CANDIDATE
SURVEY 2004
Watauga
County Board of County Commissioners
The Partnership
for Watauga’s Future, in keeping with its mission
of offering “a full and fair exposition of facts,” sent short
questionnaires to all six candidates running for three seats
on the Watauga County Commission.
THE COUNTY COMMISSION RACES
DISTRICT 2
James
Coffey (incumbent) did
not respond
Vs.
William
R. (Billy Ralph) Winkler
DISTRICT 3 (open seat)
Jim
Deal
Vs.
Joe
Phillips ... did not respond
DISTRICT 5
Allen
Trivette (incumbent)
Vs.
Winston
Kinsey
THE RESPONSES
(alphabetical by name)
JIM DEAL
Q. If elected what do you want to be known
for when your term as County Commissioner ends?
A. It would be a great honor for me to
have the opportunity to serve as Watauga County Commissioner. I grew up in
Watauga County and my family has lived here for several generations. At the
end of my term I would like to be known as a Commissioner who made a positive
difference in the quality of life for the people of Watauga County.
Q. In your opinion what are the most pressing
issues facing Watauga County and what would you do about that issue?
A. In my opinion the most pressing issues
are as follows:
I
believe that our most critical issue is education. I was
privileged to serve Watauga County on the Board of Education for eight years.
During that period of time I served as the Finance Committee Chairman and
I am aware of the co-operation that must take place between the County Commissioners
and the Board of Education. If elected I would propose that County Commissioners
meet frequently with the Board of Education to develop long
range plans. These plans would deal not just with facilities, but also the
academic needs of our students. In order for our education system to continue
to provide the opportunities to our students we must recruit quality teachers,
provide adequate support for the staff and administrators, and develop and
enhance programs for the 21st Century. This requires a partnership between
the County Commission and the Board of Education. In order to effectively
meet the needs of our school system, a County Commissioner must understand
the problems that the school system faces and work actively with the Board
of Education to develop plans to solve these problems and plan for the issues
that we will face in the future.
A
second issue is affordable housing. I currently volunteer
with the Affordable Housing Task Force. If we are going to be able to provide
affordable housing in Watauga County it will require the leadership of the
County Commission. The Commission needs to take an active role in seeking
solutions to the problem, including ideas such as partnering with local
developers or land owners, working to provide water and sewer in areas where
it does not exist, and streamlining government regulations help to hold
down the cost of building.
A
third issue that Watauga County faces is a need for a comprehensive
recreation plan. I believe that the County must develop recreational needs
that provide opportunities to all of our citizens of all ages. It is extremely
important that these recreational opportunities be located throughout the
County and not just in the Town of Boone. This will require long range planning
and not just a short term approach.
A
fourth issue is working closely with county departments and
agencies. If elected I would propose regularly meeting with various departments
and agencies to understand their needs and how the county can develop a
budget to allow them to be more effective.
All
of these issues require a co-operative process between the
County Commission and the various agencies that are involved. It is my belief
that the County Commissioners should regularly meet with the representatives
from the various agencies, seek to understand their problems, help develop
comprehensive planning and work together to develop a budget that would
meet these needs.
Q. What role should the County play in
providing water and/or sewer to the corridors around Boone?
A. It is my belief that the County Commission
must take the lead in providing water and sewer to various areas of the County.
There are several reasons that this is needed:
For
additional development of a commercial nature to take place,
water and sewer must be provided. Our current commercial park is full and
if we are to provide job opportunities for our citizens and business opportunities
for our local business owners, we must be able to provide water and sewer
for the development of commercial parks. The Commissioners should meet with
local property owners to help develop opportunities for commercial parks
where appropriate. The longer we wait, the greater the cost will be.
It
is becoming more difficult to construct septic systems and
more land is being required to provide drainage areas and repair areas.
This increases the overall expense to our property owners who are building
homes and to those property owners who are building commercial buildings.
Thank
you for the opportunity to respond to the survey. As a life
long resident of Watauga County, I know that we are truly blessed by God
to live in such a wonderful area. The County Commissioners must provide
leadership and intelligent solutions to the problems that we now face. In
addition the County Commissioners must have a vision of what Watauga County
can be and the opportunities that our citizens should be provided. If elected,
I pledge that I will help create that vision.
