Local Election Guide 2018 by The Greeneville Sun

APRIL 7, 2018 A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO

The Greeneville Sun

Overview of the Candidates Political Issues on The Agenda

Page 2

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Election 2018 T MICHAEL S. RENEAU EDITOR

Eddie Jennings

Read Up, Then Go Vote

he section you hold in your hands is the result of a lot of hard work. Not just hard work on the part of folks at The Greeneville Sun. It was hard work from the men and women who took the time to answer our questions. Each election the Sun publishes responses to questionnaires we give to each candidate running for local oﬃce. Traditionally those questionnaires have appeared in the pages of

Mike Gregg

Kevin Morrison

our regular, daily newspaper, often spread out over several days. For the 2018 county primary elections, though, we decided to compile questionnaires for each race on the ballot in one publication. We wanted to produce one resource, published at one time, to give to Greene Countians. We think this is a powerful resource for the people who have the ultimate say in what the next four years of Greene County’s future looks like:

Brett Purgason

Harvey Moore

the voters. By our count, 81 candidates will appear on these primary election ballots on May 1. We’ve attempted to reach out to all of them for this publication and have received responses from nearly all of them. We’ve tried to ask the questions we think are most pressing for each office; we’ve tried to ask the questions we think most voters are asking this election cycle. Greene County faces many im-

Richard Keller

Darrell Bryan

portant issues in this election. None of us can make an informed decision at the ballot box without an understanding of the people asking us for our votes. Remember: Primaries for the Greene County General Election are on May 1. Early voting begins April 11 and continues through April 26. So, read this section. Learn about the candidates. Then go vote. Thanks for reading. And happy Election Day.

Zak Neas

David Foulks

9 Candidates Vying For County Mayor BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER There are nine people running for the top job in county government, Greene County mayor. No matter who wins the general election in August, there will be a new face representing the county since current mayor David Crum decided against seeking reelection. In the Republican primary, seven individuals are seeking the nomination in May. Those are Eddie Jennings, Michael “Mike” Gregg, Kevin Morrison, Brett Purgason, Harvey Moore, Richard Keller, Darrell Bryan and Zackery T. Neas. The winner of the primary will face oﬀ against Democrat David Foulks in the August general election. All the candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate in random order and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. The primary elections

will be held on May 1. The general election will be held on Aug. 2.

JENNINGS Eddie Jennings, 66, of 1301 Pisgah Road, Greeneville, is currently retired. He had been an over the road truck driver for most of his life. He was raised on a small farm where he said you had to work for what you had. He has been married for 27 years and was previously elected to the county commission in 2014.

GREGG Michael “Mike” Gregg, 56, of 460 Quillen Shell Road, Greeneville, is currently the manager at U-Sav Auto Center. He is a lifelong county resident and graduate of West Greene High School and took courses and classes at Walters State Community College and Tri-City Community College for an auctioneer license. Gregg previously worked as a supervisor and process engineer at Doehler-Jarvis

was appointed to the commission in 2016 for six months. He made failed bids for Greene County mayor in 2010 and the county commission in 2016. He has been married for 21 years and has four children.

and Tennessee Aluminum Castings. He is also a former auctioneer. He is married and has never run for or held any public oﬃce.

MORRISON Kevin Morrison, 49, of 1595 Morrison Road, Chuckey, is currently a territory business manager with Inspirion Delivery Sciences, a Bio-Tech Pharma Delivery Company headquartered in New Jersey. Before that, he worked 18 years as a sales business manager with Pfizer pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, UCB and Depomed. Morrison graduated from North Greene High School in 1987 and graduated from East Tennessee State University in 1991. He then joined the United States Army as a commissioned lieutenant from 1991 to 1997, where he became a U.S. Army Airborne Ranger and earned numerous combat schools and skill badges along with awards and decorations for service and performance. He was elected to the county commission in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. He

PURGASON Brett Purgason, 44, 2505 Sunnydale Road, Greeneville, is currently the senior project manager for Innovative Millwright Service. He previously worked as a building division manager for Ron’s Millwright Service, a senior project manager for Gilco Construction, a facilities engineer/ environmental, health and safety for Angus-Palm Industries and an industrial development/project manager for Powell Building Group. Purgason previously ran for the oﬃce of mayor in 2014 and ran as a candidate for the Greene County Board of Education in 2010. He is currently single.

SEE MAYOR ON PAGE 3

Why are you running for this office? Jennings: I have watched this county government take the county away from the citizens and not listen to the people! This county government has forgotten who works for who and who pays them. Gregg: To work with all planning boards, all local government offices and the citizens as a team to build a better Greene County. Morrison: I am running for this office to serve the people I love and give back to the greatest community in the world. My military service took me from the farm I grew up on and cherish to the DMZ of Korea, the jungles of Panama, the arid sands of the middle east, and many other isolated areas around the world. But, one thing I never lost my love of was my Greene County home. Despite our problems, I have always believed Greene County is the greatest place with the greatest people and I desire to do everything I can to make it that way for my children and future generations. Purgason: I am running for the office of Greene County mayor for one simple reason: to ensure that Greene County’s future remains bright. I want the next generation to have even better opportunities than we have had. We must maintain our current jobs and be pro-active in recruiting new business and industry while working with the other municipalities. Moore: To be honest, I have always had my fill of the county shoving things down our throats, raising our taxes and never never never balance a budget. No one is being held accountable for the things they do and the lives they hurt when they make poor decisions. I want to work for the taxpayers and hold these people accountable and hold them to the fire on the things they do and the money they waste. If you have ever noticed, in the last 30 years every time except one the school system is the biggest reason for raising taxes, except an asphalt plant which in my view was a waste. Where is all the money going? I want to change the way we distribute the money. I want to give every department two pieces of paper. One will say wants, the other will say needs. I will tell them to fill them out when the wants get to the needs paper, prove to me that we need it. Then we will move forward on meeting that need. Keller: I am running for this office because I feel that I am very qualified and can do an excellent job. I am very qualified because of my education, certification and work experience. If you look at the job description on Greene County’s website for our county mayor, it says that the county mayor primarily serves as the financial agent for the county. I don’t know how I could be any better qualified to serve as the financial agent for Greene County. I have a master’s degree in accounting from East Tennessee State University. I am a certified public accountant, which requires passing a rigorous four-part exam. It requires that I get a minimum 40 hours of ongoing education each year in technical subjects just to maintain my professional license. I have put this education and license to use for the last 20 years by serving small businesses, individuals, and other entities. I have served them by preparing tax returns, fighting the IRS, preparing financial statements, budgeting, planning, payroll, sales taxes, property taxes, problem solving and much more. This experience puts me in a unique position. It puts me in a unique position on day one to serve taxpayers by navigating difficult budgeting and financial issues. My ability to aid small businesses in solving problems also puts me in a unique position to help answer the complex issues facing the county and the difficulties in the role of county mayor. Bryan: I am running because this county has been good to me and my family. It’s my opportunity to give back. Due to the experiences I have had in business and in government, I feel like I can make a difference. I want to be the voice for Greene County. Neas: In 2014, I was a newly elected Greene County commissioner, who took office without a budget in place. We had a $1.8 million operating deficit and $42 million debt. Many tough decisions have been made and today, our debt is down to $26 million. In 2026, all debts will be extinguished, and over the next four to eight years it is imperative that we look for a long-range plan that keeps Greene County moving forward. I feel my experience in government and as a business owner will help Greene County continue to move in a positive direction. Foulks: I am a candidate for Greene County mayor because people deserve a real choice in the way government operates. Other candidates want to pad their bank accounts with the $90K salary and will tell anybody anything to get elected. I don’t want the money, and I will tell the truth regardless of the consequences. In fact, I pledge to donate two-thirds of the salary ($60K) back to the taxpayers. No other candidate will make that pledge.

Describe your position on school consolidation. If you don’t support it, what would you support to improve county schools? If you do, discuss funding for the $90 million proposal. Jennings: I’m strongly against this consolidation! We can improve our children’s education in the schools we have and spend a lot less money! Think about it. The school buildings are not what teaches our kids. It’s the teachers. Another thing they are not telling you is when we walk away from a first-class technical educational facility like Greene Tech, we will lose approximately $600,000 a year. Gregg: Myself I do not support the school consolidation. I do support school resource officers in every Greene County school. Education is very important to our children but their safety is most important while at school and traveling to and from school. I see it as some of our children will be left out in larger classrooms. Three-fourths of the children will be left out of sports, activities, etc. Travel time to and from school for some of our children will double, causing a bigger risk for accidents. If the school consolidation is approved, all boards and commission involved put stipulation in agreement that it only be contracted out to local contractors to keep the tax dollars local and will boost economic growth for two to three years. Greene County has many qualified contractors who would be happy to bid on any “estimated” $90 million job. Morrison: I do not support school consolidation or the construction of one comprehensive high school for a variety of reasons. I believe: 1. Community schools better serve our children with much needed individualized instruction; 2. This plan is too expensive and would require a massive tax increase; 3. Greene County is too large an area that would cause transportation issues; 4. More students are engaged in athletics in smaller schools which may keep students from engaging in questionable behaviors or bad decisions; 5. Smaller schools promote greater parent involvement and foster stronger community cohesion. To improve county schools, I would work with the Greene County Board of Education, the County Commission’s Education Committee to develop plans (short, intermediate and long-term) to address: 1. Refurbishing/ renovation of current school foot print. (This would be needed to be done under the current consolidation plan); 2. Greater promotion/visibility/utilization of the Greene Technology Center with core course offerings; 3. Curriculum improvements and course offerings through education partnerships (Walters State, ETSU, Tusculum) utilizing online and co-op options; 4. Development of a long-term benchmark plan to phase in necessary improvements to curriculum, personnel and facilities. Purgason: I understand the importance of education and the impact that it has on our community. The county school system’s budget is $49.3 million. Greene county pays $12.5 million and the State of Tennessee and the federal government pay $36.8 million (approximately). The state and federal dollars are tied to student enrollment. As

the student enrollment numbers decrease, so does the dollar amount that the state and federal government send to our county schools. Therefore, the school board has a looming financial crisis that needs to be dealt with. This consolidation proposal will affect every citizen in Greene County in one way or another. Anything this important should include the voice of the citizens and not be decided by a small group of people. I have faith in the people of Greene County and if given the facts and opportunity they will make the right decision. Therefore I propose it be put on a non-binding referendum for the people to decide. Moore: As I’ve already said, I do not and will not support consolidation of these schools. There is pride, memories and rivalries at all of these schools. A tradition that should continue so your kids and grandkids can cherish for life. Putting these kids together is a mistake and could cause rise up of dominance between the old schools against kids causing fights and maybe worse, a shooting fatality. If all these kids grew up together I’d be for it. But there is a lot of differences that will not mix. Again we have accountability. If this does go through there will be more traffic in the area of the schools. These kids will be forced to be bussed longer times. Kids driving will be forced to drive crowded highways with all these 18 wheelers. If one of these kids has a wreck, he or she could die or become disabled for life. I challenge you to hold these people accountable. This needs to be voted on by the people. Keller: My feeling is that we need more data. We need more discussion. My initial reaction is that we don’t need consolidation. I graduated from West Greene High School in 1994. If they would have told me then that schools were being consolidated I would have been devastated. I loved the community and there was a feeling that you knew everybody. It was home. It would have been tougher making athletic teams at a larger consolidated high school. It would be easier to be forgotten in a larger school. However, I’ve talked to several teachers about the issue and they believe consolidation in some form is a good idea. They believe it will be better for the kids’ education. They believe it will better prepare them for the future. Since this issue will have such a big effect on our future, I believe we need to iron out issues such as where it will be located and what financial impact will be. Once those issues are ironed out, let’s allow the citizens of Greene County to vote on the issue by referendum. The people would decide. Then we will know what we are faced with and how to move forward. Do we move forward building a new school or do we keep the schools we have? Either way, funding will be an ongoing issue as we move forward. But at least the voters would decide, and we can move forward with confidence. Bryan: I certainly appreciate and respect the hard SEE SCHOOLS, PAGE 3

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Saturday, April 7, 2018

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

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Election 2018 Mayor’s Race Responses Continued ... Do you think the county needs to increase pay for EMS personnel? If so, how should the county fund an increase? Jennings: Yes I do. EMS is the only department in our county government that actually makes money! Their projection this year is over $400,000. The way it is now, it goes to general fund and the other departments grab it, then when EMS needs money it’s not there. We have two ambulances we can’t even staff. Why? Because they start out at about 11 cents more per hour than you do at McDonald’s! This county government says we can’t give them a raise in mid stream. I don’t even believe that! They don’t have a problem when they want something like the building behind the annex! But we will talk about a $22,000 raise for the budget director, which is more than a lot of the citizens make per year. Come On. Gregg: Yes. We have trained EMS personnel risking their life to save our life or a loved one. The county as a whole needs to look at pay scales for all first responders, sheriff’s department, EMS, fire department, etc. A lot of our citizens are making more pay, as a store clerk, or fixing a fast food meal than the first responders we count on to save and protect us. We need as a team to search for grants from federal and state levels to fund any and all pay scale adjustments. The grants are out there. We just need to find them. Morrison: Yes, I feel the county should increase pay for EMS. It is well published that Greene County is having tremendous difficulty recruiting and retaining EMS employees because of low wages and an incredible call volume and work schedule. Our EMS workers have done a tremendous job delivering life-saving service to our people. They deserve our praise and respect because what they do is special and very difficult. If so, how should the county fund an increase? In the 201718 Greene County budget, EMS has projected revenues of $4.3 million for fiscal year 2017-18 and expenditures of $3.8 million. This $500,000 has been rolled back onto the General Fund budget for a number of years. This practice created this problem of low/no wage growth, inadequate staffing and lack of equipment replacement. These wage and work schedule pres-

sures have combined to decrease EMS morale and potentially jeopardize emergency response. My recommendation would be to allow EMS to retain this revenue like in past years to be more self-supporting. Purgason: I believe that the EMS personnel work extremely hard for their pay and they should be treated fairly. EMS has been generating revenue for approximately two years. I would work with the Greene County Commission to try to adjust the pay scale to a more comparable level. Moore: This is a subject that I would have to look into. I’ve already had members talk to me about poor leadership, favoritism, people being late to work, showing up late and no one is being held accountable to do their job. If I was to do this it would be treated like all these bus drivers and custodians. Sure they don’t get paid what they are worth. These people save lives — that’s their job. If you ever had a crises you wouldn’t want to die because someone isn’t being paid what they are worth. Same as bus drivers. These people perform every duty in the book: doctor, EMS, bio hazard waste clean up, a sheriff, a detective, a friend, a protector. It goes on and on. But they too are overlooked badly. The only way this is going to change is to try and balance the budget. Cut the fat hard at the top, cut salaries back, get rid of the dead weight riding the horse. All of this will be done under legal terms. And see what we can do to trickle some money down to where it needs to be. Keller: EMS personnel would need to be treated like any other department or employee. First, performance would have to be evaluated. Second, the pay would have to be evaluated. The problem occurs when an employee or department is performing well, and the overall pay and beneﬁts is below the industry standard. According to the EMS evaluation completed in May of 2015, EMS departmental pay was below average for comparable agencies in the area. A current salary survey could be conducted to determine if pay is still below average for the area. If so, efforts need to be made to raise pay to slow turnover and recruit quality

personnel. This EMS evaluation also gave insights on efficient operations. It referenced five “Hallmarks to Ensure High-Performance Emergency Ambulance Service.” Two of those five hallmarks were accounting for all service costs and requiring system features that ensure economic efficiency. Focusing on these two areas could provide increased revenues while lowering expenses at the same time. The additional funds could go to fund pay increases. Pay increases would benefit EMS by lowering turnover, boosting recruitment and raising overall job satisfaction. Bryan: EMS is creating additional revenue beyond its budget. We need to determine the amount of pay increase it would take to help keep current employees and to adequately staff the department. There have been a couple of studies conducted for EMS to present. There needs to be a wage and benefit plan in place for this department so it can be as efficient as possible to take care of its citizens. This should be a high priority for the county. We also need to address additional funding for the volunteer fire departments. Neas: EMS, along with most all Greene Countians, are under paid. Greene County has a median household income of $35,000, which is about $20,000 less than the national average and $10,000 less than the state average. EMS has 800 hours of overtime figured into their pay. However, just increasing hourly wages could result in less pay for the EMS employees overall. Several thousand calls per year are written off, due to lack of insurance or billing errors. I feel we must look into all options of EMS to recoup revenue. I fully support the employees of EMS. Foulks: Let’s be fair to EMS personnel. I don’t want them to feel obligated to keep working if they think the pay is too little. They should be free to take a job elsewhere. Let’s be fair to taxpayers, also. They deserve government efficiency. That means getting more output at the same cost, or getting the same output at a lower cost.

