I believe the most challenging aspect of dealing with the public is addressing their needs in a timely fashion. As an educator, I am quite used to addressing community stakeholders. Caregivers want the best for their children as quickly as possible. Taxpayers want the same. Taxpayers want their tax dollars to be utilized correctly, efficiently, for purposes that suit them, while having access to their representatives. I will work to produce results that Clay County residents find adequate while maintaining efficient stewardship of their tax dollars and providing accessibility to me in effort to gather feedback.

So this current election will change the make-up of the county commission drastically. We will go with three to seven board members. We could be voting in a new majority that will either be good or bad for the county. What most people do not realize is that commissioners are solely responsible to determining how to spend roughly a billion dollars of your tax money during a four-year term. It is important to elect someone who is capable to doing so, has experience doing so, and understands the importance of fiscal stewardship and government efficiencies – creating a more effective government using the least about of tax dollars. That is what I did during my career in government.

Secondly, public safety should be at the top of any government priority. It is a basic need that touches nearly every aspect of our lives, from the safety of our children playing in their front yard and their safety at school, our home values, our insurance rates, the success of small business, to so many other aspects of life that people do not often think about. The attack on public safety has done more harm than most people realize. I have the expertise in this area to help get our first responders the support they need to help protect our community.

And thirdly, we have ongoing infrastructure needs that need to be addressed. From streets and bridges to facilities like a jail that is busting at the seams. Capital improvement projects and proper planning and budgeting needs to be done more efficiently. Good leaders and managers at the top need to be able to plan and project for 5-10 years out and even longer, not waiting until the problem has become a reality. This effects everyone’s quality of life in the county, as well as the success of small businesses, which is critical to Clay County being one of the fastest growing counties in the state.