Oneida County voters to decide commissioner races in primary
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MALAD — Four candidates are vying for the Oneida County District 1 commissioner seat: Mike Asay, Bob Crowther, Bill Drury and Drew Pettis. Additionally, Kirk Nielsen and Randy Willy are running for the District 2 seat.
The winners of the May 19 primary election will advance to the general election on Nov. 3.
EastIdahoNews.com sent a questionnaire to each candidate. Responses were limited to 250 words or fewer. Pettis was the only Oneida County commissioner candidate to respond. His unedited responses are below:
For more candidate questionnaires and further information on this year’s primary election, check out East Idaho Elects.
Tell us about yourself — include information about your family, career, education, volunteer work, and any prior experience in public office.
I live in Malad with my bride and 2 of our 6 children. We have found this to be the perfect environment to raise them. We love the people, natural beauty and locale. I spent the majority of my career as a project manager and process analyst. I also worked in construction as a subcontractor. Went to Cerritos College in California and BYU in Utah. I served for years as an adult leader in the Boy Scouts of America, fulfilled a wide variety of ecclesiastical stewardships. Have participated in and led a chapter and the state society of a national fraternal organization.
Why are you seeking political office within your community? Briefly explain your political platform.
My family and I moved here from Beaverton (a suburb of Portland), Oregon. I saw Beaverton turn from a tightly knit community to one where nobody knew their neighbors. It went from a compassionate and open community to one that severely limited the pursuit of happiness (property, both physical and monetary) of the citizens, showing favoritism to some at the significant expense of others.
In the past, I have been tagged with having an agenda. I don’t have one. My platform is simply this: Unity, fidelity and fairness in opportunity and ordinances as well as government being the servant of the community, not the master.
What are the greatest challenges facing people in your county? What is your plan to meet and overcome those challenges?
There are a few that immediately come to mind, but the list is not all inclusive.
a. Unify the citizens of Oneida County. As is typical of most of the United States, the needs of the populous of the city are different than those in the county. This is an apparently naturally occurring phenomenon, but efforts need to be in place to limit this condition. As it stands today, everyone either embraces the political dominance or ignores it.
b. Reward and retention of county employees. We seem to have an environment where we hire and train employees who then move to greener pastures – My criticism is not of those former employees; they are morally obligated to do the best for their families as possible.
c. Improve communication between the Commission and the county residents. Currently, efforts are limited by what is required by law. Expanding communication channels will enable citizens to have a more active role in their government. Most people can’t afford to pay attention to everything their government does – they don’t have time. Efforts need to be made to help the citizens know when their lives are going to be impacted by government.
How will you best represent the views of your constituents – even those with differing political views? How do partisan politics play into your role as an elected leader?
a. Liberty and individual rights are not partisan.
b. The reason a Commission exists is to bring multiple schools of thought to the discussion. Citizens who are impacted (pro or con) have a vested interested in the conclusion of an action taken by the commission. Simple rules: If an ordinance, existing or proposed, favors one over another, it is unworthy and should be removed or not be implemented. If an ordinance is outside the stewardship of the Commission, it is unworthy and should not be implemented. If an existing ordinance is unconstitutional, it should be removed.
What parts of the county budget could use more funding? Where are places in the budget where cuts could be made?
Employee salaries can use more funding. Salaries are the easiest to eliminate during revenue short falls. Salaries should be the last budget item considered, not the first.
There are county sponsored events that are not self-sustaining. Efforts should be made to make most of those events self-funding.
What specific changes can be made in this office to increase public transparency and access to public information? How will you communicate directly with your constituents?
I believe that outreach communication channels need to be amended and new channels need to be implemented. We can’t be satisfied to say we tried.
Additionally, ordinances need to be expressed in simpler terms. Legalese should be banned from use. If someone cannot read and understand immediately the ordinance and its ramifications, we did it wrong. Again, the government is the servant of the people not the other way around.
I suggest a Facebook/Instagram page and direct mail.
Can you give a concrete example of a policy or budget decision you would support to improve a county service within your first year in office?
Self-sustaining services and event fees.
What experience do you bring that prepares you to manage county finances, and how will you ensure fiscal responsibility?
None. To quote Ross Perot when asked if Bill Clinton’s experience running the state of Arkansas as a preparation for running the United States. He said: “His experience is irrelevant. It’s like saying because I successfully ran a corner drug store I am ready to manage Walmart”. This is paraphrased from memory. For those who don’t know who Ross Perot is, he started a computer software and services company and it became a Fortune 10 company. He also ran for president as a 3rd party.
The county charter demands a balanced budget. We will comb through the budget to find obsolete line items or line items that favor one group over another etc.