There have been a number of tax and fee increases in the last few years, yet fund balances continue to be used to balance the budget. Address the deficit and under what circumstances you would support another tax or fee increase. Jennings: I will not support another tax increase! We have raised taxes two out of three years, three out of five years, and the taxpayer says the same thing I do. We are in no better shape. So I think it’s time to change the way this county government is being operated! Gregg: My issue on the budget and balance need to be reviewed before I could comment on this issue. Myself, I would not support another fee or tax increase unless we had some kind of major disaster that had to be funded to get Greene County back on track. Morrison: Greene County citizens have endured three tax increases in the last few years. (Two property tax and one wheel tax). I do not see, nor do I support the need for another tax increase at this time. While it is true that the commission has used undesignated/unassigned or non-recurring revenues to balance the budget, that poor practice has largely been stopped. An exception to this practice as of this questionnaire is EMS funding. As mayor, I will work to budget and fund our governmental services within the current budget and not using non-recurring revenues to pay for recurring expenses. In this year’s 2017-18 budget, the county planned for a projected deficit for this year, but the recently released audit shows the county with a small surplus and an adequate fund balance without the need for a tax increase. In the future, I would support a tax or fee increase to address unforeseen emergencies/disasters. Funding of school resource officers in every Greene County school would be an area for consideration after exploring the availability of

SCHOOLS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

work and effort that went into the recommendation from the school board and administration of Greene County Schools. But I cannot support the consolidation of schools until the citizens vote. It will take a major tax increase to build one or two schools. With this type of increase, I think the citizens need to be heard. I recommend a county-wide non-binding referendum. This would be the quickest way to get the issue on the ballot. Greene County citizens must have a voice in this major decision. What is the plan and what are the costs if a new school is not built? What has to be done to create the best learning environment for our students? I have a unique perspective because over the years I have broadcast on the radio from every school in the county. I have seen ﬁrst-

MAYOR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

MOORE Harvey Moore, 58, 85 Terminal St., Mosheim, is currently a business owner and school bus driver for Greene County Schools. He has done a number of jobs during his 42 years of employment, including carpenter work, concrete work, paving roads, grade work and worked at a wood working factory. Moore is currently married and has never held or run for public oﬃce.

KELLER Richard Keller, 42, 7530 McDonald Road, Mowhawk is currently a certified public accountant and has worked at Adams and Plucker CPAs for the last 20 years. During that time,

potential grants or other resources from the state or federal government. Purgason: I would start by making sure that our financial “house is in order.” Are there opportunities to save money in the way the county government purchases goods and services? Are we allocating resources in the most efficient manner? If I have learned one thing in business it is to “watch your pennies because pennies make dollars.” Monthly, recurring costs add up to major costs over the long term. So, we need to make sure we are getting the most bang for our buck. Secondly, once we have made sure that we are spending wisely, we have to make the hard decisions. Do we fund or cut? Is it worthwhile to taxpayers to pay additional taxes or do without services? I would work with the Greene County Commission to ensure that the taxpayers’ dollars are spent wisely. Moore: Before I would agree to any more taxes or fees we need to fix what’s broken inside this county government. We already have a utility company that has showed us they are all in for the money, showing off their profits while we have elderly people on fixed incomes who can’t pay their bills and have to have outside help to keep their power on to stay warm. Do you think they care one bit about these people? No, they care about that almighty dollar to see who can get the biggest bonus. Our county government is working the same way. Everyone at the top has got all the money. Greed will get you in the end. One day we will stand before him and have to answer for selfishness and greed you people carry on your shoulders.

hand how special these schools and outstanding teachers are to the communities. Neas: I do not support the one high school. However, we are losing children every year that causes a decrease in revenue for the Greene County School System. Under the current format, I personally think we cannot keep continuing business as usual. I think some consolidation might have to be done. I am a strong supporter of the Greene Technology Center to educate our children in the technical job ﬁelds that our country needs to ﬁll immediately. I support to increase AP courses to our county high schools to offer as much as the city schools receive. Foulks: I do not support building a new consolidated county high school. I do support education and suggest we make better use of the facilities we already have.

his duties and responsibilities have increased from staﬀ accountant to senior accountant to manager. He also serves as the financial secretary of Fairview Baptist Church and is one of three serving commissioners of the Old Knoxville Highway Utility District. He is currently married and has never run for public oﬃce before.

BRYAN Darrell Bryan, 67, 1211 Christy Court, Greeneville is currently the owner of Bryan Management and is a business consultant in broadcast and media. He previously was the general manager of WSBM radio in Jeﬀerson City, served as operations manager of WMTN/WAZI Radio Morristown, was the business owner and manager of WSMG Radio and the first executive director of the

• Keller: I’ve spent my entire career legally fighting taxes. This my wheelhouse. For 20 years, I’ve helped small businesses and individuals pay the least possible in federal, state and local taxes. I’ve worked with the Internal Revenue Service, Tennessee Department of Revenue and local tax offices. With that said, we are called to “Render unto Caesar.” It is the cost of living in a free society. Taxes are needed to provide the services of the government to the taxpayers. Not only services, but the infrastructure needed to grow and maintain a productive society. However, it must be done in a responsible way. It must be done in a fiscally responsible way That’s why one of my main areas of focus is fiscal responsibility. Fiscal responsibility is the assurance to taxpayers that we will: • Judiciously spend, earn, and generate funds without placing an undue hardship on them. • Have transparency in facts and figures. • Have money set aside for emergencies. • Balance budgets without pulling money from the fund balance. • Maintain prudent levels of debt. • Look at user fees in areas to avoid burdening all taxpayers. • Put money aside for future infrastructure improvements and repairs. • Set long-term fiscal objectives. Only when we are being fiscally responsible and still unable to provide for needed services without dipping into the fund balance should we consider a tax increase. Bryan: It is imperative that we not use our fund balance each year to balance our budget. I would want to review

every department and every budget to see if there are any funds that can be reallocated. It appears that all of the departments are doing a good job of watching their budget. But my question is does the county have a plan on how to move forward? What are our financial needs? What are our plans, goals and solutions? We have to do better than living from budget to budget without a plan. With the above in mind, I feel my experience in building businesses, cutting a government budget and starting a not-for-profit business gives me the ability to serve the citizens of Greene County on day one. As your Greene County mayor, I will bring all of the departments together for a comprehensive work session to map out a plan for the future. Working together, we can make Greene County better! Neas: No one likes taxes or wants to pay more taxes, but the citizens of Greene County that I represent now as a commissioner want higher pay for EMS, more funding for the volunteer fire departments, more school SROs to protect our children, more hours to the convention centers, and a better animal control; when you provide more services along with state mandates, taxes will increase, unless you provide a growing economy that offsets the cost. I am for providing services to the citizens of Greene County that they desire at the cheapest tax rate in the most efficient way. Foulks: An increased county budget, to a large extent, is dictated by Nashville. County government employees thank Nashville for helping them. However, taxpayers are not helped by such pressure and they are rightfully upset by increases in taxes and fees. A county budget deficit means someone is not acting fairly

Describe your vision for the mayor’s office and how you would serve as the county’s leader. Jennings: I’ll be voted in by the people, for the people! The mayor needs to let the people have a voice. I will listen to the people just as I have as commissioner! I will have open forum meetings, listen to the citizens concerns and suggestions, like the ones I’ve had and the one I had on March 17 at 4 p.m. at Crescent School! I also think these positions are paying entirely too much! I plan to give some of my pay back to the citizens, not the government! I also want to make our convenient centers convenient again. Gregg: The mayor’s office is the most important office in the county government. The mayor serves as the leader, financial advisor and director/advisor for our county government. As the county’s leader, I would have an open door policy for all citizens inside our great county. I would start community get-togethers and meetings with local citizens in the county at local community centers or volunteer fire departments on a rotating schedule to get the citizens’ comments or concerns. Bring the comments and concerns back to the County Commission. All elected officials need to listen to all citizens, not just the districts they are elected in. All our citizens are the voice of Greene County and as leaders, we need to listen. Without our citizens, we have no county. All Greene County citizens are paving the way to make the county better. Morrison: The mayor is the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer of the county. My vision and first priority is to use my extensive leadership and management experience from my years as an: Army commander, successful

Niswonger Performing Arts Center. During his time in business, Bryan was the sports voice for all Greene County high schools, Walters State Community College and Tusculum College; hosted WSMG School Night; was the chairman of Greene County Fall Fest for 10 years; past president of the Greene County Chamber of Commerce, initiated the farm program “Greene County Agriculture Today” and received the Robert C. Austin Distinguished Service Award. He previously served as a Greeneville alderman for two terms, where he became chairman of the Budget Committee, and served as the mayor of Greeneville for three terms. He made a failed bid for reelection to the town’s mayor post in 2008. He is currently married.

NEAS Zackery T. Neas, 46, of 5 Afton Road, Afton, is currently the owner of Aluminum & Vinyl Exteriors. He is also an employee and board member of AKM of Greeneville. He previously worked at Adams Tobacco Warehouse, CE Minerals, the Greene County Property Assessor’s Oﬃce and in aluminum and vinyl sales. Neas is an HRC committee member for D & S of Greeneville and a member of Union Chapel Free Will Baptist Church. He graduated from Chuckey-Doak High School in 1990 and received a certificate from the Center of Technology and attended Walters State Community College in 1993. Neas previously ran for county clerk in 2002 and 2006. He was elected to the county commission in

business manager in multiple fortune 500 companies, and former county government leader to work tirelessly and cooperatively with Greeneville, Baileyton, Tusculum and Mosheim to promote Greene County as a great place for business, industry, restaurants and retail. My plan involves creating an economic understanding and cooperation council within county government. This county government council would consist of: The county mayor, five to seven county commissioners highly interested in bringing jobs and recruiting business, the county’s finance leaders (trustee, budget director), and one to three area business leaders. The mission of this council would be: 1. Facilitate county commission understanding of how economic recruitment works and its importance; 2. Importance and adjustment of county government economic development funding; 3. Cooperation with Greeneville and all municipalities to promote our area to business and industry; 4. Recommend ideas, expedite governmental contact with interested business/industry, and removal of (red tape) processes adversely affecting recruitment; 5. Study and recommend tax abatement/PILOT programs as incentive recruitment tools; 6. Facilitate cooperation, understanding, and financial assistance with the Greene County Partnership; 7. Educate and foster a welcoming “Jobs First/Business Friendly” government and community. Purgason: I will take a proactive approach to business recruitment and economic development. I will work to unify the county commission behind a common set of goals and a common direction for Greene County. It SEE VISION, PAGE 4

2014. He serves on the animal control, building, law enforcement, education, property sales, road and highway, and long range planning committees. He is also chairman of the board of appeals and the zoning committee.

FOULKS David Foulks, 68, 271 Dogwalk Road, Afton, is currently a retired propri-

etor of Chuckey Construction Company and works as a pastor of Golden Gate Church in Greeneville and Bethel Assembly in Morristown. He was born and raised in Greene County and graduated from North Greene High School. Foulks has been married for 48 years and has four children and 10 grandchildren. He has never run for or held public oﬃce.

Penney Barnard FOR

CIRCUIT COURT CLERK

OVER 21 YEARS EXPERIENCE WITH LAST 5 ½ YEARS AS CHIEF DEPUTY CLERK

Paid for by Candidate, Carla Bailey Treasurer

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The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

Wesley Holt

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Saturday, April 7, 2018

Paul Kilday

Sheriff Pat Hankins

Danny Greene

Drugs, SROs Key Questions In Sheriff Race BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER There will be four Republicans — Vincent Tweed, Wesley Holt, Paul Kilday and Danny Greene — competing in the May primary for the Greene County sheriﬀ’s race. The winner will take on incumbent Sheriﬀ Pat Hankins in the August general election. The five candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

HANKINS Pat Hankins, 56, of 335 Cimarron Trail, Afton, was elected county sheriff in 2014. He has 31 years of service with the Greeneville Police Department. He is a graduate of Donaldson Police Academy and was the first Greene County sheriff to graduate from the National Sheriff’s Association Sheriff’s Institute in Aurora, Colorado. Hankins is also the owner/ operator of the Old Stage Wash House Laundry and spent two years as the president of the Tennessee Coin Laundry Association. He is also the owner/manager of Fairfield Estates Apartments and rentals and is a lifelong farmer and member of the Greene County Livestock Association. He is married and has two children.

TWEED Vincent Tweed, 55, 806 Windwood Drive, Greeneville, is currently a detective lieutenant for the Greene County Sheriﬀ’s Department. Before that, he did keypunch/data entry for Dr. Ben Parrish, did tobacco farming, was a stock clerk manager for White Stores, worked as a jailer at the Greene County Jail and worked up to become second in charge. While working at the jail, he worked as a sheriﬀ’s department dispatcher and with GSA/United States Marshal Service transport and courthouse security in federal court. He was promoted to patrol deputy in 1993 and then

promoted to detective sergeant in 1998 then detective lieutenant in 2013. He has been married for 30 years. He has not run for public oﬃce before.

HOLT Wesley Holt, 49, 535 Ostrich Road, Greeneville, is currently the administrative captain at the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. He has worked at the sheriff’s department for 28 years after starting his career at the jail as a corrections officer in 1989. He moved to the patrol division in 1993 and was promoted to sergeant, lieutenant and then administrative captain. He also serves as network coordinator for Upper East Tennessee with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office. He graduated from South Greene High School in 1987 and then Walters State Community College in 1989 with an associate’s degree in criminal justice. He is married and has not run for public office before.

KILDAY Paul Kilday, 43, 1223 Eastview Lane, Greeneville, is currently a Tennessee state trooper. He has served as a state trooper for the last 10 years. Before that, he was a project coordinator for E.S. Dockery in Gray. He is married, and this is first time running for public oﬃce.

GREENE Danny Greene, 56, 285 Gray Road, Greeneville, is currently the chief of police for the Tusculum Police Department. He is also an adjunct instructor for East Tennessee Basic Police Recruit School and serves as the Tusculum City Court Clerk. Before that he was a deputy with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, a member of the SWAT team and a master patrolman. Greene also serves as a guest instructor/speaker for the Governor’s Highway Traffic Safety Office, the Wartburg Police Department, the Cocke County Sheriff’s Department, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department, the 8th Judicial Drug Task Force Seminar and the Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department. He is married and previously ran for sheriff in 2014.

Why are you running for this office? Hankins: It has always been my dream to become sheriff and my election in 2014 was a dream come true. I want to continue the progress that we have made in Greene County. Since my election, several great programs have been started in the workhouse geared towards helping inmates earn their GEDs, learn skills re-entering the workforce, and match inmates with good companies that are willing to give a second chance that can change a life. I see this as vital to stopping the revolving door of prison recidivism (returning to jail over and over). Having launched these programs and others, I want to see them through and insure success with them. Our Careers Pathways Program has been successful to the point that other agencies are copying our program, and we are a model for other institutions. I also take great pride in the fact that both the jail and the workhouse have remained certified by the Tennessee Correctional Institute for the last four years and have had no findings during our last inspections. This is something that has not happened in many years. I want to make sure we maintain these facilities so that Greene County isn’t burdened as it has been in the past, with the threat of force to build additional facilities. Tweed: I am seeking the office of sheriff because I believe that Greene County deserves someone who will serve them fairly, openly and with consistency. I have the tools and leadership skills needed to effectively manage the department. I have worked for four sheriffs over the years and I know what works and what doesn’t. I have a good overall understanding how the sheriff’s department operates. I started as a jailer, supervisor, dispatcher, patrolman and detective. I have had to work within budgets over the years. I had to investigate and help prosecute complex criminal court cases. I understand the demands and responsibilities that a sheriff must do to be effective. Holt: I am running for Greene County sheriff because I want to serve the citizens of Greene County. I have spent my life serving in multiple capacities. I am a lifelong member of the Mt. Olivet Church of Christ. I have spent 30 years as a volunteer with the St. James Volunteer Fire Department and 19 years with the Greeneville Emergency & Rescue Squad. For the past 21 years, I have worked as a part-time employee with Greene County 911. This shows my dedication of service to Greene County. I also want to make Greene County a safe place to live and work. I want my family and all citizens to feel safe in this county. Kilday: I was approached by the deputies from the sheriff’s department and asked if I would consider running for sheriff because they saw qualities in me that would serve my community well. After developing a plan that will benefit our entire county I agreed to run. Greene: I am seeking the office of sheriff to bring positive leadership to the department. A department that provides police services to every citizen, regardless of social status, sex or color in our unique county. I want to bring a change in the “department culture” to ensure a progressive, citizen-oriented, constitutional-based, policy-driven police force. The culture within the department is a direct result of the leadership. I am an advocate for training, so officers and support staff have the necessary training to do their job efficiently. Through leadership, I will focus on attitude, appearance, conduct, knowledge and professionalism, all which lead to the public having confidence in their sheriff’s department.

What do you see as the priorities for law enforcement in terms of public protection over the next four years? How would you reduce crime? Hankins: By implementing the use of new technology, we have begun bringing the Greene County Sheriff’s Department into the 21st century and have been able to tie in with the Greeneville Police Department and other surrounding agencies. This allows our department to work hand in hand with multiple departments. By sharing information through this new software, our officers are better equipped to deal with crimes happening in our area. I want to continue the implementation of this program as it allows my officers to be out and on patrol, being more visible and accessible to the citizens. This is a huge deterrent for crime and a boost to relationship building with the community. Another area I would like to expand is the K-9 program. In the last four months, one K-9 officer has seized 1.14 pounds of methamphetamine, $11,000 in cash and has helped with a multitude of arrests. Our other K-9 officers have been just as busy and have helped with multiple arrests and drug seizures. K-9 Officer Sig is a special dog we use to counter the introduction of drugs into our facilities. My goal is to add another K-9 officer to the department. This is like adding an extra officer on patrol at a fraction of the cost and adding a skill set that is extremely effective. We have been so successful with our K-9 program and I want to see it grow and continue. Tweed: Our number one priority is and always will be the protection of the citizens of Greene County. The drug problem, though not a new problem, is a priority. The protection of property is another priority (and in most in-

Election 2018 Mayoral Race Responses Continued ...