WINSTON KINSEY
Q. If elected, what do you want to be known
for, when your term as County Commissioner ends?
A. I
want to be known as a concerned citizen (a farmer and retired
teacher) who has served his county, who put his name forward to give people
a choice and a voice in their county’s business. I
would not want to be known as a demagogue, who plays upon people’s
fears and anxieties just to get elected. In particular I would
like to be known for (a) support for public schools, after hearing the recommendations
and requests of the Watauga County Board of Education; (b) support for widening
and paving of all county secondary roads; (c) support for law enforcement,
fire departments, and first responders; (d) support for joint government/private
projects to realize "affordable housing"; (e) listening to the
people, especially in public hearings for all high impact projects;
(f) protecting the environment and the rural heritage of the
county; (g) promoting economic growth to broaden our base; (h) support for
recreational projects for individuals and families countywide.
Q. In your opinion, what are the most pressing
issues facing Watauga County and what would you do about those issues?
A. LAW
ENFORCEMENT. I will listen
to our excellent sheriff, Mark Shook, who has been very efficient and professional
in shutting down numerous meth labs. We have a serious problem on our
hands that is straining the resources of the Law Enforcement Center. This
problem threatens the well-being of all citizens of our county. Additionally,
the new Law Enforcement Center will be inadequate by the time it is finished. Mr.
Shook has made outstanding presentations to the Board of Commissioners on
his needs to make our county a safe place. The Board should do whatever
it can to meet these needs at budget time instead of making our
sheriff return later to find money and then having to take this
money out of county savings.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING. I think that we should
support efforts to obtain state and federal financial support (loans or grants)
for purchase of some large blocks of land for housing. Land bought
in a block is cheaper than buying it one-half acre at a time. In large
blocks of land, roads can be built (and paved) on the contour or on a reasonable
grade to minimize erosion problems, and septic and water systems can be planned
in a logical manner and built before purchase and occupation by individual
families. Private companies could work with the Department of Planning
and Inspections to develop these subdivisions. Individuals could then
purchase a lot and contract with a builder for construction of a house, or
the contractors could build speculation houses in advance on part of the
lots. Ideally, water and sewage facilities would be developed subject
to guidelines from the county. In the current situation, some landowner,
needing some money, sells a half-acre tract and then next year
does the same thing, and so on (which leads to conflicts between
neighbors).
Public sources for funding of projects might be
the following: The Carolina Farm Credit Service (which merged Production
Credit, FmHA, and the Federal Land Bank) would be a source for farmers desiring
to build a home or make other improvements. The best source for government
assistance is probably the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which could
call upon HUD and the Kellogg Foundation for support. However, what
the ARC does is on the state level and local level through "local planning
councils" which can get money through the "revolving loan fund" of
the ARC to develop infrastructure (water, sewage, roads, etc.).
EDUCATION. County Commissioners need to
listen to the elected Board of Education (and the school administration and
teachers). At present, the high school is the top concern. In
the spring of 2004, the committee studying this said that the consensus was
for "one high school on this or another location." Regardless
of the location, it will cost much to build for the next 30-40 years. This
said, education is more than bricks and mortar. Another major educational
issue is personnel, as the experienced teachers are retiring in large numbers. How
can we attract and keep the best of the new teachers? Presently, our
county supplement for the teachers is ranked about 49 out of 100 counties. We
must do better. We must support programs which will prepare our children
and grandchildren for life in this county or elsewhere.
ENVIRONMENT. We live in a beautiful county,
and we must preserve the beauty and the resources. Three (or four)
rivers have their headwaters here. We must be concerned with clean
water and soil erosion, and avoid unwise practices. The contractors
who I know are generally sensitive to these issues; they live
here too! In general, they work with the planners and inspectors
to do the job right.
While I am concerned about the environment, I
know that our economic base is rather narrow and that we must strive to bring
in new and clean industry or businesses. We are a wealthy county, but
we now essentially have only four engines driving our economy: Appalachian
State University, tourism and second homes, construction related to the above,
and traditional family farms. Our farms are a way-of-life, but we have
difficulty earning a living on them. We have lost many of the small
industries which were once located in our area. We must expand our
industrial park and study the incentives necessary to bring in more small
clean industry and business into our county. We now have an excellent
highway linking us to the major interstates.
