blount County 2006 Candidate Survey

Name Susan B. Jones Phone (865) 984-3369

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:

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

· High School Diploma: Springfield High School, Springfield, Michigan

· Bachelor of Arts in an Individualized Program: Writing/Illustrating

· Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction with an English Education specialty and enough hours from the English Department to teach college English.

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

· I raised four children to be useful, intelligent, involved citizens

· Years as a community activist.

· Eight years (1990-1998) on the Blount County School Board

· Ten years as an Adjunct English instructor at Pellissippi State

· Twelve years as Director of Religious education at John XXIII, the Catholic University Center at UTK (where I am still a parishioner, Eucharistic Minister, and Lector)

· Three years as a college administrator at Pellissippi State

· Former Business Owner (Little House Learning Center)

· Present writing/editing consultant

· Former Newspaper Columnist for The Maryville Enterprise (for its last six months!)

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

Locally, I started as a room mother in 1973 at Bearden, then in P.T.O in 1974 at Porter, with two non-consecutive years as president, 6 years as Carnival chair and ending in 1989; Girl Scouts (from assistant leader at 17 and leader while my daughter was involved and beyond--at all levels except Daisies--to trainer, etc., and finally, nine years on the Tanasi board). I also helped with Boy Scouts as badge counselor for many scouts—including eight Eagle Scouts—three of them my sons), chair of a couple of Cystic Fibrosis campaigns for Porter School ’80 & ’81 (I think), Most Valuable Parent award winner for Heritage’s cross-country/track team, membership in the Republican Executive Committee since 1990 and five years (until 2005) in the local Steering Committee (4 as secretary), presidency of Republican Women’s Club in 2000, United Way representative for Pellissippi State and since then involvement on my own, some involvement in the Red Cross, Recorder (secretary) (2002) and President-Elect (2003) for Pellissippi State’s Administrative Council, chair of Pellissippi State’s annual giving campaign in 1999 and member of that committee for four years prior. I was part of the Experience Your Smokies Class of 2003 and part of the Leadership Blount Class of 2004. I served as one of the leaders for my parish’s major fund drive last year (we came in over goal!). I presently serve as president of the Blount County Historic Trust (since 2004), as a director of the Blount County Historical Museum (since 2004), as a newly-elected director of the Blount County Library Foundation, and as a temporary consultant to the Children’s Advocacy Center (2005-6), and on the Education Sub-Group of the county’s Anti-Racism Task Force.

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

There are no such activities.

5. Name three leadership skills that you practice.

1. Looking for, and generally finding, win/win solutions

2. Trying to collect all available facts and nuanced feelings about issues by listening and reading

3. Team building skills such as listening, sorting, consensus building

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

· Gregarious or extroverted, if not by nature, then by virtue of being an often-moved military dependent, I meet people of all ages well and have high, handsomely rewarded expectations of them and of myself.

· I’m open-minded and able to generally think outside whatever boxes I find myself in—or else have a deep appreciation for people who do so.

· I’m an American and Blount Countian by choice—not by chance. I’ve lived all over North America and have deeply—by choice—settled in one of the (if not the) most beautiful, versatile, and growth-challenged counties in the U.S.A.

· I’m passionate and logical—yes, I do believe the two qualities are not mutually exclusive—about many issues—educational, environmental, familial, historical, and social and whether elected or not will continue to advocate for those issues.

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. To understand the short and long-range impact of all issues on present and future citizens (and

environment) of Blount County.

2. To oversee, with proper constraint, accountability, and long-term vision, the expenditure of Blount

County taxpayers’ monies while acknowledging that all citizens pay taxes and deserve the best services

we can afford. .

3. To gather as much information from constituents and other available research as possible before making informed decisions.

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

1. Growth and how to manage it with the least impact on the infrastructure and on the education of our

children.