VISION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

is important that we work in unison with the Town of Greeneville, Mosheim, Baileyton and Tusculum, for the betterment of our entire county. Hard work, honesty and integrity should be expected of everyone. My vision for Greene County is to ensure that Greene County is the best place to live, work and raise a family. Moore: First of all I want to meet with all the top heads of the different branches of our county government at one meeting. I want to lay out what we need to do to balance a budget. I will let everyone know money is going to be tight until we fix the problems that exist inside the government. I’m going to hold everyone accountable to help do their part. I want to see all county employees treated the same. I want these bus drivers to have more money and benefits and be able to draw some kind of check through the summer months, whether it be unemployment or take so much out through the year. I want the board of education to put the board back in these schools. Stiffer policies and punishment. And zero tolerance on any death threats to any child or school-related employees. There is no room for negotiations. Anyone who does not follow protocol on this needs to be dismissed immediately. These are our kids and grandkids lives’ we are dealing with. No more sweeping things under the rug and keeping it quiet. I want to bring jobs into our county. I want our roads to get attention. No more pot hole patrols. If you fix it right the first time, you won’t have to do it again in six months. Too much money being wasted there. Keller: My vision for the mayor’s office is one of accomplishment. Accomplishing worthwhile things for the county during my term would be the goal of the office. Worthy goals of the office would center around growth, fiscal responsibility and quality of life. They would be

accomplished through courage, being proactive, and determination. Courage to do the best thing for the county. Proactive to stay ahead, not settling for status quo. Determination to work hard daily completing tasks that give taxpayers their money’s worth. These successful days will turn into months, weeks and years, which will lead to a successful term. During my term, I would serve as the county’s leader with honor. Serving with honor would be fulfilled through courtesy, enthusiasm and respect. Courtesy to the citizens that put me in office would be a given by observing the Golden Rule. Enthusiasm in representing the county at various functions. My family and I are ready and excited to take on this role for the county. Respect in serving because I do have the education, certification and skills to do the job effectively. Bryan: My vision would be that we would have new industries and retail, better schools and SROs in each of the schools; better communication, even better relationships with Baileyton, Greeneville, Mosheim and Tusculum governments. We would have received grants to help the county in several areas. We would have even better cooperation and communication within our own Greene County offices and our entire community. I will serve as the county’s leader by listening to the citizens of this county and by working closely with our county staff. Neas: Better educated job ready workforce, 20-year road plan, increase median household income for all working Greene Countians, inconvenience centers back to convenience centers, affordable family entertainment, litter-free highways and reduce government regulations. Foulks: The mayor’s office exerts considerable influence on the size and scope of county government and its effect on taxpayers. As mayor, I would champion the prosperity of taxpayers.

stances is proportionately related to the drug problem). I would like to reinstate a Warrants Division to help target the drug problem as well as serving warrants. I want to work with the Drug Task Force and other agencies to combat this problem. To accomplish this, I also believe that the sheriff’s department and the community have to work together. Although Community Watch programs have been around a while, I would like to see the officers in the department and members in the communities working in tandem — people in the community know who comes and goes, who looks out of place, where the drug houses and dealers are and they should feel comfortable sharing information with the officers. Holt: The number one priority for law enforcement in terms of public protection should be our future, which is our children. I want the children and the citizens of the county to feel safe in their homes, schools and communities. Another priority is for the deputies of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department to patrol our county. However, our officers cannot be everywhere in a county that is 624 square miles. That is why I want to start more Community Crime Watch groups in our county. This will give the deputies more “eyes and ears” to combat crimes in the communities. Another priority is community relations between our officers and our citizens. Working together, we can deter and maybe prevent such things as fraud and scams against our citizens, especially our elderly. We need to educate SEE PRIORITIES, PAGE 5

A brief additional statement, if desired: Jennings: I just think it’s time to turn this great Greene County back to the rightful owners, the citizens and taxpayers. So let’s all work together and make Greene County Great Again. Gregg: Greene County has many issues. Economic growth, large and small businesses, opioids, taxes and finance, the school consolidation and many more. We will also face many more issues in our future. As a team, we the citizens can make it ourselves a better Greene County for us, our children and grandchildren. Along with their or our families in the future. Together, we as a team can make the county better. There is no “I” in team! Born and raised inside Greene County, my plans are to live inside this great county my whole life. I would like to thank my wife and family, friends and all the citizens for all their support as I take my journey for the office of Greene County mayor. Morrison: I am 100 percent committed to listening and working cooperatively with all of our leaders and citizens to: 1. Making economic development and the recruitment of business, industry, restaurants, and retail to our County priority number one. 2. Keeping taxes low and affordable; 3. Improving education through curriculum offerings and infrastructure planning; 4. Supporting and helping law enforcement and constables; 5. Assisting our VFDs and Rescue Squad with recruiting incentives, equipment and grants; 6. Improving pay and work load for our EMS; 7. Improving animal services and the care, protection, and policy and procedures for our animals; 8. Taking care of, respecting, and being an exemplary role model to all of our dedicated employees, their families, and you, the taxpayers. I would appreciate your vote and support in the upcoming election. Purgason: I have decided to seek the office of Greene County mayor based on a simple motivation: to ensure that Greene County’s future remains bright. I have no other agenda and I owe no political favors. I simply have a desire to help make my community better. I will draw from my years of business experience to work hard every day for all the people of Greene County. I will be fair, honest

and open about the business of Greene County to you, the taxpayers. I am Brett Purgason, Republican candidate for Greene County Mayor and I am asking for your vote and support in the upcoming Republican primary. Moore: I want to thank everyone for this opportunity to serve you as mayor. Many changes needs to be made, but I can’t do it alone. I need your backing 100 percent. Major issues need to be put on the ballot to get your input. I’m sorry I don’t have signs up at every corner like some I’m doing this on my own. I gave myself $600 to campaign with. I will not go over my budget. I don’t want to buy your vote. I want to earn it honestly. I thank you all. Have a blessed day. Keller: Again, I ask voters to look at the job description for the Greene County mayor. If you were hiring an individual for this job, who would you hire? Who would you hire based on the description and the qualiﬁcations? Look at my education, qualiﬁcations and experience. I believe I give taxpayers and voters the most “bang for their buck.” That is why I am asking for Greene County’s vote during early voting and on May 1. Bryan: During my business career in Greene County I have worked with all the schools in Greene County; helped with numerous community activities, including being chairman of Fall Fest for 10 years; Mosheim and Baileyton celebrations and Tusculum’s Old Oak Festival; Greene County Fair and other major agricultural events. We have great people. I want to be your voice! I ask for your vote and support. Working together, we will make Greene County better. Neas: As mayor, I will strive to improve the quality of life for all Greene Countians and will represent you to the best of my ability, and I would greatly appreciate your vote. Foulks: I don’t expect to get any votes from government employees or their families. Nor will I get many votes from ordinary taxpayers, since few of them vote anyway. I just want people to realize that public discussion of the reality of government is the healthy thing to do.

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

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Election 2018 Sheriff’s Race Responses Continued ... Should any changes be made regarding school resource officers in Greene County Schools? If so, how would you propose funding those changes? Hankins: Yes, changes need to be made regarding School Resource Officers. I have been asking for additional officers from the beginning of my term. SROs are vitally important to insuring the safety of our schools. In today’s world, we never know when or where the next tragedy may take place. We need to do all we can to be prepared, and this program is a huge priority for me. The school board must ask for SROs. The sheriff’s department can then work in partnership with the school system through a Memorandum of Understanding. SROs provide law enforcement and police services to the school, school grounds and surrounding areas. They work to prevent delinquencies, build relationships and establish partnerships with teachers and school staff as well as the student population. The school system receives funding from the state for school safety. These funds should be used to fund the SRO program. I understand a new committee has been formed in the state legislature to look into more funding for SRO programs in school systems. Any remaining funds needed to provide SROs to all schools should come from the county commission. Tweed: Our children are a priority and their safety is no exception. It is my belief that there should be a School Resource Officer in every school. The SRO deputy positions should be in the sheriff’s department budget. We can work with the state, our school system and federal agencies to see if there are reimbursements available either through grants or capital outlay projects. A potential stop-gap measure might be the use of interested retired officers. Holt: Greene County schools need School Resource Officers in each school. We need to protect our children. It is sad to say that we live in a time when we need armed officers in our schools. At this time, the sheriff’s department has four SROs assigned to the four high schools. This leaves the other 13 schools left to share those SROs or to rely on the patrol officers to respond to incidents. Funding an SRO for each school will cost the county over $1 million a

year. There may be federal and state grants that will be handed out, especially after the latest school shooting in Florida, but grants cannot be relied upon. Grants only last for a limited period of time and they are not sustainable. I don’t know of any citizen that would not value a child’s life. Therefore, I believe it would be my duty as sheriff to ask the commissioners to fund SROs in each school. I believe that any money put forth protecting our children is well spent. We cannot afford to sit back and wait on federal or state government money. We have to be proactive when it comes to protecting our children. Kilday: My interstate enforcement plan will bring in enough revenue to hire more deputies and will provide funding for SROs for every county school without the schools paying for it. The protection of our children is our responsibility. Greene: One of the changes to the program I would make is the level of training for the SROs. They should be trained to SWAT team levels for physical endurance and skills with the tools of their trade. The SROs are only a layer in the security for our schools, and we can add to our level of security from law enforcement that cost nothing more than the officers’ commitment to the citizens by having lunch with the students, reading to the students and doing walk-troughs of the schools at various times, plus training for the staff and students on a mindset of safety. The name School Resource Officer should mean that the officer has the ability to be a resource to the school other than being a gun in the hall. They should be able to address the students on a variety of subjects including driver’s license or drug awareness. ... The state of Tennessee must also address this issue with local government and assist in funding school security. A portion of the lottery money has been suggested. On a local level, $5 or more may have to be attached to the wheel tax or collected on each water district’s bill to assist with funding the program and must include other department’s input and cooperation within county government.

What is the most eﬀective means on a local law enforcement level of addressing the opioid and methamphetamine use in Greene County? Hankins: Our district attorney and my office have teamed up with other area law enforcement agencies to make a strong Drug Task Force to combat the drug problems in the 3rd District. Two lawsuits against the drug companies and distributors have already had an effect on the opioid problem. Through continued pressure, I believe we can slow the distribution in our area. Additional K-9 patrols will be valuable to combating trafficking of narcotics across the county. Community policing through local neighborhood watch programs have made communities more involved with what should and should not be happening in their neighborhoods. The Careers Pathways program that most people know as the DTR program is providing a way to train willing participants with skills needed to become productive citizens with the ability to pay back what they owe in restitution, fees, and fines. While at the same time, earning a job that they may keep after they are released. Having a job is a big step in breaking the drug cycle and reducing the number of repeat offenders for drugs. Tweed: The most effective means of local law enforcement would be to continue to support our 3rd Judicial Drug task members and counties to better combat our ongoing drug problems. We can continue to enforce the laws and arrest the drug dealers, the producers/growers, the distributors and the users. We should have programs in place that educate the public and users to the dangers of prescription and illicit drug use. Locally we can reach out to the DEA, ATF and other agencies to team up with them to come up with new solutions to these problems. We can attach local officers to assist and work with the agencies to try to cut off the bigger sources of these drugs. Attaching the officers can also bring a percentage of confiscated property and/or money from the drug dealers to our county coffers/general fund or drug fund. Holt: The most effective way to address our county’s drug problem is to add more officers to our drug task force. In the past, the sheriff’s department had officers assigned to the warrants division. This group of officers was dedicated to serving warrants, assisting our drug task force, and working with our detectives. Drugs and crime go hand-in-hand. Drug users commit crimes to support their habits. The sheriff’s department holds approximately 3,700 active warrants. Officers assigned to a warrant division can seek out those individuals and at the same time, because they do go hand-in-hand, find drugs. Another way to address the drug problem is through rehabilitation. It is the sheriff’s job to operate the jail and house prisoners. As sheriff, I would like to look into alternative forms of sentencing which includes man-

datory rehabilitation programs. We have to work together with counselors, clergy and families to overcome this epidemic that plagues our county. This drug problem did not start overnight and it will not end overnight. It will take years for our county to recover from this problem. We have to start out with our children to educate them about the effects of drugs. I would like to see a drug education program taught in our schools again. This program’s goal would be to educate our young people about the effects of drugs and alcohol on their lives along with decision making and consequences. Kilday: We have to be proactive and investigate complaints by citizens. Calls are being made to the sheriff’s department while there is a lack of deputies to respond. This is a problem that must be addressed. By increasing the number of deputies on patrol, we will be able to decrease response times and better serve the citizens of Greene County. This can be achieved without increasing taxes. Our citizens know who the drug dealers are, so a tip line will be available for them to call. Anonymous tips may be left on this line, where it is then up to the sheriff’s department to investigate and build cases. We have to pressure these drug dealers to leave our county, but we can’t do that until we hire more deputies. Greene: Four years ago when running for this office the focus was synthetic drugs and the sale of ephedrine to make methamphetamine. The synthetic drugs were being sold in convenience stores and mail order from overseas. Medication containing ephedrine was sold as over the counter. State legislators stepped up and banned the sale of synthetic drugs from being sold in any form and placed ephedrine medications behind the counter. A database was created and maintained. These efforts were beyond the scope of daily law enforcement but made a noticeable impact. The synthetic drugs have all but gone away, and our local meth labs, including one pot methods, have all but stopped. Law enforcement will continue to aggressively enforce our drug laws but other efforts must be made. This will take dialogue and accountability from the medical community and from medical regulatory agencies to create databases that track prescriptions and users alike. Consider the amount of physicians, dentists, physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners that can issue prescriptions for pain medication in Greene County. It is staggering to think law enforcement or the members of the judicial system have ever had, to my knowledge, conversations between all of us. We must communicate better. Citizens must provide information as to the criminal activity in their community and we must follow up when given information. It can only be done through our interactions and partnership with the community.

Do you have any new proposed policies relating to the administration of law enforcement, or generating revenue for the county? Hankins: I believe my office is not a revenue generating department. The purpose of the sheriff’s department is to “protect and serve” the citizens of this county. I feel strongly about this mission to the point that since taking office, all cars have had this promise posted on the side of the vehicle. Through my office I manage eight budgets. It is important that a sheriff be a conservative money manager. I feel I have been fiscally responsible with all funds budgeted to my department. I have found other funding sources to supplement my budget to fund purchases of software and equipment. Greater utilization of the government surplus program as well as grant funding has allowed me to maintain my budget. I have never gone over in my budget and have returned excess money to the general fund each year of my service. I plan to continue seeking other ways to supplement funds to maintain our spending and not place additional demands on taxpayers. The biggest savings of funds took place 26 days after I was elected. Our jail was in danger of decertification and under a plan of action. When I took office, a planned $60 million jail was looming. Through the hard work of newly placed administrators and supervisors who were instrumental in obtaining re-certification for the jail, we were able to pull our facilities out of harm’s way, re-establishing proper management to both buildings. By continuing this practice, I see this as a tremendous savings to this county. Tweed: The purpose of the sheriff is to enforce the laws and put down disorder, to protect and serve the citizens of Greene County, and manage a multi-million dollar budget and resources to effectively and efficiently operate the department. Revenue is generated for the county in the from of serving warrants of which there is a back log. By reinstating the Warrants Division, those warrants can be served and additional funds added to the county coffers. In addition to serving warrants, the division would also be available to assist in operations against the drug problem — leading to not only arrests but confiscated property seized during the arrest. After the adjudication of the case, the property in most instances can be sold, thus generating another source of funds. I would establish clear, concise, and defined policies and procedures that will help protect Greene County and our deputies that will be enforced consistently and fairly. I will review and evaluate programs and operational procedures that are in place and make adjustments if necessary. • Holt: My proposed policies regarding the administration of law enforcement are to value integrity and professionalism. As sheriff, all of the deputies in my department would be held to this high standard. I will not tolerate “bad apples.” We live in a time that law enforcement is at the center of a media feeding frenzy. The media seems to thrive on making law enforcement officers look bad to the public. I want my employees to love their jobs and to enjoy serving the citizens of our county. As far as generating revenue for the county, by statute, the sheriff’s department cannot be a fee office. Revenue is generated by the issuance of citations, housing prisoners and through grants. However, the sheriff’s department’s primary jobs are to meet the needs of the courts, operate the jail, serve civil processes, and work on rehabilitating inmates. As sheriff, I will work to save revenue and manage my budget with accountability. This will lessen the burden on taxpayers. I will help the county’s general fund by seeking out grants, utilizing the department’s resources efficiently, conducting drug enforcement and using seized assets to purchase equipment. Kilday: My interstate enforcement plan will generate approximately $5 million for our general fund and reduce fatalities in Greene County. It will also give us access to search these vehicles who may be hauling drugs into our county. Greene: Department policies and procedures will reflect the department’s core values and priorities while providing clear direction to ensure that the officers lawfully, effectively and ethically carry out their responsibilities. Every officer must know what is expected of them and department policies give them that direction. Policies will be updated and corrected according to relevant case laws, police law suits and the need for officer accountability. Policies that must be reviewed will include: documentation policy for officers’ daily duties and reports, responding to school incidents, pursuit policy, use of force policy, handcuffing policy, in-car and body worn camera policy. We will check or write policies concerning the handling of juvenile crimes, crimes of sexual assaults or administering medication for overdoses victims. Every law enforcement agency is unique in their operation and structure. Today’s environment requires each agency develop and maintain sound and proper procedures. By the use of effective policies we can reduce the amount of liability generated from the department which will save money from lawsuits. We will seek to find grants to help offset departmental cost. Our department will not be used to generate additional funds for the county, but we will be good stewards of the monies we are entrusted with.

