This is your County

Congratulations on tossing your hat in the ring here in MCS, you are a brave soul!

Are you willing to answer questions in the blogs?

Dave, I was excited to see that you are in the running. I know your heart and I know that you are a geniune person who wants to do the right thing. I will be praying that you will not be discouraged and that God continue to use you. Let me know if I can be of any help.

 Danny

Yes I will

David

I'd like to echo the others in congratulating you for joining the field of candidates.

My blogging friend Marsha asked if you'd be willing to answer questions we bloggers may ask.  I'm hoping your "Yes I will" is in response to her question, as opposed to Danny's offer to help.

If that is the case, I'd like to ask a question that pertains to a topic discussed here at MCS.  It is:

Are you gone through the "training ground" experience, having been selected by local political party leaders and groomed for office?

OneMann,

What do you mean by "groomed for office?"

A brave man indeed - subjecting yourself to the political process, and subjecting yourself to the bloggers on MCS.  But, I imagine after running into burning buildings while everyone else is running out, both of the above will be a breeze.

Not a Dist. 1 voter, but I'm curious why you want to be a County Commissioner.  I'm glad you do - we need all the interested people we can get, but why?

Thanks for joining in the conversation.  Good luck.

Let's not make this a blog between us.  Mr. McCall can ask for clarification if he needs to.

By the way, David, one of my closest friends of younger years was, and may still be, a firefighter.  He taught me a lot about the kind of courage and character a firefighter has to possess.  Perhaps the respect I have for him carried over to you and I was little blunt with my question.  If so, I hope you'll forgive me.

David, I see you are a fireman. I do not know what city or county you work for but it does not matter we thank you for doing your job. Now to my question:

Please understand I don't care how the future vote comes out on the pay for the commissioners, (I believe it should stay the same) will you give up your job as a firefighter and devote it to serving as a full time county commissioner? I know it will be easy to say with the meetings and research you do while you are not working as a firefighter you could put more than 40 hours a week into the job as commissioner. With that many hours would you not be putting yourself in danger? Don't get me wrong I'm not picking on you I believe all the County Commissioners should be available to the public at the county offices at least 4 days a week. If this had been policy 20 years ago would we be having the problems we are having now? I want to elect people who are looking for a primary job not a part time job.

With that said Good luck, fight hard.

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their part.

The job of a county commissioner is to make policy.  They are NOT supposed to be involved in the day to day operation of the county.  So many people simply do not know what the constitutional duties of county commissioners are.  We have well paid departments heads and a county manager who run the county on a day to day basis.  the idea that a county commissioner should be in the office 4 days a week is ridiculous, no, it's idiotic.  Why would you want to pay 5 people to simply sit in an office and listen to citizen complaints 4 days a week?  What a waste of money.  A county commissioner should forward every call they receive to the correct department head, and let them handle it.  Now, if they don't, then the county commissioner has the right to step in.  Other than that, they should keep hands off the daily affairs of the county.

The reason the salaries and benefits are so bloated is the misconception that the commissioners run the county.  The make policy, hire department heads and approve a budget from the recommendations of their various departments. What other county employee gets their FAMILIES health insurance paid for......NONE!   It is and never was a full-time job. The commissioners make make us feel like it is, but that is just to justify their monetary importance.  Read the Clay County Charter......it gives the constitutional duties of the commissioners, and it is vastly different from what many of our commissioners would have you believe their job entails.

ISLANDER--Good to have you back! It's good to know that you have read the charter and hopefully those intending to run will do the same. One point you made however, needs clarification--Commissioners do not hire the department heads. That is the job of the full time County Manager. The commissioners, as you said, are policy makers.

Also, as of Nov. 2008, citizens will be paying the salaries and hefty benefits to 7, not 5 of these part time policy makers. By the way, when you have time to study the insurance benefits we give to the county employees while employed and when retired, you will see that no other county in the area gives such a sweeeet deal. It's kind of like we adopt them for life.