BUDGET AND FINANCES. At present, it seems
that the board makes out their budget and then tells the various agencies
what they will get and then to "come back later and scratch for more." Why
not decide the funding needs, and then make out the budget and
steps necessary to meet that budget.
I think that we should lower the sales tax as
it is a burden to those with modest incomes. In the past two years
under the current board, our property taxes have almost doubled due to the
property reappraisal. The current board still says that they "lowered" our
taxes; the board lowered the rate per hundred valuation from 39 cents to
37 cents per hundred (about $20 per family, with the larger property owners
getting the most benefit). Because reappraisal is an expensive process
with many appeals, I would continue the eight-year cycle instead
of the four-year one. Farmers who have inherited or otherwise
own high-priced land that produces a low profit margin (if any) still have
the agricultural exemption so that they do not have to sell the family farm
just to pay the taxes.
RECREATION. I think that we should build
a new swimming complex in Boone. The current one has been repaired
too many times. While doing so, why not make it large enough for competition
training with six lanes so that swim meets can be held here. Caldwell
County's pool is often used as a model for what we might be able to build
here. The pool would be paid for by the county, offset by fees charged
those who use the facility. I do not know how the YMCA might work into
this picture, but I am open to learning about this attractive possibility. ASU
is building a new pool, and so is the Wellness Center, but whether these
can accommodate our county needs is a point needing much discussion. Consideration
needs to be given to increasing recreation facilities (other
than swimming pools) in each part of the county.
OTHER
ISSUES:
1. We must listen to the people. At present,
there are no “public hearings” on high impact land use or other
matters. There are only “open meetings,” as in the case
of the recent open meeting to accept and hear bids for the ambulance
service from only two entities (in a room so small that only
about ten people could be seated, while the rest were in the foyer outside,
unable to hear.
2. I will search for ways to assist the fire departments
of our county. They receive a fixed sum from the county government,
as well as an inequitable district fire tax. Demands on their time
and resources now have gone far beyond fighting fires - to include highway
wrecks and emergency management. I have learned that an out-fitted
pumper truck now costs upward of $130,000. When one asks the fire departments
how they are doing financially, they usually reply “We are getting
by.” “Getting by” is not sufficient for the men and
women who are on the front line of defense for local emergencies
as well as terrorist incidents.
Q. What role should the county play in
providing water and/or sewer to the Boone-Foscoe corridor, to the Boone-Deep
Gap corridor, and/or the Boone-Blowing Rock corridor?
A. The
above question leaves out the Boone-Todd, Boone-Bethel, and
Boone-Zionville corridors. As it is hard to pump
sewage or water uphill, consideration must be given to development of “mini” sewer
or water systems in the county where there are housing developments or other
high-impact land uses. Most farm or rural families with an acre
or more of land can drill a well and have adequate space for a septic system. In
a rural subdivision with half-acre lots, individual home well and septic
systems are becoming problematic and causing friction between neighbors. In
these situations, the “mini” systems would help. As to
the corridor, this is a question too big to answer for this occasion. I
have learned that a corridor served by sewer and water is developing now
by accident on Old Highway 421 toward Deep Gap, which resulted from Carroll
Leather Goods, Inc. losing its septic tanks to the new Highway 421. For
good reason, the Town of Boone agreed to run their water and septic system
to them. Now, the Town of Boone - with trepidation - has allowed Food
Lion to be added on after long discussions and their agreement to follow
the town’s regulations (and then some). There are hints that
another business wants the same treatment, but has not yet applied.
The current Board of County Commissioners has
done nothing to plan to handle the problems related to the county’s
exploding development. Joe Furman (Planning and Inspections) has done
his job well so far as is possible. Lack of planning rests with the
Board who has followed its typical “band-aid” approach. In
trying to rid Watauga County of any zoning, the Commissioners have virtually
negated any attempts at planning for future development. Water and
sewer issues will determine the future of this county (industry, business,
and affordable housing). I want the Board of Commissioners to appoint
a panel of experts and citizens to study and plan for the future. A
water and sewer study committee of the Town of Boone will report its findings
on September 16. The Town of Blowing Rock now has a moratorium on extending
water and sewer lines. Obviously, the Towns of Boone and Blowing Rock
are being more responsible than the Watauga County Board of Commissioners. Again,
I support study and planning by a panel of experts and citizens
and a careful public hearing of their findings and recommendations.