PRIORITIES CONTINUED FROM 4

the public about this type of criminal activity. Community meetings should be held to create discussion between citizens and law enforcement to talk over what is occurring in our neighborhoods. Kilday: To rid Greene County of the drug epidemic and the crime associated with this problem. I have coordinated a plan with judges, law enforcement officers and attorneys to address these issues. Greene: 1. The first priority for any law enforcement agency is the preservation and the quality of life, whether it’s an immediate protection from a selfish suicidal shooter, or a violent encounter among partners or family members, or a drug overdose. Preventing and stopping drugged and drunk driving. Protection of life is also preserving the gift of innocence from a sexual predator or stalker or stopping human trafficking. Quality of life is impacted by those who are unable to be productive citizens and hide their lives behind drugs and drug activities, whether it’s the supplier, middleman or a user. 2. Property and Identity crimes. Criminal activities lead to those in our community being unable to be a part of the work force that drives the economy and advancement of the community. So they turn to illegal activities such as thefts, burglaries and fraud. 3. Ensure the freedoms that are given to us by the Constitution. That these freedoms are not infringed upon by events that are often misrepresented by persons or organizations with political agendas that would have us give up our freedoms for the illusion of safety. 4. The department’s employees are its greatest assets. We must work to ensure a competitive wage and provide the technology and tools for them to do their job and do it well. To help reduce crimes it is important that the community partners with the department and that the department responds to the information given to us.

Darrell

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The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Road Superintendent Race A Rematch Of 2014 Why are you running for this office? Weems: I am the current road superintendent and since being elected in 2006 I have fulfilled my commitment to serve the people of Greene County. I enjoy my job maintaining roads for Greene County and I take that role very serious. I enjoy the challenging aspects of the job and I understand what it takes to make good quality roads. I have over 32 years paving experience and I enjoy it. Swatsell: I feel a deep calling to serve as the road superintendent for Greene County. I have no other motive than to serve the citizens in that capacity. I understand completely that “to whom much is given, much is required,” and I have been blessed with a career that has given me an education, knowledge and experience that is specific to the realm of road work. I desire to use those gifts to better our county. These are the roads that my friends, family and fellow Greene Countians travel, and my knowledge base and experience will make them better. I am also running because I have a sincere desire for the betterment of humankind. I am dedicated to the roads of Greene County and the citizens that travel them, but I will also be dedicated to the employees of the Greene County Highway Department. No business or entity is any better than the employees that operate it. We will work together in a respectful manner to inhabit an enjoyable and productive workplace. Lastly, I look forward to approaching the general operations of the Greene County Highway Department with a fresh perspective while still utilizing the tried-and-true methods that will offer an opportunity at taking our county highways to the next level!

Road Supt. David Weems

Kevin Swatsell

BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER The contest for Greene County Road Superintendent is a rematch from the last election for the position in 2014. Current incumbent David Weems will square oﬀ against Kevin Swatsell in the Republican primary. No Democrat is running. The two candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

WEEMS David Weems, 52, Brian Circle, Afton, is the current road superintendent and has held that position since he was first elected in 2006. Before that, he worked for Weems Excavating & Paving for 20 years. He is a graduate of North SEE REMATCH ON PAGE 7

If elected, how would you prioritize road projects? Weems: Prioritizing roads is a multi-step process: First, I would analyze the road conditions twice a year, late winter and late summer, alongside my supervisors. I take into consideration the public’s opinion, my employees’ observations during their commute to the job site, trafﬁc volume and any safety issues. Swatsell: Road projects will be prioritized based on need. First and foremost, safety is the number one concern. There is no greater need than the safety of the public, and it is the number one identiﬁer when prioritizing road projects. In line with safety, I intend to evaluate some of the dangerous structures (bridges, etc.) and dangerous sections of roadway in Greene County. I plan to research changes that could be implemented to improve safety. Secondly, road surface condition is also a major concern. There are many roads throughout our county that need attention, and I will provide that attention. Travelers of Greene County highways should not have to be concerned about road surfaces damaging their automobiles. Lastly, and among other things, right of way maintenance is also a priority. Roadsides should not grow up and interfere with the driving public or hinder visibility at intersections. Again, safety is the most important factor in establishing these priorities.

What do you consider to be a road superintendent’s most important responsibilities? Weems: I believe the road superintendent must be dedicated to respond in situations that require long hours of work during inclement weather conditions. This is the most important part of serving the citizens of Greene County. Road conditions change quickly, and being organized to respond is important for the safety of our citizens. Another important factor as my role of road superintendent is to create and manage a budget while supervising approximately 70 employees. Swatsell: A county road superintendent is, by deﬁnition of Tennessee Statute, the Chief Administrative Ofﬁcer of a county highway department. The most important responsibility of a county road superintendent is to provide the absolute highest level of leadership possible. That leadership should be excellent in all aspects of his/ her administration. Who is responsible for the quality of road work provided to the county? Who is responsible for equipment upkeep and operation? Who is responsible for the safety factors of roadways and bridges? Who is responsible for employee relations? Who is responsible for departmental budgeting? Although a good leader will utilize appropriate delegation, all of the above responsibility belongs to the county highway superintendent. Because of the vast amount of duties and tasks associated with the operation of a county highway department, the most important responsibility is impeccable leadership.

If elected, what will be your main focus the next four years? Weems: To continue to pave and improve the roads while maintaining the signs, bridges and rights of way of the county roads. I will continue to equally spread asphalt throughout Greene County to the best of my budgeting ability. Swatsell: My main focus for the coming four years will be improving the quality of Greene County roadways. I will implement my experience, education and work ethic in making this goal a reality. The roadways of our county will be a source of pride for our citizens. In addition, Greene County has an awesome asset in its employees. There are a number of hard working, qualiﬁed and experienced personnel that will contribute to the success of the county highway department. I look forward to serving with and leading them into a new era for Greene County roadways. Together, we can make an awesome difference. Again, my main focus will be improving the roads of Greene County by utilizing experience, education and work ethic combined with a positive leadership atmosphere within the ranks of the highway department.

A brief additional statement, if desired. Weems: It has been my pleasure to serve the people of Greene County and my desire is to continue in this position. Here are a few examples of how I have decreased expenses and improved the efﬁciency of the Highway Department. Right of way mowing was previously done with eight tractors with mowers and eight operators. I replaced this equipment with four different types and sizes to do the same job with fewer operators reducing the cost of mowing, thus saving fuel and using the remaining employees for other road projects. Base stabilization on the bad chipped sealed road we now do with a process called full depth reclamation with cement which reduces cost 65 to 70 percent compared to the traditional method of making these repairs. Replacing 30-year-old equipment reduced the parts budget, thus an increase in proﬁciency of road work. }The asphalt plant began operation in May 2012 and has produced 258,000 tons of asphalt which has allowed us to pave 228 miles of road. Bids received by municipalities and neighboring counties from private suppliers are approximately $30 per ton higher than our production cost per ton. Purchasing asphalt from a private supplier versus producing our own would cost us an additional $7.7 million. Let’s keep the Greene County asphalt plant churning. Just remember that the work done at the Greene County Highway Department is where the rubber meets the road. I would greatly appreciate your support and vote in the May 1 Republican Primary.

SEE STATEMENT, PAGE 7

What experience and personal strengths will you bring to this oﬃce? Weems: My experience with roads extends over a stretch of 32 years. I worked at a private paving company for 20 years, supervising, building roads, paving, excavating and estimating jobs. I have managed and supervised many paving jobs throughout the county prior to becoming Greene County road superintendent. For the last 12 years, I have held the title of Greene County road superintendent. My college education and business experience both allow me to be successful in the budgeting process of the Greene County Highway Department. Education is important to me and I have attended many paving and safety courses (FEMA/TEMA) as well as encouraging my employees to do the same. Dedication is my personal strength, serving and doing the job as road superintendent to its fullest potential is what I bring to this ofﬁce SEE EXPERIENCE, PAGE 7

Election 2018 Sheriff’s Race Responses Continued ... A brief additional statement, if desired: Hankins: In closing, I would like to say how very grateful I am to have had the opportunity to serve you, the citizens of Greene County. I hope that you will help me continue the progress we have begun by voting on Aug. 2. Tweed: If elected, I will perform the duties of sheriff as set out by law — establishing law and order and put down any disturbance or breach of peace while upholding the United States of America and Tennessee constitutions. I will execute those duties while protecting the rights of all the citizens of Greene County. I will maximize utilization of allocated resources for a more productive sheriff’s department. I will establish clear, concise and defined policies and procedures that will help protect Greene County and our deputies that will be enforced consistently and fairly. I will review and evaluate programs and operational procedures that are in place and make adjustments if necessary. I will evaluate the existing multi-million dollar sheriff’s office budget to see if there is any savings that can be gained while maintaining same or greater service for the people. I believe that is is very important to have a school resource officer at every school.

Evaluate what surplus military equipment we purchase or allocate that can’t be put to good use by the sheriff’s department. If there are other county offices that have a need for lift trailers, dump trucks, etc., they can purchase or allocate them. I would like to thank all the kind citizens for your kind words of encouragement and wisdom. I have met new and old friends along the way. I feel privileged and honored to be able to run for Greene County sheriff. I hope we can make you proud of what we accomplish together. I would appreciate your vote and support. Holt: As a longtime employee of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, I feel that I am qualified to serve as your sheriff. A lot has changed over the past 28 years, and it has not always been for the good. I want to see our county thrive and prosper, but that cannot happen without safe neighborhoods. I want to protect the citizens of Greene County with integrity and professionalism. I want to make our citizens and officers proud of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. I will continue to work hard for the citizens of this county just like I have for you the last 28 years of my career. I am proud to call Greene County my home. I certainly would appreciate your vote in the May 1 primary.

Kilday: I am running for sheriff because I am disappointed in the current administration and the lack of action they have shown. This is our county too, and taxpayers have a say in what goes on in our elected ofﬁces. We need a transparent, proactive sheriff with new ideas who is willing to serve the taxpayers, not rule them. My plan will bring in much needed revenue for our county and will hopefully stop the need to raise taxes. By hiring more deputies we will be able to reduce response times by our deputies so they will be on scene sooner and we can do this without taxpayers footing the bill. Greene: Fellow citizens, you can read and understand that today’s law enforcement environment is in constant change and the challenge is to stay up to date in our training and ability to respond to the demands. You are electing a person that will directly impact your life and the lives of those you love for a minimum of four years. This choice should not be made without careful thought, and I believe much prayer. I believe that we together, can make a difference, in the quality of life in our county and I humbly ask for you support and vote in the upcoming primary election on May 1.

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GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

Page 7

2 Candidates Square Oﬀ For Register Of Deeds BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Two Republicans will be vying for the oﬃce of Register of Deeds in the primaries. Longtime incumbent Joy Rader Nunnally will go up against political newcomer Seth Weese. Both candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information

about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

1998. Before that, she was a past business owner for more than 28 years. She is also a personal rental property manager. She is married and seeking another term. She will appear on the ballot as Joy Rader.

RADER

WEESE

Joy Rader Nunnally, 68, E. Allens Bridge Road, Greeneville, has served as the register of deeds since

Seth Weese, 35, 455 Elmer Hayes Road, Mosheim, is currently employed by the Greene County Sher-

Why are you running for this office? Rader: I am excited to be seeking re-election because I enjoy working with my staff and for the citizens of Greene County. The teamwork in this office is what keeps the operation running smoothly, as we work diligently together. We continue to make updates in the Register’s office with technology in our daily tasks. If elected I will continue to make the county registry’s documents efficient and as user friendly and accessible as possible. Weese: Having a heart for public service work, I feel I have more to offer our county. Over the past several years I have developed a desire to serve Greene County in a greater capacity than I currently do.

What do you consider to be the most important task for a register of deeds? Rader: The most important task is to continue to serve the public in a courteous and efficient manner. To be thorough, and accurate with attention to detail. In the office we aim to preserve past records, as well as the present for our county and future generations. It is of high importance that we provide information and record documents in a timely manner since we work so close with the public, attorneys, title companies, Realtors and surveyors, as well as other departments. We file to the state and to the Trustee’s office, so our bookkeeping is crucial to be accurate as well as organized and completed on time. Weese: The most important task for a register of deeds is working within your given budget, while maintaining strong internal controls and still managing the daily duties of the office.

iﬀ’s Department. He has worked in almost every aspect of the Greene County Detention Center during the last 17 years. He currently works as timekeeper for the facility including calculating and managing sentences handed down by the courts. Before that, he worked at Wendy’s Restaurant, eventually working his way up to store manager. He is married and is seeking public oﬃce for the first time.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Greene High schools and received a Bachelor of Science degree with a minor in math and business from Tusculum College. Weems is married.

If elected, what experience and personal strengths will you bring to this oﬃce?

Rader: We have seen a lot of positive changes in this office that we want to continue doing. We are always welcome to changes in our registry data base as improvements become available, and if the budget allows for the updated equipment. In the office we continue to back index old records, making them easier to access on Title Searcher as well as the other offices that are connected to ours. Also, we would like to implement an answering message service for weekends and after office closing, to ensure that the staff can reach the public to aid in their request, if email is not available to them. Weese: I want to be an effective register that is constantly looking for ways to improve the office in efficiency and customer service. Employee morale is a very important topic to me. Building a good working relationship with the department head and the employees I feel is vital for any office to run smoothly.

Rader: I am dedicated to my staff, and the citizens of Greene County. I feel that I possess strong business skills. As a certified public administrator, the trainings and certifications have provided me with tools to lead and be an effective team player as well. It is also through my experience here as the register and continued training that I learn more about workplace environment, goal setting, personnel management, legal issues, state recording laws and proper documentation requirements. I am adaptable to technology and mandated changes. I have a natural ability to use common sense approaches and can communicate with the staff and the public in a professional manner. We often hear compliments from the patrons in the county. Weese: I currently maintain very important documents from the courts of Greene County that affect people’s lives on a daily basis. This is a huge responsibility that I have been given to hold for the past 13 years that I do not take lightly. I feel that my attention to detail, record keeping ability and dependability has prepared me for this important and complex office.

In your opinion, what are the most important qualities for a register of deeds to have?

Rader: To be courteous and professional and a people person. Weese: The most important quality for a register to have is dependability. Being dependable, believe, is the heartbeat of any department head. Paying meticulous attention to detail, knowledge of the job and zeal to be a good leader are all great qualities to have, but they are of no good if a person isn’t dependable on a regular and consistent basis to the ofﬁce he or she holds.

SWATSELL Kevin Swatsell, 55, 315 Snyder Lane, Greeneville, is currently a real estate agent with A Cut Above Real Estate and Auction Company. Before that, he spent most of his professional life working for the Tennessee Department of Transportation in public highway maintenance and

EXPERIENCE CONTINUED FROM 6

Swatsell: I have had the awesome opportunity to serve 30 years in employment with the Tennessee Department of Transportation. It is there that I have experienced nearly every realm of highway construction and maintenance. I have highlighted my experience above, but I will list some of the certiﬁcations and educational endeavors that add to my qualiﬁcation. Under the leadership at the University of Tennessee, I have studied erosion prevention and sediment control. That knowledge is essential for understanding road bed stability. Also from the University of Tennessee, I have studied the ins and outs of guard rail instruction, maintenance and placement. I have also studied with the Federal Highway Administration in areas such as work zone safety and bridge inspection. I spent several years

STATEMENT CONTINUED FROM 6

Swatsell: I am very thankful for the opportunity to run for this ofﬁce. I have met several new friends in this endeavor, and these are friends that will last forever. I also look forward to

Seth Weese

Do you have any speciﬁc changes or improvements you’d want to implement in this oﬃce?

Road Superintendent Race Responses Continued ... REMATCH

A brief additional statement, if desired. Rader: It is a pleasure to serve the citizens of Greeneville and Greene County. Since I am part of the working force, I may not be able to see everyone because of my responsibilities in the office. However, please be on the lookout for me during my campaign, and feel free to ask me any questions, wave hello, as I appreciate the kindness, the votes and support. Vote Joy Radar! I will be running on the ballot as Joy Radar. Weese: The hard work and time that I have put into this campaign is a reflection of the hard work that I will put into the register of deeds office. Already being a county employee, I’ve had the opportunity of completing an internal controls class for county government and a register of deeds overview class through the County Technical Assistance Services (CTAS). I have been very proactive in becoming the next register of deeds here in Greene County. I would appreciate you considering me, to be your new Register of Deeds. Thank you.

construction. He worked in and supervised highway crews along with holding inspector positions in the specific fields of asphalt, concrete and existing structures such as bridges, under/overpasses and cantilever signs. He is married and this will be his second time seeking a public oﬃce.

at TDOT inspecting bridges and other roadway structures. I have studied inspection under the American Concrete Institution. I have also studied field matter extensively with TDOT in areas such as employee relations, communication, performance evaluation and staff development. All of these areas are a major part of an accumulation of knowledge that I have been blessed with. That being said, they are only one part of my being. I have been shaped by several other influences throughout my 55 years. I was taught from an early age the importance and reward of a hard day’s work. Farm life has taught me work ethic as well as instilled a sense of creative ingenuity. I am a blessed man, and I know where my blessings come from. My intention is not to flaunt my relationship with Christ as a political motivator, but I will always do my best to give praise where it is due. My life experiences, both professional and personal, have prepared me for the job of road superintendent, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve and make a difference.

serving the citizens of Greene County and making new friends and acquaintances along the way. I offer you my experience, my education and my willingness in my candidacy. I will be approachable and fair and I can promise you this: I will do my absolute best! I am the man for the job and I am humbly asking for your vote and support. Thank you!