2. The need to protect and preserve all things historical in our county—from those historical links, in a county which reflects all of American history as its own tiny microcosm, come our knowledge of the fact that we can meet (and have met) great challenges and have continued to grow in grace and charm. From that historical knowledge comes our strength to know that we can meet and overcome all the challenges of today and tomorrow. Without that knowledge, I fear our youth and older citizens alike will fall prey to the cynicism and senses of entitlement without personal investment that seem to be prevailing in other parts of the country and globe.

3. Education: Long-term planning prevents long-term overspending: e.g. when we knew a dozen years ago that our high schools had already over-reached the student population limits for which they were built, why have we waited until construction costs have almost quadrupled and still have not funded such a building? Higher teacher pay, if we will only see it, allows for the hiring of the best teachers; the best teachers prepare students for useful, fuller lives and for a competitive job market. Well-trained graduates attract higher-paying businesses and industries to our area and keep our children from having to leave to find competitive salaries. We must think in these terms in order to maintain and improve our fine lifestyles.

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

1. I can be aware of and follow the outlines of the Hunter Growth Plan and learn of any other up-to-date research to help us address growth issues in a low-impact, manageable way.
2. I can continue to find ways and means to preserve our historic sites, data, documents, and personal stories—all are vital, all are salvageable, all deserve attention.
3. I can work for consensus in thinking in both short and long-term efficiency and accountability for educational concerns in the county.

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

· I can continue to help with finding solutions through the education sub-group of our Anti-Racism Task Force

· Ensuring race, gender, religious, and ethnic equality and celebration involves support and advocacy for all anti-bullying initiatives, for awareness and consciousness-raising opportunities and events (such as the Between Fences Exhibit that the Smithsonian Museum will be featuring first (in Tennessee) right here in Blount County in September at our Blount County Historical Museum), and for undoing, in the classroom, mainly, what our relatives have carefully taught (to paraphrase South Pacific).

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

· Vigilance in recruiting, advertising, and in oversight of those doing the hiring is what I can offer and is what I believe it will take.

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

· Commitment to those principles are, I’m sure, the solid platform on which each candidate should be standing. I’m not an expert—I’ve only read newspaper accounts of the contents of the Hunter Growth Strategy, but anyone with vision for a better Blount County knows that such reconciliation should, no must, take place.

· I have taken and have done some team-building training—the skills that come from that training—identifying problems, worthy projects & common goals, working for consensus, and finding ways to pull together all will aid in finding ways to find positive solutions to the county’s problems.

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

· Well, we can’t make the federal government close down the pollution that pours into our ‘tween-mountain-ranges valley from the Ohio Valley energy plants which would clean up a huge percentage of our pollution problems at once.

· We can, however, make certain, through education, that people become aware that idling vehicles cause a lot of pollution within our control.

· We could, if we can get consensus on the issue, start inspecting cars and refusing to have those that can’t pass emission control levels continue being driven.

· We can, through controlled growth, keep the population and thus the transportation needs down to a reasonable level.

E. Identifying and resolving conflicts of interest of public officials

· When we bury our heads in the sand and look the other way, we cost all citizens of the county/state/country: avoiding issues has not been my forte. If any issue ever comes up by which I or a member of my personal family will benefit, I will recuse myself.

F. The consolidation of:

1. city and county schools What a concept: it would save city people taxes and improve the county system because of an infusion of state funding, but I doubt if the top-rated city schools would be willing to “risk” placing their children in the near-the-top (for-county-school systems), best-of-all-for-special-education system Blount County Schools. Consolidation would likely place every child within the top-rating of the state, but preconceptions and prejudice would have to end before it could happen.

2. city and county government Again, we’d save lots of money, but people in the city often demand that which many county people will not support, and having facilities like a Fine Arts Center or Green Belt Walking Trails at hand without having to spend much out of pocket to get it is pretty smart

3. or a feasibility study on consolidation I’d support that, but I’ve heard so many arguments as to why it wouldn’t work that I’m not sure the cost of a study would be warranted.