Thank
you for the opportunity to respond to these important issues.
ALLEN TRIVETTE
A. Watauga County is my home. I love this
place and the people. I want the best for Watauga County as we all do. Watauga
County is facing major issues that will greatly impact our lives, zoning-not
a dead issue; tax increases; liquor by the drink; funding a new high school;
and affordable housing.
Zoning is not a dead issue! Watauga County voters
said “no zoning”. I have fought to represent our people and keep
zoning from interfering with property rights.
Our county budget is 32 million, school system-27%
(8.5 million), sheriff’s department-20% (6.5 million), human services-19%
(6 million) and all other county offices 34% (11 million). Each time any
division seeks additional funds there has to be a resulting tax increase.
Every department should be able to meet our needs but we cannot have all
our wants. One of my goals has been to be a good steward of the taxpayer’s
dollars.
Liquor by the drink is knocking at our door. Again
Watauga County has said “NO”. As county commissioner, I will
do everything possible to represent the people’s choice.
In
my opinion the issue of a new high school should be presented
to the voters as a bond referendum. Watauga County still owes 20 million
from a previous bond that will be paid off in 2015. The projected enrollment
numbers is expected to decrease within the next ten years. We all agree
that something has to be done but the decision should be made by the voters
not the county commissioners.
Affordable housing is a major issue for many county
residents. The majority of jobs in Watauga County are low paying service
jobs. As a result of low rages, finding adequate housing is difficult, especially
for young adults and the fixed income elderly. We all want the ”American
Dream”, a spacious well constructed house on a large landscaped lot.
Many have found that modular and mobile homes provide affordable
housing. Our county has to make room for housing available to
everyone, regardless of economic status. I will continue to support affordable
housing for all our citizens.
Everyone
cannot agree all the time. Whether we agree or not, we are
obligated as neighbors and citizens of this community to listen and respect
each other. Watauga County is my home not just a place I am passing through.
I have done my best for the people of Watauga County and with your support
we can make Watauga County a home that we can all be proud of.
Thank
you.
WILLIAM R. WINKLER, III
Q. If
elected, what do you want to be known for, when your term
as County Commissioner ends?
A. If
I were to be remembered for one thing, I would want it to
be as an advocate for educational programs and facilities. The Watauga County
Board of Education has spent a great deal of time and resources studying
both the current and future needs of the schools. It is absolutely imperative
that whatever action is taken cuts no corners. It will be much more cost-effective
and productive to do it right the first time instead of having to come back
and ask for more every eight to ten years. This is why it has become so
difficult to properly renovate the existing facility. Our children are not
second-rate citizens and they don’t
deserve second-rate facilities. Our teachers are innovative and motivated
and they deserve to work in a facility that enables them to do their best
work instead of wasting their creative energies just trying to figure out
how to “make do”. The child from Bethel (or any other area of
our county) deserves to have the same opportunities as would
be available in Caldwell, Burke, Orange or Wake County.
Q. In your opinion, what are the most pressing
issues facing Watauga County and what would you do about that issue?
A. Law
Enforcement: The fact that Meth Labs are so incredibly prominent
in our County is not only embarrassing but a serious threat to the health
and safety of our families and our communities. Our Sheriff’s Department has proved to be committed to solving this
problem and deserves our complete partnership in this effort. In the last
fiscal year, the commissioners did not listen to Sheriff Shook when he told
them what he needed. As a result, they were later forced to dig into
county savings to find more money to run the department. It would have
been much better for the department and less costly to our citizens if the
sheriff’s requests had been honored from the beginning. Sheriff
Shook had it right when he told the commissioners, “The best investment
you can make is for the safety of your citizens”. I can’t
think of a way to say it any better.