The Greeneville Sun Classiﬁeds! Call (423) 638-4185

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LIVINGSTON Paid for by the Candidate Tim Hybarger, Treasurer

CIRCUIT COURT CLERK

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A Fresh Face to Politics “I love Greene County and want to see it thrive.” • 20 Years experience as CPA in Greene County • Served as Greene County Election Commissioner • Treasurer of Old Knox Water Board • Financial Secretary of Fairview Baptist Church By focusing on Economic Growth and Fiscal Responsibility, we should be able to increase incomes and keep taxes low. Paid for by Richard Keller

Page 8

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

New Candidates Running For Circuit Court Clerk BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER With the retirement of current Circuit Court Clerk Pam Venerable, a new person will take that seat after election season. There are four Republicans running for the oﬃce — Whitney Shelton Collins, Tammy Livingston, Penney Barnard Davis and Christopher Lee Shepard. The four candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

Whitney Shelton Collins

Tammy Livingston

Penney Barnard Davis

Christopher Lee Shepard

bookkeeper 12 years ago. She has also served for the last six years on the Greene County Recovery Court. Collins is married with two children and has never run for public oﬃce before.

ment and then into bookkeeping. She went on to become a sales associate for JCPenny and an administrative assistant at Lawson Chevrolet and later became office manager. She began working for the clerk’s office in 2012. She is married and has never run for public office before.

a stay-at-home mother. She began working at the circuit court clerk’s oﬃce in 1996 and started out as a file clerk. She then worked in Sessions Civil and Sessions Criminal Courts. She was placed in the Criminal Court Division in 2004 and currently works in that division. In 2012, she was appointed to chief deputy clerk. Davis is married and has never sought public oﬃce before.

Greeneville, is currently employed by the Greene County Sheriff’s Department as a certified court security officer, bailiff, fire investigator and auxiliary deputy. He also works for the Greeneville Fire Department, where he sits on the Public Education Committee and developed a class on the legal aspects of arson scene investigations. Before that, Shepard worked for 10 years as a funeral directors assistant at Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home. He is married with two children and has never run or held a public office.

COLLINS Whitney Shelton Collins, 35, 155 Crossover Drive, Greeneville, is currently the bookkeeper for the Greene County Circuit Court. She has been serving the citizens of Greene County in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office since she turned 18. She has served in every position in the office and became the official

LIVINGSTON Tammy Hybarger Livingston, 49, 105 Tom Lawson Road, Mohawk, is currently the deputy clerk at the Circuit Court Clerk’s Oﬃce. Before that, she worked as a cashier at Kmart and a teller at Sovran Bank. She was later promoted in the proofs depart-

DAVIS Penney Barnard Davis, 49, 94 Gaby Circle, Greeneville, is currently the chief deputy Circuit Court clerk. She was previously employed by Hurd Lock from 1988 until 1995 when she became

SHEPARD Christopher Lee Shepard, 47, 1060 Mount Hebron Road,

Why are you running for this oﬃce?

How would you make the oﬃce more eﬃcient given available resources?

Collins: I love my job and I love serving the citizens of Greene County as I have since I was 18 years old. I have worked hard to learn what the demands are so that when this opportunity arose I would be well prepared and able to give back to the community that I cherish so much. Livingston: I have a passion for people and I am passionate in helping people. I want to operate the office in a professional, efficient and courteous manner. There is always room for improvement and I would like to strive to improve the experience of those that use our office, whether it be a taxpayer of Greene County, attorneys, judges or any agency needing our services. Davis: I love what I do, and with the present clerk retiring, I feel that the next clerk needs to be someone with the most experience. Someone who has been there, that knows how and where to look for older cases, and payments of old fines and cost that are not on the computer because of the age. I feel I can keep a professional setting, yet maintain a friendly and helpful environment. Shepard: I am running for circuit court clerk because I see a need for change. A change in the way we are preparing for the future. A change in the way we share information, and a change in the way we address problems faced by the court system.

Collins: There is always room for improvement in everything. However, with change comes expense. I happen to maintain the books in the office so I know just how much “upgrading” we can afford. Technology is very important, however, not at the expense of customer service. Livingston: Some of the available resources are already in place in our office. In November of 2015 our office converted to the TnCIS computer system, which is updated by the AOC (Administrative Office of the Courts). This system can be utilized more and more as updates become available. Davis: We have the most up-to-date computer system. It is the same system used by 90 percent of the counties in Tennessee. We have already implemented a scanning system that saves time for employees and customers. We also already have a online payment system and an online lookup for cases. With the new system and the scanning in place, I want to take it a step further. I want the public, attorneys and citizens to be able to go online to see the document that has been filed and print them in the comfort of their own home or office. In the log run, it would save money for the individual and the county. The individual would save time and gas by driving to the clerk’s office. It would save the county money, because the employee could be doing other jobs. We would still provide copies to the citizens

What can be done to make the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office more accessible to the public? Collins: Social media is a very informative and cost efficient way to provide information to the community that can be updated daily. The circuit court clerk’s office is not a single service office. We can use social media to help and assist the public with links and court schedules that will answer many daily questions and can be accessed after regular business hours. Livingston: I feel like one way that our office has already become more accessible to the public is with the online system (TNCRTINFO.com). This enables the public to look up cases, citations, etc. and even pay online. Davis: We do have public lookup computers in the office and a online site at TNCRTINFO.com. E-filing will be available down the road, as the Administration Office of Courts (AOC) has pilot programs in some counties. It will be at the discretion of the AOC as there are certain criteria that will have to be met. I am also open to any technology that would increase productivity, increase service and make the customer feel more at ease in the court system. In considering any new technology, I would have to look at if the benefits would outweigh the cost and if it would pay for itself or if it would cost the tax payers. I would have to work within the budget that is allocated for this office. Shepard: As far as making the court more accessible to the public, I feel the website would be a huge asset to the public and court community by keeping everyone informed on a daily basis what business the court has. The phone system needs an upgrade. I have many individuals tell me they have trouble getting through to the office or get a busy signal, or get cut off completely. We have to be available when someone has a question or needs help. Many people have information stored on their phones, such as car insurance, registrations and receipts. Phones are not allowed in the courthouse for security reasons. A person should be able to email that information to the office where a clerk could verify it.

State some of your strengths in leading the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office. Collins: The things that set me apart from the other qualified candidates are that I began working in the circuit court clerk’s office at age 18. I have served in every position in the office. At age 23 the circuit court clerk, Gail Jeffers, gave me an opportunity to begin serving as the bookkeeper for Circuit Court. I have never had a finding by the State of Tennessee Auditors since taking that position over 12 years ago. I am designated by the State Auditor’s Office as a mentor for surrounding counties when they have issues with balancing their books. I highly regard customer service when serving all citizens that have a need in the circuit court clerk’s Office. Livingston: Some of the strengths that I could bring in leading the circuit court clerk’s office are that I have the people skills that are needed. I feel like I work well with the my co-workers as well as the public, judges, attorneys and agencies that work with our office. Communication is key. In working with the staff in the office I would not ask them to do a job that I would not want to do myself. I will be a hands-on clerk and work alongside my staff. I have a strong work ethic and take pride in what I do and try to do it right the first time. I strive to conduct myself in a professional manner, which I feel is very important because I represent the circuit court clerk’s office as well as Greene County. Davis: In having the most experience of all the candidates with almost 22 years, I have worked in almost

Collins: The office currently is very prompt and efficient and goes along with the old saying, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Customer service will always be the forefront of our office due to the complexity of the services we provide. We serve our community and will continue to be accommodating and supportive to those in need of our assistance.

WEEMS GREENE COUNTY

ROAD SUPERINTENDENT

PAID FOR BY DAVID WEEMS

Livingston: There is always room for improvement in any aspect. I would like to utilize our technology that is already in place in our office. Currently we scan all documents that are filed in a case. I work in the Juvenile Court of our office, and we have already implemented emailing the needed documents to the judges’ offices, attorneys and other agencies that we work closely with. This has SEE CHANGES, PAGE 9

David Weems saved the Greene County Tax Payers an estimated $7.5 Million by adding the asphalt plant in 2012. This reduced the cost of paving per mile, and has allowed over 228 miles of roads to be paved.

DAVID

every aspect of this office giving me the advantage of knowing how things worked before everything was on computers. I have been the chief deputy clerk for going on six years. In being in that position, it gave me the leadership, experience and knowledge to handle the office when the clerk is out. I have an excellent understanding of court procedures and knowledge of the circuit court clerk duties. I am motivated, conscientious, a hard worker and appreciate and acknowledge the efficiency in others. I am a people person and love working with the citizens of Greene County. Shepard: My strengths include my unique perspective on the clerk’s office. I am involved in all the courts. I understand, as an officer, how a warrant moves through the system, and how it could be done more efficiently. I have good working relationships with everyone involved in the court system and county government. Judges, lawyers, law enforcement, court staff, the mayor and commissioners are just a few of the individuals that know me and my work ethic, and my desire to move the courthouse forward. I understand the budget process, and have worked on large budgets. I have a college degree. I feel that attaining a degree shows a desire in an individual to never stop learning, and to be prepared for the future. My careers at the funeral home, fire department and courthouse have all taught me to treat the public with compassion and honesty. I worked eight years on the Recovery Court Team. I’m proud of the work we did helping individuals battle addictions. This reminds me that we never know what someone is going through, and each person that walks into the office needs to be treated equally.

Do you propose any changes in the way the oﬃce would be run? If so, what are they?

PAVING ROADS FOR GREENE COUNTY

RE-ELECT

who chose to come into the office in person with friendly and courteous customer service. Also, I have been speaking to the sheriff about getting the clerk’s office connected to their jail computer system as a read only program. That would save time for the clerks, officers and the employees at the jail. We would not have to stop court to find out if an individual is in jail. We would be able to look at the system and not disturb other county employees while they continue doing their job Shepard: I would work toward developing a dedicated website for the court house. The website would include daily docket updates, a court directory, links to court related resources, downloadable forms, directions and courthouse information. I would like to see video arraignment options for judges and security personnel for combative and aggressive inmates. Also, at times, people that require a wheel chair need to be arraigned. The way it is done now is to push a person up Depot Street outside to the courthouse and back. Regardless of temperature or weather conditions. A video arraignment could be beneficial to all parties involved in these situations. I would work toward securing grants for the clerk’s office. I am familiar with the grant process, and I’m positive it would be a huge asset for the clerk’s office. I would start preparing the office for electronic filing of documents. This technology is coming to all courts one day, and I plan to make sure we are prepared when that time comes. There are many other things I would like to work toward that would make the courthouse a better place for everyone.

Brett

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GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

Page 9

Holt Unopposed For Trustee collecting the county’s property taxes; 2. accounting for and disbursing county funds (including proper apportionment and determination of fund availability); and 3. investing temporarily idle county funds. The trustee is considered the banker and treasurer for Greene County, and I take pride in being a good steward of Greene County’s funds.

BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Only one person in the county wanted the job as County Trustee: incumbent Nathan R. Holt. He recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about his campaign. The following provides biographical information about the candidate and his responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

HOLT Holt, 35, 168 Shane St., Greeneville, is the current County Trustee after being elected in 2014. Before that, he served as a county commissioner from the 6th District and was elected vice-chairman of the Republican Caucus. Before becoming trustee, he worked as an aﬃliate broker with Greeneville Real Estate & Auction Team, a payroll accountant with the Greeneville City School System and worked in both the Department of Accounts & Budgets and the Property Assessor’s Oﬃce for Greene County. He is married.

What experiences and strengths do you bring to this oﬃce? Trustee Nathan R. Holt

Why are you running for this office? I am seeking re-election because I want to continue the progress we have made in improving all facets of the trustee’s office. Since taking office as trustee in 2014, our team in the office has worked to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the services we provide to our customers. Thanks to an excellent and supportive staff, we have been successful in a multitude of areas. However, there is always room for improvement, and we owe it to the taxpayers of Greene County to strive for excellence in the trustee’s office.

What do you see as the most important tasks the trustee performs? The three primary responsibilities of the county trustee are: 1.

A desire to serve your fellow citizens is a must for success as an elected ofﬁcial, and I have a history of servant leadership. I have served in various capacities in numerous community service organizations because I feel that a thriving Greene County will only occur if we have strong, vibrant communities where we help each other. Ruritan, United Way of Greene County Inc. and Keep Greene Beautiful are a few of the community service organizations that I have served in and built key relationships in our community. A strong educational background coupled with a commitment to continuing education is also a necessity. I have earned an associate’s degree in business from Walters State Community College, a bachelor’s degree in accounting and ﬁnance from ETSU and a master’s degree in accountancy from ETSU. I am a graduate of the UT Institute of Public Service Local Government

Leadership Program, and I have also earned the designation of Certiﬁed Public Administrator. I have received training in debt management, budgeting, economic development, negotiation, leadership and many other important areas that are relevant to county government. Hands-on work experience in multiple county departments has enabled me to work ﬂuently on cross-departmental issues. My experience as a former county commissioner also provides me with a great deal of insight into issues affecting our county departments.

Would you make any changes or improvements to the trustee’s office? If so, what? Since taking office as trustee in 2014, we have implemented a number of changes to enhance the services we provide and to improve our efficiency. An example of this is the incorporation of barcode scanners into our tax collection process. Our scanners have improved accuracy by reducing manual keying of property tax bills, and they have expedited the payment process tremendously. Many customers have commented on the much shorter wait times they are now experiencing. This reduction in wait time is directly related to our barcode scanners. A secure payment slot, which is another improvement, has been installed that allows customers to insert

Dearstone Unopposed For 1st District Constable BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Only one individual will run to be Constable of the First District. Travis Dearstone will run unopposed in the Republican primary. Recently he responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about his campaign. The following provides biographical information about the candidate and responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

DEARSTONE Travis Dearstone, 30, 1480 Reynolds Hollow Road, Greeneville is currently a journeyman lineman at Davis H. Elliot Company. He works to install and maintain overhead and underground electrical power. He has been doing his current job since 2014. Before that, he

Travis Dearstone

worked for the Tennessee Department of Transportation. He is married and has never held public oﬃce before.

Why are you running for this oﬃce? I’m running for ofﬁce as 1st District County Constable to be able to give back to my community in such a way to help make this county a safer place for our families and friends by providing extra patrol and assistance to the law enforcement of our communities.

What do you consider to be a Constable’s most important responsibility?

and good sense of humor to be able to lighten the tasks at hand and to be able to communicate well with the pubic.

Dearstone: I believe the most important responsibilities of a constable are to be dedicated to the public by education and training, the execution of all court orders directed to the constable, and to serve the citizens of the community by upholding a high ethical standard that ensures justice with understanding.

If you are elected, what experience and personal strengths will you bring to this oﬃce?

In your opinion, what are the most important qualities that a Constable needs to have? If elected, I would bring my experiences dealing with the public and law enforcement in stressful situations that I have gained mostly by volunteering at the United Volunteer Fire Department. I would bring my ethical beliefs, compassion for the people I serve, and the ability to work with other agencies and the parties involved in a matter with outstanding teamwork. I possess good communication skills, creativity, critical thinking

I’ve served most of the 1st District since 2006 as a member of the United Volunteer Fire Department, as mentioned above. I have served as a captain of the department for the last two years. I enjoy volunteering my time to the community to provide services to the people when they are in need the most, whether it be a vehicle accident, a house ﬁre, a medical call to set up a landing zone for a helicopter, or as simple as changing the batteries in smoke alarms.

Brief additional comment, if you wish. I’m married to my wonderful wife of four years. I have a son who is 7 years old who attends Baileyton Elementary, and proud to say that we are expecting our second child in September. I look forward to serving you as 1st District County Constable.

2 Candidates For 2nd District Constable Address Voters BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Three Republican candidates — Wayne Wilhoit, Chester Greenway and Phillip Belisario — will be running to be Constable of the 2nd District in the upcoming May primary. Two of the three candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. Wilhoit did not respond to multiple attempts to reach him. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

Chester Greenway

BELISARIO GREENWAY Chester Greenway, 48, 55 Greenway Lane, Chuckey is currently a manufacturing supervisor. He has worked in a few manufacturing facilities in the county during his professional career. He is single and unsuccessfully ran for Constable in the 2nd District in 2010.

Phillip Belisario Sr., 58, 6920 E. Andrew Johnson Highway Number 5, is currently serving as security for Greeneville Housing Authority and Greeneville Terrace Apartments. He is divorced and has previously been a constable.

their payment securely into our office to avoid waiting. This payment slot can be accessed anytime the courthouse annex is open to the public. End-of-day backup processes have been automated, which reduces the number of labor hours required. We now accept credit/debit card payments online, by phone and at all four windows at our office. Promoting our partial payment program has also been made a priority. This program has helped reduce the burden on many of our taxpayers. We also work hard to make taxpayers aware of the property tax relief program available through the State of Tennessee. These are just a few of the many positive changes that have been implemented in the trustee’s office.