G. Health care The county’s willingness to create a bigger, better-staffed county health department at the Library/Municipal Building/Museum site will help address the problems unleashed by the necessary streamlining of TennCare. Support of the Good Samaritan Clinic helps those caught in the uninsured category, but finding funds to help finance everyone will be an ever-present drain.

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 my phone, appear at legislative functions, talk to people when I’m out and about, and read any letters that I receive.

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

One that I really support is the suggestion that we become a National Heritage Area. Since we’re in the only state-wide such designation, having our particular county receive such status will enhance our chances of getting special funds, improved (existing) roadways, and lots of tourist dollars.

I will honestly re-state that I haven’t read the study per se, but that what I’ve read about slowing growth, attacking the problems of too-quick growth, and addressing the environmental concerns in the county have been areas which I’ve long supported and will continue to support.

3. How do you propose to fund infrastructure growth and improvements?
1. A wheel tax: I once suggested this myself when we couldn’t fund needed schools but was convinced by my constituents that some couldn’t even afford to get to work if we did it. I thought they were right, so I backed down on it. However, the sky-rocketing price of gas this past year did nothing that I could see to curb the number of cars on the road, so I’m no longer sure if the fears about a wheel tax were justified. I’ll have to study the issue more to take a definitive stand on the topic. Inspection fees that would serve the dual purpose of improving air quality and collecting some additional revenue might be a better consideration.
2. An adequate facilities tax: I know this translates into increased costs for new home owners but also addresses the immediate concerns of getting roads from new subdivisions and adding needed classrooms and teachers. It also will make developers more cautious about meeting all environmental demands before even coming before the planning commission.
3. Other: I think attracting good, environmentally sound, high-paying industries and businesses to the area is one of the best ways of addressing ways to fund infrastructural improvements: taxes collected and jobs created add measurable gains to the tax coffers without overburdening those already paying property taxes.

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

· We can be sure that all seniors are always asked in health-care situations if they feel safe in their homes and if anyone is abusing them in any way.

· We can be partially funding day-care facilities for the care-givers of the elderly to be able to leave them safely for a day’s relief here and there

· We can be certain that many programs are offered and made known at the senior citizen center

· We can be sure that frequent inspection of senior facilities ensure that all needed safety precautions are taken at each facility for the aged.

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

I’d have to see a comparison of an hourly billing by a county attorney and the costs of salary and benefits for hiring a law director. One advantage I would see if we had a director is that no other personal cases would be taking time away from getting needed legal answers. Another might be that there would be no difference made between the mayor’s office and the commission—and needed legal answers might be gained if commissioners were not worried about increased costs of an hourly-billing arrangement.

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

· Blount County should have a view of the mountains at least as many days of the year as were seen 100 years ago. That clean air status will only be reached with vigilant care and much sharing of knowledge—both should be encouraged and if necessary, enforced.

· Alternatives (such as new sewer systems) for inadequate septic systems being allowed to pollute the Little River Watershed should be found. If newer septic systems or required pumping of septic systems would help, then such policies should be created. If people want to hook up to a sewer system, cities should be asked to try to accommodate them rather than establish rules that prevent hooking up.

· Our schools—all across the county and in every city and town—should be second to none. Students should not be in overcrowded schools or overcrowded classrooms. Their teachers should be treated like the dedicated professionals they are and should be given all the tools they need to improve and to help their students succeed.

· We should have a National Heritage Area status so that we can encourage our residents and our visitors to enjoy and know the treasures present in our beautiful county and so that we could attain and maintain extra funding for the county’s overall benefit and for the further preservation of all the sacred historical treasures we own.

· The county should only deal with sustainable growth—growth that allows us to meet all infrastructure needs such as roads, health care, and schools without undue burden on taxpayers or on the environment.

· I see a county even more beautiful, more healthful, and more fulfilling for my grandchildren than it was for my children.