Economic Development: While I am in agreement
with the commissioners support of a new Arts Center and their decision to
help a small business out on leasing a space, I completely disagree with
the current boards decision to cut all funding for economic development and
to hand those responsibilities over to the Planning and Inspections Department. Instead
of a unified effort between local business leaders and concerned citizens,
decisions are being made mostly in closed-door sessions with input from only
a handful of people. It almost seems that they (the commissioners)
just don’t want to have to deal with anyone who may disagree with them. In
this area as in so many others, the RIGHT decisions can only be made if ALL
sides of each issue are considered. This is a major difference between
my opponent and myself. I WANT to hear opposing viewpoints. I
want to know what impact, whether positive or negative, our decisions
will have.
Land Use: We need to make sure that our ordinances,
the ones already on the books, are being applied fairly to everyone. Many
people have expressed concerns that they are being treated differently than
more powerful people when trying to work through the requirements of our
ordinances. All people, regardless of who they are, should get the same fair
treatment from Planning and Inspections. I also differ with my opponent in
that I believe in all citizens’ rights to make their voices heard and
have their opinions considered. A certain group from the Meat Camp
area was refused an audience by the commissioners when they came with concerns
that their rights were being jeopardized by a certain proposal for
large development. While it is true that the county is under no obligation
to hear this group (or any of us for that matter) I believe they SHOULD have
allowed these citizens to present their side of the story. As I’ve
said many times, we have a better chance of reaching the right
decision when we listen to all sides of the issues.
Environment:
Environmental concerns must also be high on our list of priorities.
Practically every major decision made will have some impact either directly
or indirectly. Good environmental policies are not only morally justified,
but make good long-term economic sense. Plans for future growth and development
must include full consideration of environmental impact.
Affordable Housing: Creating incentives to enable
affordable housing opportunities is important to the continued growth of
our county and to young families trying to build a future for themselves. The
current board has taken no action in this area. Possible solutions
can be found from studying successful programs implemented in
other areas of the state with emphasis on those that help families
afford homes that will increase in value.
Recreation: Our recreational programs are a true
reflection of how we value our families. The current Board has taken
a bandaid approach to the problems concerning our county pool, despite the
fact that the report commissioned by the previous board of commissioners
showed repairing the county pool rather than replacing it would amount to
throwing good money after bad. As a result, the county is now in over its
head on the repairs. There are many unexpected issues in the repairs to the
boiler systems, problems with pumping water out of the diving well, problems
with drainage and cracking in the flooring. This is yet another area
in which the cheap fix will end up being more expensive to taxpayers.
Taxes and Spending: The current Board of Commissioners
is taking in and spending more money than any previous board. My opponent
may have voted for a 2% property tax rate decrease, but he supported the
half-cent sales tax increase. For many Watauga County citizens, particularly
those working to support a family, the sales tax increase cost more than
the savings from the lowered tax rate. This is a basic difference between
Democrat and Republican candidates from the national level on down. Republicans
talk about lowering taxes, but in the final analysis, the burden of paying
for essential services is always increasingly shifted to those who can afford
it the least. The commissioners have also raised fees on county services. They
have spent more money on lawyers, and less on recreation, economic development
and programs for senior citizens. Despite collecting more tax revenue
than ever in the history of our county, they have had to dip into our savings
to meet “unexpected” building and other needs (such as not fully
funding the Sheriff’s Department requests).
County Contracts: In 1999, the Board of Commissioners
voted to “revise” the old ambulance contract, no longer allowing
for automatic increases and insisting on bids from private providers every
five years in order to keep costs down for Watauga County citizens. This
year, our commissioners voted to return to old habits by refusing bids from
all except the current provider and Watauga Medical Center. If we are
determined to use private providers for this service, then an
open bidding process is essential to insuring quality of service
and fairness to all concerned.
Q. What role should the county play in
providing water and/or sewer to the Boone-Foscoe corridor, to the Boone-Deep
Gap corridor, and/or the Boone-Blowing Rock corridor?
A. Like
so many other issues, those concerning water and sewer projects
must be made in partnership with all involved. For the best opportunities
to be available to our citizens, the townships, the university and the county
must work together cooperatively. I am skeptical of proposals
for privatization of these services. Profit should not
be the motivating factor for those charged with handling our
most precious resource.