What in your experience has prepared you to work in close association with the county commission and other county oﬃces? As a former county commissioner, I am very familiar with the many intricacies of the county legislative body, how it operates and its role within our county government. During my tenure representing the citizens of the 6th Commission District,

I served on various committees and learned a great deal about how our county government functions. The knowledge I obtained from my county commission service has been extremely valuable to me as a county-wide elected official as well. I also have experience working in both the department of accounts and budgets and the property assessor’s office. My prior county government work experience and service as a county commissioner have been instrumental in building positive working relationships with county employees and officials serving in various capacities.

A brief additional statement, if desired: Serving you as your county trustee is a tremendous honor, and I thank you, the citizens of Greene County, for the huge amount of support I have received. I am very fortunate to have a great team of employees that shares my commitment to providing the citizens of Greene County with top-notch service in an efﬁcient, effective and professional manner. We strive to continuously improve the services we provide to our county’s citizens. You deserve nothing less. I would appreciate your vote and support in the upcoming Republican Primary Election. Thank you, and God bless!

Circuit Court Clerk Race Responses Continued ... A brief additional statement, if desired. Collins: In our office we deal with citizens who are going to court for one reason or another. They need a friendly, caring face to help them. Even though not everyone needs our office, what we do there is very important and I know that without a doubt I am well prepared to take on the responsibility of the circuit court clerk. I will serve the people well. I would greatly appreciate your support and your vote! Livingston: I would like to thank The Greeneville Sun for giving each candidate an opportunity to explain to the citizens of Greene County a little bit about ourselves and the ideas we have for the office we are running for. I am proud to call Greene County my home. I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of new friends as well as seeing and get reacquainted with longtime friends. The support and encouragement that has been shown to me has been very humbling. Thank you Greene County for your hospitality. I would also like to thank my family, friends and my church family for your support and prayers. Your encouragement has meant a great deal to me. Davis: I want to thank all the people of Greene County for all their kindness and support in the past months. I sincerely want to continue giving back to our community and county. I will be a working clerk and my door will always be open to citizens, attorneys, judges and employees. As you are making your decision as to who you will vote for as your next circuit court clerk, please keep in mind my experience of nearly 22 years and the leadership that I gained as chief deputy clerk. I continue to ask for your support and vote for circuit court clerk. Experience matters, and experience is the difference. Shepard: The courthouse is the heart of downtown. The circuit court clerk should be the face of the courthouse, the personality of the courthouse. Whether it’s a gathering on the court lawn, a large jury trial, or just everyday business, the clerk needs to be there in the public eye. Nothing beats face to face customer service, and that will be a standard in the clerk’s office if I’m elected. I have the most experience out of any candidate when it comes to the skills needed to run an office and prepare that office for the future. I would invite everyone to join me on Facebook to follow me and my plan to move the Greene County Courthouse forward.

CHANGES CONTINUED FROM 8

cut down on paper and copier supplies in the last year that we have been doing this. I would like to implement this throughout the clerk’s office. This may only seem like a small thing, but pennies turn into dollars and dollars turn into savings, and this helps us be good stewards of taxpayers’ money. I will try to always be looking for ways to better improve the productivity of the office. Davis: Yes. Every employee would know every job. Presently the clerk’s office has employees assigned to a certain task or job. Although this certainly develops a higher levels of expertise in an individual, it can be disruptive when that individual is busy or out of the office and no one else can adequately perform the job. The public should not have to wait on a specialized person to get back into the office. Shepard: I would make sure that an employee’s strengths are being used in the right place. Some are more technology and computer minded. Some work better face to face with the public. Some have good accounting and sorting skills. Some like to work out front and some like to work away from that atmosphere. I see these strengths in the employees, and I would try to make sure everyone is assigned duties where they are the most comfortable and productive.

Phillip Belisario

Vote For

David Foulks Greene County

MAYOR

May 1 and General Election Democrat Ticket I appreciate your vote and support.

Pd. for by the candidate

SEE 2ND DISTRICT RACE, PAGE 11

Page 10

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Incumbent, Former Clerk, Commissioner Running For County Clerk BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Two people, Sharon Malone Collins and David Thompson, will challenge current incumbent Lori Bryant in the Republican primary for the position of County Clerk. The three candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and

suit filed against him for sexual discrimination, and Greene County settled out of court a lawsuit filed by his accuser. He is married with one son.

the general election will be Aug. 2.

BRYANT Lori Bryant, 54, 170 Perry Davis Road, Greeneville, is the current Greene County Clerk. She was elected in 2014 after unsuccessfully running for the same position in 2006. She is divorced and is seeking re-election.

THOMPSON David Thompson, 46, McCoy Road, Greeneville was the previous county clerk before Bryant was elected. He is a graduate of South Greene High School, attended Tusculum Col-

COLLINS

Lori Bryant

lege, East Tennessee State University and Walters State Community College. He is a former dispatcher and training oﬃcer at Greene County 911 and is a former deputy sheriﬀ/ dispatcher at the Greene

David Thompson

County Sheriﬀ’s Department. He was elected to two terms as a Greene County commissioner and two terms as the county clerk. He was the former Chief of the Camp Creek Volunteer

Sharron Malone Collins

Fire Department, former Chief of the Association of Volunteer Fire Departments and the past president of the Camp Creek Ruritan Club. Thompson resigned from oﬃce in 2014 following an ouster

Why are you running for this oﬃce?

What do you see as the most important tasks the county clerk performs?

Bryant: Continuing my vision — to pursue seeking out and implementing deserving new innovative customer services. Always working For Greene County — ensuring leadership supported by three years’ experience in Greene County government is working for you and to provide fiscal progress with the county clerk budget. Preparing for changing times — being hands on and having an experienced and proven voice, will continually focus on a better Greene County Clerk’s Office! Thompson: I am seeking a return to the office of county clerk for a variety of reasons. I still have a desire and the drive to serve the citizens of Greene County. I want to make a difference in the services offered and make a difference in how they are offered. My entire career has been public service oriented. Therefore, I am uniquely qualified to run for and manage this office while offering the same type of customer services I brought you in the past consisting of fast, friendly, efficient and accurate service, while always looking for ways to save money and improve the office. Collins: As a county commissioner I am at the courthouse annex often for committee meetings and other county business and it’s concerning that with all of the technology available we still have excessively long lines at the clerk’s office. I understand that sometimes people procrastinate and wait until the end of the month to renew their tags, but it seems as if the lines are unnecessarily long at the beginning and middle of the month as well. I think our citizens expect and deserve better.

• Bryant: Maintaining the utmost integrity in the Greene County Clerk’s Office, being responsible with the Greene County citizens’ tax dollars as your Greene County clerk. To continue providing customer service by a caring, dedicated and customer-friendly County clerk staff. Maintaining accurate fiscal records and providing dedicated support services to the Greene County legislative body. • Thompson: The office of county clerk is tasked with many responsibilities and is one of the most diverse offices in county government. From issuing tags and titles, to placards, to beer permits, to business licenses, to driver’s licenses, to hunting and fishing licenses, collecting beverage privilege tax, to collecting the hotel/motel tax, to collecting vehicle and boat sales tax, to issuing boat registrations, to issuing marriage licenses, to maintaining the minutes and clerking the county commission meetings, the county clerk’s office has to ensure that these duties are carried out timely and efficiently. No one wants any of these acts completed inaccurately or slowly. No one wants to be called to come back for a mistake to be corrected. No one wants to wait in a long line, or even wait to be acknowledged while having to purchase a license or do business that government forces them to do. Therefore, the most important task that the county clerk’s office performs is customer service. In carrying out all of the aforementioned tasks, citizens want to be happily greeted and helped in an accurate, efficient and timely manner. They want to be thanked for coming by, treated with the utmost respect, and moved through the office quickly. Customer service was my priority when assuming office in 2006, and it will continue to be the service I take most seriously as I continue to build on the tradition I began in 2006. • Collins: The most important task of the county clerk is not car tag renewal, issuing marriage licenses or business licenses. It’s also not keeping and maintaining the records of the County Commission — although all of these are important services. The most important function of the county clerk is customer service. The clerk’s office is often the first encounter a visitor has with the courthouse annex building and in some cases, the first encounter they have with Greene County. This is why it’s important that the clerk and the office employees make a good first impression, whether we’re helping register a vehicle or business, or simply directing someone to one of the other offices.

A brief additional statement, if desired. Bryant: During my first term as Greene County clerk, I have earned the designation as a Certified Public Administrator as recognition for completing the County Officials Certificate Training Program through the University of Tennessee County Technical Institute for Public Service through the County Technical Advisory Service in 2015. I also graduated from the University of Tennessee Institute of Public Service Local Government Leadership Program in December of 2016. During the past four years serving as Greene County clerk and as I seek every Greene County citizen’s support and vote for re-election for another four years, I, Lori Bryant, want each citizen to remember that the promises made in 2014 have been kept and the new promises are focused on my vision and to prepare for changing times that will ensure the Greene County clerk’s office provides all citizens and office of integrity and the best customer-friendly service deserved! Thompson: If elected to serve as your county clerk, I pledge to overcome the negatives and the accusations of being a liability, proving to you, the citizens, that I will be an asset as your county clerk. I will donate a portion of my salary each year to repay any debt to the county to right any perceived wrongs. I will utilize existing resources and install glass doors at my own expense to protect both county government and myself from any situations that could result in any rumors or libelous issues. I will move the county clerk’s office forward in an effective, efficient, friendly and positive manner that my record proves only I can do. I ask for your vote, your support, and an opportunity to regain your trust. I ask you to vote for David Thompson for your county clerk to reduce the lines and to continue to improve the services at your county clerk’s office. Thank you. Collins: Greene County deserves a county clerk whom they know and trust. For those who don’t know me, I would like to take a moment and tell you a little about myself. I am a lifelong resident of Greene County. My parents are the late Eddie and Helen Malone. You may remember my dad for his service on the county Board of Education for 26 years. I am married to Paul Collins who worked at Philips/Five Rivers for 22-plus years and may have coached you or your child in recreation league sports. I have two children, Ben Collins, who is a high school history teacher, and Erin Collins Shores, who is a foster parent recruiter/trainer. I have one grandson, Nolan, who is one of the biggest joys of my life. I am introducing you to my family not because you should vote for me based on who I’m related to but because it gives you some insight into who I am and my strong family foundation. My family, church and Greene County community have all been beneficial in shaping my work ethic and morals. I am trustworthy, honest and aspire to be a community leader who can make Greene County proud. I wish to be an example of Christ and will always look to Him for guidance in all I do and say.

If you are elected, would you make any changes or improvements to the county clerk’s office? Bryant: Campaign promises: Continue my vision, prepare for changing times, always working for Greene County! Continue a vision to implement innovative services that will assist with and facilitate added conveniences for citizens to utilize present and future services. Work to eagerly develop and share technology-supportive resources with other offices interacting with county clerk to eliminate delay and complication. Thompson: I have some ideas to improve the office, all of which are focused on service. I would work within the budget while always looking for ways to reduce the costs. A drive-thru window is something I have an interest in pursuing. A call-ahead service might be feasible as well. As technology evolves, I will stay aware of everything available and will implement that technology and services when beneficial and cost effective. While I was in this office before, I conducted over 1,000 civil marriage ceremonies. That service is no longer offered at the clerk’s office. I would again offer to conduct marriages in an effort to provide a service to the citizens that is offered at many county clerk’s offices in Tennessee. One of my goals when I took office years ago was to provide the same services in Greene County that were offered in other clerk’s offices across the state. I did that in many instances. My goals were and will be to increase offerings, not take them away. However, it is important for the county clerk to think about and to realize that while offering increases in services is great, it must be done in such a way that it does not create issues within the office such as increasing the budget and contributing to longer lines when you come in for basic services. My goal is efficient and timely service provided in an accurate and friendly manner. Collins: It is important to recognize the current staff. I appreciate their hard work and dedication. However, there is always room for improvement and as county clerk I would strive to improve efficiency by: 1. creating a dedicated process for car dealerships. Because they often have multiple titles to be processed, this would allow the lines to move more quickly and decrease waiting times. 2. Adding bar codes and scanning equipment for quicker retrieval of renewal notices. 3. Better utilizing part-time staff for increased efficiency and decreased wait times for the public. 4. Cutting costs by attending county commission meetings without additional staff, which is the current practice. 5. Establishing a plan for better utilization of the kiosk, which is greatly under-utilized. By working with the county trustee, I believe the kiosk could be placed in a convenient location for the public to pay their property taxes and renew registrations without having to drive to the annex. This would cut costs for the clerk’s office and better serve customers.

What in your experience has prepared you to work in close association with the county commission and other county offices? Bryant: Having worked on the county clerk staff for 23 years enabled me to successfully campaign in 2014. Serving as Greene County clerk required leadership with integrity and a focus on the many record-keeping demands and fiscal responsibilities in the clerk’s office. Many of these responsibilities are: keeping the minutes of the legislative body meetings, sending required public notices, performing the secretarial duties for the beverage board, keeping records of the Notary Public in Greene County, collecting/recording the hotel and motel operators remittance of occupancy taxes, reporting state transactions and scanning for transmittal approved state records. Realizing a need for added customer friendly services, from my vision the following innovations were facilitated: 1. Vehicle registration mobile service in four locations during the third full week of each month (except November which is the second week) in Greene County — Mosheim, Tusculum, Baileyton and Camp Creek. 2. Installing a vehicle registration kiosk — enabling citizens to process renewals with a debit or credit card payment. 3. Providing a business-license help desk for business owners filing electronically when gross sales exceed $9,999. 4. Adding a driver’s license renewal and duplicate license service for all Greene County citizens which eliminates their traveling to the DMV location on Hal Henard Road. Thompson: I am uniquely qualified and prepared to work in close association with the county commission and other county offices. My eight years on the county commission gave me tremendous insight into other county offices, their budgets, their makeup, and the services they provide. I have worked in the sheriff’s department and at 911, both of which receive funding from the county taxpayers. I spent eight years as county clerk working closely with the county commission and especially the budget and finance committee. I have not only voted on approving the entire county budget but have specifically prepared and managed the county clerk’s budget. I am the only candidate on the ballot for this office who has worked for Greene County, served on the county commission and served as county clerk. I am uniquely qualified and prepared to assume this office on Sept. 1 and hit the ground running. I pledge to give you a full day’s work each day and to carry out the oath of office of county clerk completely. Collins: Being a county commissioner for the past four years has given me a whole new understanding of county government. Working with my fellow commissioners, whether in full commission or in the various sub-committees, I have the confidence needed to approach the commission with any issues or requests which are necessary as a department head. Additionally, while working as a legal assistant I was a visitor in and became familiar with all county government offices. I know the people in these offices and I am very comfortable working with those in budget and finance, purchasing, etc., to assist me in making the best, most efficient decisions for this office.

Sharon Malone Collins, 54, is a current county commissioner representing the 3rd District and is semi-retired. She was employed for more than 25 years as a legal assistant and worked the last 18 years with the law firm of Milligan & Coleman before resigning in 2013 to care for her mother and new grandson. She is married. What experiences and strengths do you bring to this office? Bryant: A total of 34 years’ work and service experience as a Greene County government employee (23 years on the County Clerk staff, seven years on the Greene County Budget and Finance Department) — the most important is the last four years’ leadership serving all Greene County as your Greene County clerk! Thompson: I bring a lifetime of public service experience to this office, having served eight years on the county commission never voting to raise taxes, and eight years of experience as county clerk. Eight years spent bringing the office into the 21st century with technology and out of the dark ages with customer service. I brought the elimination of long lines, acceptance of debit/credit cards, online tag renewals, and installed barcode scanners for faster service with more accuracy. We began printing duplicate titles that you could immediately have handed to you over the counter while streamlining the process of registrations, enabling you to receive most titles in three days versus several months, all of which brought in additional revenue. I installed additional service windows to expedite registrations and renewals during busy times. I eliminated the separate sticker and receipt for the wheel tax, which saved thousands of dollars. I extended the Monday-Friday office hours from 8-4:30 to 8-5. I opened the office on Saturdays. Most of all, I made sure that when you came into the county clerk’s office, that you were greeted with a smile, treated in a respectful manner, and always thanked for allowing us to serve you. Think back to 2006. Remember what things were like when I took office. I made many positive changes to this office, all without a tax increase. If elected, you can expect that same type of service, while staying within the budget. Collins: During my years as a commissioner, I have gained a great understanding of the county budget and how the finances of each department affect it as a whole. I have a strong desire to run this office as efficiently as possible. I realize that we are all employees of the taxpayers and must use their dollars intelligently and resourcefully. Many people see the county commissioners as the ones who are spending the taxpayers’ money. In fact, it is the department heads who control how much money is spent. The commissioners are only determining if their requests are to be appropriated. In addition, during my years as a legal assistant, I learned the extreme importance of meeting deadlines, filing court documents in a timely manner and being organized in a fastpaced law firm. I believe I could bring a new, refreshing look to the organization of this office.

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2nd District Constable Race Responses Continued ...

