Here I am

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION 

Viet Nam Vet

Retired Senior Engineer

Local Businessman

Serve on Board of Directors for 2 corporations

Served 5 years on Lake Asbury Municipal Services Benefit District

ISSUES FACING COUNTY

Protecting the Individual’s Rights

Create A Regional Transit Authority

Tax Base DiversificationControl Growth

Sensible County Budget Policy

Complete Review of County Code with Revision Where Needed

Traffic Management and Road Improvements

My Characteristics

JD "Dan" Weisenburger Candidate for BCC 5

Thanks for making yourself available for questions and comments re your District candidacy.

Without being negative re the incumbent, why do you think you will be a better Commissioner than the incumbent?  What specific experience do you have with county or state government that will help you hit the ground running if eleceted?

Thanks.

Thanks for your questions Baxley

I believe I will be a better Commissioner than the incumbent because I strongly believe the voters in District 5 need representation that will work hard for them.  While all commissioners work for the entire county, the people in each district need to know that their commissioner has their needs at heart.   This starts with communication.

Communication must be 2-way between the people and their commissioner.  The commissioner must be willing to have a dialog with the voters, to take their input and follow through with the results.   That's one of promise I can keep.

When issues come before the BCC not all decisions are going to be popular.  Most issues are going to be boiled down to two choices.  Before voting on any issue I think it is the responsibility of each commissioner to explore the possibility of alternative solutions that might be proposed. 

Each candidate will tell you, the voter, that we need to diversify the tax base.   That sounds real good.   The county has established enterprise zones toward this end yet these zones are not populated with industry.  Small companies that employ 100 or fewer are not what we need.   I want to bring in large corporations that will employ 1000 or more yet provide a clean environment.  Such companies exist and I know how to seek them out.

When the incumbent ran the first time we did not hear of any experience in his background other than he was an Eagle Scout (which is commendable) and that he had been on the government payroll as a Sheriff's Deputy.  My experience is a little more extensive than that.   While never being on the goverment payroll, I have nevertheless been a volunteer to the county.  In 2002 I was appointed by the BCC to the Lake Asbury Municipal Services Benefit District (LAMSBD).  This is local branch of government, created by the Florida Legislature in 1986 as a special taxing district of and for the people that live directly on Lake Asbury.   All laws governing government operations apply to the LAMSBD including the sunshine law.  While serving this board I spearheaded a funding method for a dredging project that was needed.   Development around Lake Asbury had caused siltation to start filling in our lakes.   After 3 years of exhaustive research it was decided that the only way to fund the dredgeing was to seek a loan.  Funding the loan required a tax increase that was put before the voters.  The increase passed and the project completed.

When I am on the County CommissionI will not vote for tax increases or new fees without fully exploring all the options and I will look for input from all the citizens of Clay County before casting my vote

JD "Dan" Weisenburger Candidate for BCC 5

Thanks for answering the question.  I live in Dist. 4, so I can't vote for or against you, but appreciate your willingness to put your money where your mouth is - so to speak.

Though I don't live in Dist. 5, I do live in Clay County and am affected by the Dist. 5 Commissioner's votes.  I support Comm. Rutledge in his bid to return to office.  Despite the benefit of term limits in stopping long-term cronyism (is that a word?), I believe in the benefit of 4 years of experience of on-the-job training.  Comm. Rutledge has worked hard to become an effective, and better, County Commissioner during his term.  No politician is ever supported by 100% of their constituents, and he is no exception.  He is the only Commissioner to visit all parts of the County seeking input from citizens.  He has actively worked to improve planning for growth in Clay and the region, and currently serves as the Chairman (President?) of the Regional Planning Council.  I have no doubt you would do a fine job, but I believe Comm. Rutledge, based on the sum of his experience - including being an Eagle Scout (no small feat) - would be better for Clay County from 2009 - 2012.

Really, he did not pay me to say any of these things.  I appreciate your willingness to run for office, to enter the blog world to share of yourself and your ideas, and I wish you good luck.  I still hope Dist. 5 returns Comm. Rutledge to the BCC for 4 more years.