League of Women Voters of Blount County 2006 Candidate Survey
Name Tonya Burchfield Phone 984-5790
Candidate for
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.
I received my B.A. from the
- What relevant
experience do you have, including previous public offices held?
I
have been in Public service since receiving my B.A. degree in American Studies
from UTK in 1993. Immediately following
graduation I began a position with the former Department of Youth Development
supervising children who were involved in the legal system. I have continuously worked in similar
capacity since that time, primarily through the
- Please list local
service and civic groups in which you have participated, including when
and for how long.
I have involved myself in children oriented
services. Such as Foster Care Review
Board, Truancy Board, Go-Cap, Teaching Aggression Replacement Training, In High School I was involved in Fellowship of
Christian Athletes, Beta Club, Anchor Club.
- Please indicate any
business activities that could constitute a conflict of interest in the
event you are elected.
I
have no business or any other type conflicts of which I am aware.
- Name three leadership skills that you
practice.
1.
I utilize teamwork skills on a daily basis, resolving conflicts within families
and coordinating services with my coworkers, the court system, and other
community agencies.
2.
I believe I have excellent communication skills and through my career
development and practice am able to communicate with individuals with varying
backgrounds.
3. My upbringing and involvement in team sports
have instilled in me the importance of consistency and perseverance, which have
led me to become a consistent and goal oriented individual.
F. What
unique qualities, besides the above leadership skills, do you have to
contribute to this office?
I
have an understanding of and ability to work with people who may be in conflict
with one another. Much of my daily job
duties are conflict resolution and reconciliation. I further have training and in fact, teach
Aggression Replacement Training. Due to
my experience, I believe that these skills would be very beneficial in working
with the varying interests and opinions of our diverse community as well as
serve my constituents effectively.
II. Questions about your understanding of the office you
are seeking:
- What do you see as the
three most important functions of this office?
I believe the most important function of this
position is to promote and advance the needs of district 1 while at the same
time balancing our needs with the county at large. Secondly I believe that the planning for and
controlling the growth of our community is essential in order to assure that
all of our citizens’ needs will be met in the future. Finally, I believe a very important function
of the position is to make the public aware of what their county commissioners
can achieve for them through accessibility and availability
- What would you identify
as the three
most important issues facing
I
feel the most important issues facing our small town community are rapid growth
and meeting the needs of an expanding and diverse population both economically
and educationally while preserving our small town values and the natural beauty
of our area.
- What can you do in this
office to impact these three most important issues?
I intend to work with the other commissioners to
create a harmonious and respectful environment in which our collective
knowledge and creativity can lead to positive results for the community.
III. Positions on specific issues of importance in
A.
Means for insuring the fair and
respectful treatment of all
Through my actions and words I can be an example by treating people
with respect and dignity. I cannot
insure what the treatment of others will be by any citizen other than
myself. But I can insure that the
residents of District 1, and all other
B.
Promotion of greater diversity in our hired and appointed government
officials and employees
I vow to
promote excellence regardless of any identifying characteristics of an
individual.
C.
Reconciling the potentially competing interests of growth/development
and adequate infrastructure in our county, including the application of the
Hunter Growth Strategy
While recognizing the rights and needs
of individual property owners the preservation of our “small town” community
requires that we control unbridled growth in our county. To do otherwise would, I fear, result in a community unrecognizable
from the one we live in today. The
commission faces formidable challenge in balancing these interests for the good
of all our citizens and should carefully consider all available feasibility use
studies.
D.
The environmental impact of development and/or non-attainment status
with the EPA
I believe that we are fortunate to live
in this beautiful area. The worsening
population problem would be a high priority with the commission and part of the
strategic planning for our futures balancing the needs of industry with the
desirability of maintaining and improving our environment.
E.
Identifying and resolving conflicts of interest of public officials
Communication is the most important
conflict resolution tool. I believe that
all citizens including public officials have the ability to treat each other
with respect and dignity and communicate their needs in a positive and
consolatory manner. Although each
commissioner is charged with advancing the needs of our own district I believe
the citizens of this county understand that the promotion and maintenance of
the entire county is essential.
F.
The consolidation of:
I believe the commission should consider all options
available in deciding what meets the needs of all Blount Countians.
G. Health care:
As state programs, such as TennCare
evolve, our county must consistently evaluate ways in which the health care
needs of our citizens can be met.
IV. Questions for
CANDIDATES FOR
- How can you communicate
effectively with your constituents?
I would like
to post on the commission Web Site as well as in the activities section of the
Daily Times a time and a place on a quarterly basis when I will be available
for open forum with my constituents. In
addition to being available any time(other than bath and bed time for my
toddler) to address issues that arise between forums.
- Which recommendations
of the Hunter Growth Strategy do you support, and why?
While
recognizing the rights and needs of the individual property owner the
preservation of our “small town”
community requires that we control unbridled growth in our county to do
otherwise would I fear result in a community unrecognizable from the one we
live in today. The commission faces a
formidable challenge in balancing these interests for the good of all our
citizens and should carefully consider all available feasibility and use
studies.
- How do you propose to
fund infrastructure growth and improvements?
- A wheel tax
- An adequate facilities
tax
- Other
I would like to look at expenditures, revenues,
state and federal grants, and possible savings before considering adding any
additional tax burden to my fellow citizens.
- How can the county
address the needs of the senior population?
Seniors are a
significant part of our community who should be treasured. We need to make sure all federal and state
options are made available to our senior adults. Having dealt with state programs through my
employments and attempting to access available funds for my clients I realize
that two obstacles that can be significantly improved are increased awareness
of the existing programs and clear instructions on access.
- What is your position
on hiring a county law director vs. the current practice of retaining an
attorney for the Mayor?
Ever increasing growth in our county makes a law
director position appear to be a prudent and attractive option to
consider. The availability of legal
council on staff could provide a great financial return on the county’s
investment in forestalling legal liability at the planning stage. I also believe consideration should be given
to the possible benefits of having this position being an elected position
versus appointed as the law director would be responsible for protecting the
interests of the entire public.
- Concisely describe your
vision for
Maintaining the majestic beauty of