Saturday, April 7, 2018

What do you consider to be a constable’s most important responsibilities? Greenway: Serving the People that elected them to the position. Being a (non-paid/no expense) helper to the local community. Belisario: To be there! For the community. For the deputies. For the police officers. Constables are not taxpayer funded, but the sheriff and city police departments all have taxpayer mandates that can limit the number of officers. We have good officers in our county and most are second to none, but they can always use another pair of eyes to help. Traffic direction is just one area where constables are invaluable. This frees up deputies and officers to take care of other, more pressing matters that they are uniquely qualified for. Backing a fellow officer up is even more important, especially when you consider that sometimes the nearest backup is 15 minutes or more away out in the county. And to me, one of the most important responsibilities that any of us should have is the safety and protection of our children. This means enforcement of traffic laws in our school zones. The child’s life that is saved because just being visible kept a driver from passing a stopped school bus, may be your child. In your opinion, what are the most important qualities that a constable needs to have? Greenway: Someone that’s willing to serve the people by working in the community, for the community. Devoting their time and equipment to helping out and improving the community. Being a visual presence in and around the community. As well as being available to assist with local municipalities when the need arises. Belisario: I believe that one of the most important qualities that anybody could have is the golden rule — to treat others as we would like to be treated. In my years as constable before and my times as a Tusculum police officer, I have always treated people I come in contact with with dignity and respect. That’s because that’s the way I wish to be treated as well. Along with the golden rule comes compassion, for if you don’t have the compassion to begin with, you’re not likely to ever be able to live by the golden rule. To remain cognizant of human nature and the circumstances that surround you at any given time. To be able to remain focused on the issue at hand and still be able to remain calm or dignified or “firm but kind” or whatever the situation may call for is what keeps both officers and the public safe and alive. And lastly is courage. It takes a courageous person to admit they may not know all the answers. If I don’t know that answer, I’ll tell you up front I don’t and then let you know I’ll try to find the correct answer for you and using due diligence, do exactly that. If elected, what experience and personal strengths will you bring to this office? Greenway: If elected I would commit to devoting countless hours towards helping my community and fellow neighbors. Purchasing and utilizing the needed equipment to properly perform the duties of the position. I would continuing my knowledge and training pertaining to federal, state and local laws. As well as communicating with other local officials and focusing on the common goals of Greene County. Belisario: I have been a firefighter. I’ve been in the military. I’ve been a constable. I’m a police officer and security provider. I bring all this experience to bear on the position. I bring compassion for the human spirit and a passion for the community I love and serve to the job. I graduated the police academy in 1989, and I’m always trying to better my education with ongoing in-service training and even go beyond with even more training to include such things as DUI detection and standardized field sobriety testing. Doppler radar qualification, standardized child passenger safety and more. I bring a dedication to myself, the job and most importantly, to my community. A brief additional statement, if desired. Greenway: I would appreciate your vote for Greene County Constable 2nd District. Thank you for your time and God bless. Belisario: In closing, let me just say that it takes a special heart to do this job. One where people matter above all. The elderly, the children and the infirm. I have a responsibility to myself and an obligation to God to be and do the very best that I can. I don’t see the color of your skin. A person’s disability doesn’t stand in the way. I don’t let one’s liberal or conservative views cloud my decision making. I don’t care if you’re tall or short, male or female, gay or straight, plump or thin or anything else there is. I see only “human” in humanity. Greene County is full of warm and compassionate people. It’s been good to me, and now it’s time for me to pay it forward.

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Page 11

Bitner On Ballot In 3rd District BY NICK SHEPHERD

Why are you running for this office? Greenway: I’m wanting to volunteer my available time to giving back to my community, a community that I have had the pleasure of living in my entire life, with many family members and close ties to the area, as well as being a local graduate of Chuckey-Doak High School. I’m very familiar with the local 2 District and feel I am on a first-name basis with many of my community members. Belisario: Bottom line is I enjoy doing it. I enjoyed it before as constable in the Greeneville town district and would again. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, then you tend not to do it so well. Doing civic work is a source of pride for me and has been since I was 18 when I was in the volunteer fire department. Even now, I am proud to be an auxiliary police officer for Tusculum PD. I’ve been there going on four years now. I was proud to serve my country in the Air Force and would be proud again to serve my community as constable. If you do it for reasons like “for the extra income” or “to occupy my time in retirement,” then you’re in it for the wrong reasons. There’s something to be said for that sense of accomplishment and self-worth when you’ve helped somebody out and they thank you or you’ve put a smile on their face because you were there for them. We sometimes tend to forget our humanity, and this helps remind us of it. But mostly, it makes you feel good for them. The district needs somebody who can keep his cool in the face of danger instead of worrying parents and children needlessly as one opponent has. ... If you want somebody who’s going to be there for the community rather than somebody who’s just there for something to do in retirement, then I’m the guy for you.

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

STAFF WRITER Only one individual will be on the Republican ticket to become Constable of the 3rd District, Kenneth Bitner. The candidate recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun. The following provides biographical information and responses to a series of questions.

Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2. Bitner, 59, 190 Ayers Lane, Greeneville, is currently employed as a full-time oﬃcer with the Baileyton Police Department. He graduated from Chuckey-Doak High School in 1976. He worked at

Why are you running for this office? I’m running for this office to be able to get out and patrol my district, and hopefully my presence will help deteriorate some of the thefts and speeders in my district and any other crime and also to back up other agencies on calls or traffic stops.

Greeneville Industries for 13 years. He worked at Plus Mart for several years before joining the Tusculum Street Department. He then had the opportunity to work as a School Resource Oﬃcer first at North Greene High School and then at C-DHS. He is divorced and was first elected constable in 1998. Kenneth Bitner

Tusculum Police Department.

What do you consider to be a constable’s most important responsibilities? Being seen in our neighborhoods and helping other agencies on calls or trafﬁc stops.

If you are elected, what experience and personal strengths will you bring to this oﬃce? I’ve been in law enforcement since 1994, where I started out as a reserve, and got some good training from the police Chief Danny Greene, and from the sheriff’s department and also from Chief Ferguson at Baileyton Police Department. I also went through Police Academy in October 2015 until December 2015, which was some good and hard training for eight weeks.

In your opinion, what are the most important qualities that a constable needs to have? Training is a must. We go to Morristown every year for our 40 hours of in-service, plus I also get training from Baileyton Police Department, and Greene County Sheriff’s Department, and from

A brief additional statement, if desired: I just want to say thank you to everyone that has helped me, and thank you to all my family in blue and green and other constables. Thank you to my family and friends and also the voters in my district. Thank you to everyone.

Parton Running Unopposed For 4th District Constable BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Only one individual will be on the Republican ticket to become Constable of the 4th District, William D. Parton. The candidate recently responded

to questions from The Greeneville Sun. The following provides biographical information responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

PARTON

William D. Parton, 52, 584 Flag Branch Road, Greeneville, currently works for Comcast and has served as constable for the last 11 years. He is married and was elected in 2014.

Why are you running for this oﬃce? I have the desire to help my community and the local law enforcement. What do you consider to be a Constable’s most important responsibilities? To know the laws and how to enforce them, to be fair to all people, and to protect and serve the community and county in which I live. In your opinion, what are the most important qualities that a Constable needs to have? Honesty, integrity, reliability and responsibility. If you are elected, what experience and personal strengths will you bring to this oﬃce? I have had several hours of training and classes. I have served as constable for the past 11 years. I am honest, trustworthy and hard working. Brief additional comment, if you wish. I ask for your vote and support, it will be greatly appreciated.

2 Candidates Vie For 5th District Constable the general election will be Aug. 2.

BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER One Democrat, Orville L. Collins, and one Republican, Freddie Sams, will be competing in the 5th Constable District. The candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on

COLLINS Orville L. Collins, 77, 885 S. Mill Road, Greeneville, is a retired brick mason. He has been a constable for the last 28 years.

Freddie Sams

April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and

SAMS Freddie Sams, 68, 958 Perry Davis Road, Greeneville, is a retired law enforcement officer. Before

he retired, he spent four years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, three and a half years with the Abingdon Police Department, 12 years with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and 20 years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. He also worked part time with the Greene County School Security/Greene County Sheriff’s Department as an auxiliary deputy. He is married and ran for Constable in the same district eight years ago.

Why are you running for this office? Collins: Hobby. Sams: I want to serve the citizens in the 5th District. I will patrol the streets to watch the homes in the 5th District and make myself present in the children’s schools. By being present in our school zones and dangerous intersections. I feel that I can help make our school zones safer for our families. What do you consider to be a constable’s most important responsibilities? Collins: Serving peace. Sams: Serving the people in the 5th District. If anyone that votes at South Greene High School, Greeneville Middle School and Debusk Elementary, then you are in the 5th District. In your opinion, what are the most important qualities that a constable needs to have? Collins: Honest to public. Sams: Training, training and up to date training. I have over 3,000 hours of training in the agencies I served. Most important training is in active shooter classes. I held Post Certificates in the state of Florida, state of Virginia, and state of Tennessee. If elected I will continue the training with Greene County Sheriff’s Department. If you are elected, what experience and personal strengths will you bring to this office? Collins: No Answer Provided Sams: My training as a patrol officer. As a deputy I was a patrol deputy field training officer. I was a detective in the Domestic Violence Unit, Crime against Person Unit (shooting and stabbing) and I received training at FBI School of Post Blast, investigate explosive disasters. I feel that I can serve in this district where any families can count on me to help them. A brief additional statement, if desired. Sams: I want the sheriff’s office to count on me to protect the families and properties in the 5th District. I am asking each of the families in the 5th District to take this information to heart, understanding that I am well qualified to serve you as your constable.

RE-ELECT

ORVILLE COLLINS, JR. 5th Constable District

Caney Branch • Debusk South Greene • Middle School

Your Vote & Support Will Be Greatly Appreciated Paid for by Orville Collins, Jr.

Why Am I Running For Ȯce?

fter considering this question, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t have one reason, but many. First of all I have a heart for Public Service. Beginning my career at the age of 19 in County Government, this is what I know and love. Being a driven individual who wants the best for my family and county, I have a desire to serve in an even greater capacity than I currently do now. With your support and vote, I promise to work hard for Greene County as your next Register of Deeds.

Seth Weese

in the Greeneville area! www.GreenevilleSun.com/jobs

Seth Weese

Page 12

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

3 Running For 6th District Constable BROBECK

BY NICK SHEPHERD

Matthew Brobeck, 24, 80 Jeffries Lane, Mosheim, is currently employed as an Allied Universal Security supervisor. He has been employed by the company for the last three and a half years, starting out as an officer and then being promoted to shift supervisor and then site supervisor. He is single and has never run for public office before.

STAFF WRITER One Democrat, Matthew Brobeck, and two Republicans, Ronnie Kinser and Caleb Cutshaw, will be competing in the 6th Constable District race. The candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Ronnie Kinser, 10 Jones Lane, Greeneville, did not respond to the Sun’s questionnaire. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

CUTSHAW Caleb Cutshaw, 24, 200 McDonald Road, Midway, is currently employed at Bunch & Son’s Repair and Food City. He specializes in appliance repair and maintenance. Cutshaw also has a background in private protective services and is licensed by the State of Tennessee to provide those services while armed or unarmed. He is single and has never run for public oﬃce before.

Why are you running for this oﬃce? Brobeck: I have always wanted to do something for my community. Being a constable will allow me to back up the sheriff’s ofﬁce when needed and help keep the streets of the 6th District safe. Cutshaw: Growing up around my own father, Gary Cutshaw, and seeing how he helped the community as constable, I always felt it would be my duty as well to grow in my own community while making sure the safety and stability is number one. The prestigious people in my area are deserving of high quality service, and I want to provide them with the fullest extent of my capabilities upon their requests.

Caleb Cutshaw

If you are elected, what experience and personal strengths will you bring to this oﬃce?

What do you consider to be a constable’s most important responsibilities? Brobeck: I feel the most important are to serve and protect, assist the sheriff’s ofﬁce, and to help the people of the community. Cutshaw: I believe the constable’s most important responsibilities would include being active and observing the community not only to serve but to help deter any person who wants to commit criminal acts. A lot of crimes could possibly be avoided if someone is vigilant in monitoring homes, businesses, school zones, etc. Being available when called upon is also a key role in the duties of this position while responding quickly and efﬁciently.

Brobeck: I have been in security for the last three and half years. During this time I have acquired my armed security license. I am also a licensed Emergency Medical Technician Basic, on the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, first aid and CPR-certified. Cutshaw: Experience from watching my father do his duties has led to my desire and strengths in this field. I feel as though I will bring management as well as hope and faith to this office by making sure I do right by the community in which I am elected. My strengths brought to the table will derive from my security background as well as my strong will to keep the community safe.

A brief additional statement, if desired.

In your opinion, what are the most important qualities that a constable needs to have? Cutshaw: Respect, trustworthiness, passion, assertiveness, being personable and most importantly being present.

Brobeck: A constable should be courteous and respectful, but must know the laws and can enforce them.

Matthew Brobeck

Cutshaw: In taking the time to get to know the community, I’d like to let you all know about myself and the importance of this role to me personally. I cannot stress enough that one of the most important duties of a constable is to arrive when called upon and not to pass the responsibility on to someone else instead of dealing with it first hand as needed, which has been an issue with this office in the past. As a Christian and a responsible elected official, I will make it a point to honor my voters and community and quickly provide my assistance when needed. My heart is in this area and with the people who reside here, so this office is a way of giving back in my book — not just some fancy position.

7th District Constable Seat Has 5 Candidates BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Four Republicans — Grady Wayne Kelton, Danny Sauceman, J R Jackson and David Wayne Bailey — and one Independent, Timothy D. Vonglis, are in the running to be constable in the 7th District. The candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2. Grady Wayne Kelton

J R Jackson

David Wayne Bailey

Timothy D. Vonglis

1977 until 2012. In 2013, he was inducted into the Parks and Rec Hall of Fame. In 2016, he won “Constable of the Year” in East Tennessee. He is married and is the current incumbent in the 7th District.

respond to the Sun’s questionnaire.

Simpson Street Apt B, Greeneville, did not list a current occupation on his questionnaire. He is single and has never run for public oﬃce before.

for Loomis Armored Car as an armed guard. He also worked four 14 years at the Jonesborough Rescue Squad/EMS and was a volunteer at Orebank Volunteer Fire Department, Greene County Jail, TBC Disaster Relief and as a chaplain for Greene County’s Emergency Response team. He is married and has never sough public oﬃce before.

KELTON Grady Wayne Kelton, 59, 4635 Warrensburg Road, Greeneville, currently works part-time with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department on the litter crew pickup. Before that, he was a police officer with the Baileyton Police Department and since 1979 has worked for the sheriff’s department. Kelton served as an umpire or referee with the Greeneville Parks and Recreation Department from

Danny Sauceman, 1113 Poplar Springs Road, Greeneville,w did not

Kelton: To help protect and serve the citizens of Greene County, their property and lives. I have a great love and respect for law enforcement and want to present these qualities to the public. Jackson: To serve the people.

Bailey: Nothing is getting done, plus I know that the people in this town need a change for once.

Vonglis: To serve and protect my community.

What do you consider to be a constable’s most important responsibilities?

Jackson: Common sense, experience.

J R Jackson, 78, 224 Simpson Street, Apt. A, Greeneville, is currently retired. He is single and has sought the oﬃce of Constable before.

SAUCEMAN

Why are you running for this oﬃce?

Kelton: Knowledge of district’s families; protecting them and their property; providing advice and assistance as needed.

JACKSON

Bailey: To be able to pull speeders over and protect these kids at the school crossing. Vonglis: All jobs are important, but if I had to say what is the most important I would say being there for the community and assisting our law enforcement and keeping the peace. To conduct home, churches’ and businesses’ security checks. Trafﬁc.

BAILEY David Wayne Bailey, 56, 215

VONGLIS Timothy Vonglis, 51, Greeneville, did not list a current occupation but during his professional life, he worked

In your opinion, what are the most important qualities that a constable needs to have? Kelton: Common sense, minimum 12th grade education, knowledge of laws. Must complete all required educational aspects concerning being a constable. No criminal record. Must have gun carry permit. Jackson: I put my life on the line for you.

Bailey: To be able to hand out papers, plus you don’t have to have any qualities for this job.

Vonglis: To be a honest and stand up person to be fair to all, no matter race creed or color. And The mentally ill. That is why I have taken and been certiﬁed in mental health ﬁrst aid. To check on the elderly. To always be on the job. Out patrolling the community. To help out our law enforcement by being eyes and ears and assist them.

A brief additional statement, if desired. Kelton: I would appreciate your vote and support. Thank you! Jackson: I put my life on the line for you while you are home asleep. Bailey: I will bring and do whatever it takes to make sure that your all’s kids are safe at the school crossing and slow those speeders down. Vonglis: I am running to be the people’s constable of The 7th District. I am running Independent because I am not running for a party but for the cause. The cause to help and protect the people of District 7. I could list all my credentials, but what does it really mean to you the people? Nothing, if I don’t have a heart to serve and protect you. And not just be elected to have a title. I am a truthful man, so what I am telling you I will do. If you want change, elect me and I will patrol the schools during and after school events to keep our children safe. I have a child in school, so I know your concerns. I will conduct churches and businesses checks as well as home checks. District 7 is a large district area to have eyes and ears every where. That is why it is important to me to be out and about and be seen. I believe it’s time for a change. Don’t you?

If you are elected, what experience and personal strengths will you bring to this oﬃce? Kelton: Personal working relationship with all government agencies. Personal knowlege of my community and its families. Providing back up to any branch of law enforcement as requested. Jackson: Help the people.

Bailey: No Answer Provided

Vonglis: Certifications training: Armed Services Technical Training Academy, Advance Driving Traffic Safely, Mental Heath First Aid for law Enforcement and Fire Services from National Council for Behavioral Health, Greene County Proactive Approach to Security for Faith-Based Organizations, Correctional Officer Basic Training, FEMA planning for the needs of children in a disaster, incident command system for law enforcement, active shooter training. I will be continuing my training with the Tennessee Constable Association. In-service training every year with Green County Sheriff’s Department. My strengths are my communication skills. I am dedicated. I believe in God, liberty and justices. I am always there when I am needed.

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

Page 13

4 Candidates Seek 3 Seats In 1st Commissioner District BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER There will be four candidates looking to fill three seats for the 1st Commissioner District. Those candidates include three Republican candidates — Dale Tucker, Charles “Tim” White and Kathy Crawford — and one Democratic candidate, Darrell Wayne Key. The candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

Dale Tucker

TUCKER Dale Tucker, 62, 3835 Horton Highway, is a retired high school agriculture teacher. He received an associate degree from Walters State Community College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee. He was also a dairy farmer. Tucker currently

Why are you running for this oﬃce? Tucker: As a current commissioner I feel there is still many issues in which I would like to be involved. I feel that it takes a least one term to become familiar with the operations of county government to be an effective commissioner. Crawford: I am running for the 1st District county commission because I want to keep Greene County a great place to live, work and raise a family. As a school board member for 12 years, I have traveled to every community in this county and talked with people who live in those communities. Being aware of the needs of those communities, I would love to serve them. Key: I have always had interest in politics, but jobs throughout my career have not been conducive to being able to express one’s independent political views without fear of reprisal.

Where do you think the county could be more eﬃcient and save taxpayers money? Tucker: Having served on the budget committee I feel that Greene County is run efficiently. Having said that it must be stressed that every department budget must be scrutinized by the budget committee every year and hold each department head accountable for the efficient operation of their respective departments. As a commissioner I cannot tell another elected official how to run their department or even how to spend their budgetary money, but I can hold them accountable to justify their budget when that budget is approved by the commission. By doing this we can save the taxpayers money through better efficiency of each department. Crawford: Greene County is such a great place to live. In a perfect world, we would not have problems with revenue and taxes and solutions to our problems; but we don’t live in a perfect world. First, we need to elect officials to govern us who have integrity and have a deep love and appreciation for the people of this county. All commissioners need to meet with department heads on a systematic basis to monitor needs, wants and the budget throughout the year to evaluate what they are doing to save Greene County money. Key: We have to be realistic and mindful of medium incomes of our citizens at $35,000 while being mindful that Greene County has one of the lowest tax rates in the region and the state, it’s a matter of moving pennies, working more closely with cities and municipalities within our boundaries to not duplicate services or workout more shared opportunities, promoting better paying jobs, increasing tourism, and shopping locally to support sales tax revenues. There are really not a lot of other options if we want well-maintained, readily accessible services that all citizens can rely on and be proud to attract more business and population growth including new property ownership.

Charles “Tim” White

serves on the board of directors for Farm Credit Mid-America. He is married and was first elected to the commission in 2014.

WHITE Charles “Tim” White, 1595 Smithtown Road, Greeneville, did not re-

Darrell Wayne Key

Kathy Crawford

spond to the Sun’s questionnaire before press time.

CRAWFORD Kathy Crawford, 69, 3290 Barkley Road, Greeneville, is currently retired from Greene Valley Developmental Center and is self-employed at Kathy’s Beauty Shop.

Crawford is widowed and has previously served as a member, chairman and vice-chairman of the Greene County Board of Education for 32 years.

KEY Darrell Wayne Key, 57, 1420 John Graham Road, Greeneville, is current-

Election 2018 1st District Commissioners Responses ... Describe your position on school consolidation. If you don’t support it, what would you support to improve county schools? If you do, discuss funding for the $90 million proposal. Tucker: Having taught in three of the four county high schools over the years I appreciate small schools and wish we could keep it this way. However I do support the one high school option. Having served on the study committee that came up with the one high school, I support that decision. I see no other good option if you look at long term costs and at the future needs of our students. If we want good jobs in this county, we have to do something to be able to offer the types of courses that good paying industries demand from our schools. As far as funding there is no other way except through a tax increase. I understand how this is a lot of money and will require sacrifices on the part of everyone including myself as a property owner. I feel the children of Greene County deserve to have what children of other school systems have and we should be willing to pay for it just as our parents and grandparents did 60 years ago. Crawford: Greene County is really at a crucial point at this time in our school system. I do not support the concept of one high school. Schools can be too big to meet the needs of students. Geographically, Greene County is one of the largest counties (1,200-plus road mileage) in the state of Tennessee. If we are not careful, our children will spend more time daily on the bus than in the classroom learning. In very large schools, students become a number, not a name. Very few staff members really know the students as individuals with needs. They fall through the cracks. We have some elementary schools which should have been consolidated with other schools for several years. The state requirements, curriculum, and geography, finances and number of students enrolled affect how schools educate our children. The request for $90 million is astronomical. If consolidation is absolutely necessary, it should be done in phases and funded in phases. We must look at the needs and balance our current budget. If we can’t afford it, we don’t buy it. Key: I have always been a proponent of a single city/county school system very similar to Knox County, but there has always been a lack of interest among school boards and government to explore this option, with the single exception, the Greene Technology Center, a joint venture of the city/county school systems. And with that being said, the issue is one of financial investment, either spend on maintaining aging structures and administrative positions when childhood populations are declining or invest on fewer older structures with less administrative expenses while building new structures, we have to face the inevitable, the current cost is not realistic and overall the children are at risk of losing better educational opportunities. A few years ago, there was an attempt to close Glenwood, and the school board/superintendent gave way to community emotions and here we are again. I would like to see the school board/superintendent develop a plan to redistrict and close Camp Creek, Glenwood and West Pines by school year 2019-2020 and workout logistics on those issues, and consider if it is possible to consolidate NGHS and CDHS at the CDHS location and the same situation for SGHS and WGHS and convert NGHS and SGHS into middle schools, before moving forward with building a new single high school. Meanwhile, I would like to see the joint school boards/superintendents look closely at expanding educational opportunities, including advanced academic classes at the Greene Technology Center, even if an expansion to that building would become necessary, at least in this approach if we can’t have those opportunities at all high schools, the classes could be accessible at a central location.

There have been a number of tax and fee increases in the last few years, yet fund balances have been used to balance the budget. Address the deﬁcit and under what circumstances you would support another tax or fee increase. Tucker: The deficit has been a issue for the commission every year I have served on it. We have raised taxes in the last few years and I feel we had no choice but to do so if the county was to continue offering the services that people have come to expect. Costs of running the county does not stay static but increases every year in many areas of the county government. Other than for funding a new high school I would be very reluctant to raise taxes again. Crawford: The state of Tennessee requires the county to maintain a minimum fund balance. That balance should be maintained. In case of a severe emergency, the local government would be able to aid the people of Greene County (example: the tornado a few years ago). The fund balance purpose is not to balance the budget; however, if there is an excess in the fund, the money belongs to the citizens in Greene County and should be used for their benefit. Since there has been an imbalance in the budget, each item in the budget needs to be analyzed in detail and each department head worked with to address revenues, services and all necessary means to balance individual departments. As each year passes, needs and revenue change. We must be open to change and solutions and differentiate between wants and needs, just like we do with our budget at home. Key: Tough decisions sometimes are necessary, and in my opinion, I do believe that Mayor Crum has done his very best to correct years of borrowing from the general fund balance and try to balance expenses to revenues. Now, with that being said, I also believe that local citizens made a critical error when we failed to pass the “home-rule” which would have given more control back to the local government, particularly when it comes to setting elected officials wages, and other state mandated funding. I consider myself a fiscal conservative Democrat and I would pledge to increase taxes and fees as the means of last resort, but I believe anyone that runs for office by telling voters they will not raise taxes or other fees is just not being completely upfront with voters. The county sales tax rate is at the max at 2.75 percent and with strong local sales tax revenues through increased businesses, increased local shopping, increased tourism, then there aren’t any other options other than property taxes or other fees to balance budgets and fund services. We all want strong community services from first-responders including EMS, law enforcement, volunteer fire services to outstanding public education and well-maintain infrastructure including good roads and buildings and waste management. All these services comes with cost including labor and employee benefits. The bottom line, put very simply, is that county government is a business and not only are we, the tax payers, owners, we are also consumers.

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ly the personal support services program director for the First Tennessee Human Resource Agency. For more than 35 years, he has worked in the long-term care industry or nursing homes. He has held the positions of nursing assistant, activity coordinator, social worker, admissions coordinator and spent the last 17 years as an administrator. Key has also served on several statewide boards. He is currently reporter/ treasurer for the Tennessee Association of Homemaker Services Providers. He has also served on several panels including aging in place and opioid concerns. He is single and has never sought public office before.

Do you think the county needs to increase pay for EMS personnel? If so, how should the county fund an increase? Tucker: It is very apparent that our EMS employees do not make the same hourly wage as their counter parts in other counties. We need to look at all aspects of how our EMS employees are compensated and try to get their compensation on par with other systems in our area. EMS is largely self supporting in that it receives monies from the services it preforms. We need to look into possibly using some of this revenue, if there are funds available above costs for raises. If there is not, then the only option is to use tax revenue to accomplish raises. Crawford: Greene County should survey surrounding rural EMS systems and compare pay for their personnel. The Greene County EMS personnel pay should be equal to or better than these surrounding counties. This is a safety issue for the residents of our county and should be an urgent priority. We need to retain qualified personnel in these positions. The needed increase in funding should come from clients who use the EMS; after insurance pays, the added cost should be added to the bill. Key: I do believe a community must have good, well-trained first responders who are compensated for their career choice. In my view an audit of revenue, specifically collections should be done routinely, and if the EMS is functionally sound on revenue and collections, then I believe both the city and county should reconsider if we should continue to see that entity as a revenue source for government general funds or allow the agency to stand alone as self-sufficient. A brief additional statement, if desired. Tucker: Having served one term as a commissioner I would like to serve another term as I feel I have gained valuable experience and can better serve the citizens of Greene County. Crawford: My heart’s desire is to serve this wonderful county as a commissioner for the 1st County Commission District. I own and operate a business where I meet people from every walk of life. I listen to their concerns every day. Whether you support me in this office or not, I will listen to everyone. The needs of this county will be my top priority. Greene County has been good to me and for me. I would love to give back in this capacity to our wonderful community. Key: I am a native of Greene County, born near Cross Anchor and raised on the Albany side of Ottway with a nickname of “George” that followed me throughout most of my primary and secondary school years. I attended Ottway Elementary School, North Greene High School ‘79, Tusculum College ‘83 with a bachelor’s in elementary/special education, and East Tennessee State University in ‘92 and ‘96 with both a bachelor’s and master’s in public health administration. I have always championed the vulnerable in our communities, and like many of my fellow citizens, live from pay check to pay check, which is my choice in my desire to balance a career choice.

The Greeneville Sun

Page 14

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

4 Candidates Vie For 2nd District Commission Seats BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Three Republicans — Brad Peters, Joshua Arrowood and Kaleb D. Powell — and one Democrat, Steve Shultz, will look to fill three seats to represent the 2nd Commissioner District. The candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

PETERS Brad Peters, 46, 265 Milligan Road, Afton, is currently the public works director and an engineer for the town of Greeneville. Before that, he was a staﬀ engineer at Tysinger, Hampton & Partners and then a construction engineer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Commissioner Brad Peters

He is married and was elected to the Greene County Commission in 2014.

ARROWOOD Joshua Arrowood, 34, 295 Crockett Timbers Road, Limestone, is currently a history teacher in the Greene County School System. He has previously run unsuc-

Commissioner Josh Arrowood

cessfully for the District 6 seat in the Tennessee House in 2006 and Greene County mayor in 2014. He won his current seat on the county commission in a special election in 2016.He is married with three children.

POWELL Kaleb D. Powell, 26, 245 Willow Ridge Drive, Chuckey, is

Why are you running for this office? Peters: I enjoy county government and serving the public. Being born and raised in Greene County, I believe in Greene County and want to see it prosper. As an engineer, I enjoy “fixing” things and there’s obviously a lot that needs to be fixed with county government. But I believe Mayor Crum and the current commission have made some strides in a positive direction. Arrowood: I have been committed to conservative principles in my partial term in office. I firmly believe in limited government that does not overtax, overspend, nor intrude on the lives of its citizens. I stand by my voting record and will explain any vote that I have made. We must remember that when we raise taxes, we vote to take more of your hard earned money. When we vote to spend, we vote to use more of your hard earned money. I want more prioritized spending. We have major issues on the horizon with EMS funding, SRO funding, making convenience center times work for the citizens of Greene County, an opioid crisis, and a diminishing infrastructure, but we spent $12,500 on playground equipment in February, who knows how much money on an unprofitable airport through the years, and other dollar amounts on other things I would not classify as being important in the grand scheme of things. I also feel government involves itself in areas it should have never been involved in. That is not prioritizing the dollars you entrust us with. Some of those things are nice things to do, I suppose, but that money could be spent in more important places. I have never voted for a tax increase, and I always vote against increases in spending in which government should either not be involved or that is not a priority. I want to continue to do that

and hopefully change the way government has worked to this point. Powell: I chose to run for county commissioner because I have a heart for Greene County and would like to be able to use some of my experience as a business owner and manager to offer back to Greene County. I want to be able to advocate for the people of Greene County. Shultz: I believe the people of District 2 deserve a choice. We have been blessed with several great commissioners over the years, including my wife’s uncle, the late Ted Hensley. That said, I don’t believe the August election should be an afterthought, and Chuckey and Afton deserve to see a candidate that is passionate about bringing sustainable jobs that will employ our constituents. Our land is special, and with the proper investment, it could provide our district with an prosperous future. This includes focusing on educational opportunities for our children and adults, and bringing more county services to our end of the county. Additionally, the people of Greene County deserve hard-working, transparent commissioners, who are completely dedicated to keeping the public involved in decisions. We absolutely must have a commission that is committed to working for the people of Greene County. We need better-paying jobs, from companies that will hire people from Greene County, and we need commissioners that will welcome them and ﬁnd opportunities for them. Lastly, we need to take advantage of our incredible opportunities to expand tourism in Greene County, as that would provide immediate tax revenue to fund more opportunities.

There have been a number of tax and fee increases in the last few years, yet fund balances have been used to balance the budget. Address the deficit and under what circumstances you would support another tax or fee increase. Peters: When we took office in September of 2014 we had no budget, an operating deficit of $1.85 million, and our fund balance was so low we had to borrow money just to pay the bills. But in the 3.5 years since, we have changed financial advisor who helped us refinance our two school bonds at a savings of $2.5 million, we changed insurance advisors who helped us reduce our average claims cost per member from $1,127 in 2014 to its current $867, and we changed management of the employee health clinic at a savings of over $100K per year. Additionally, we have performed much needed repairs to the Greene County Courthouse and provided a defined revenue stream to fund volunteer fire departments. The notion that the fund balance has been used to balance the county’s budget is actually a misconception. Yes, we did approve the FY 2018 budget with a deficit of $940k, but because we estimate our revenues conservatively we have been able to avoid any use of fund balance since the year we took office. In the last four years our general government fund balance has been $3,405,467 (2014), $4,135,994 (2015), $5,916,781 (2016), $6,514,300 (2017) — an increase of $3,108,833. We have also paid down our debt from $42 million to under $26 million. Yes, tax increases are unpopular and for some they can be painful, but I hope the public sees that these increases were not only necessary but have been utilized efficiently. Arrowood: When I was first elected, I promised to neither vote for a tax increase nor a budget that was unbalanced. I have not voted for either. I have often heard reasoning for tax increases and defenses of spending that I just cannot comprehend. At this point, I see nothing short of an emergency that would get me to vote for a tax increase or an unbalanced budget. The voters are my boss. I have not heard many of my bosses ask me to take more of their money, nor have I heard them ask me to spend it foolishly.

I operate under the belief that government is limited in the scope of what it should cover, therefore many of the programs we spend money on, I disagree with. A quote that would likely sum up my beliefs on taxes and spending comes from famed economist Milton Friedman who said, “I am in favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it’s possible. The reason I am is because I believe the big problem is not taxes, the big problem is spending. The question is, ‘How do you hold down government spending?’ The only effective way I think to hold it down, is to hold down the amount of income the government has. The way to do that is to cut taxes.” Powell: As far as tax increases I would be in favor of a county wide audit to determine the status of each department to see if there is a more efficient way to operate each department. Shultz: I believe that the deficit is more a condition of two very important things: One, we have several contracts and deals that seem to benefit individuals rather than the county. This includes deals and tax breaks with corporations like US Nitrogen, who initially promised over 200 local jobs, but that number now sits at 80, and many of them are out of state contractors. Two, we need to take better advantage of our resources. Our farmland, rivers, forests, and mountains are unique, and provide massive opportunities for tourism, eco-tourism, sustainable energy, outdoor retail, and major festivals. We could greatly increase our tax revenue without increasing taxes on our constituents. With that said, if our students continue to find themselves at a massive deficit compared to other state students, and we continue to cut back on services such as EMS putting our county residents in danger, then of course, we need to look into increased taxes and fees, if only for a short period of time while other revenue kicks in.

Steve Shultz

Kaleb D. Powell

currently the vice president and co-owner of AKM of Tennessee, which provides direct care for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities. He began his career at Free Will Baptist Family Ministries as a file clerk and went on to work at ResCare Home Care as an administrative assistant. He is single and has never run for public oﬃce before.

SHULTZ Steven Shultz, 42, 1875 Earnest Road, Chuckey, is currently the project manger of Stellar Studios, a web development company. Before that, he was a development director for several professional theater companies as well as a theater educator. He is currently married and has not run for oﬃce before.

Describe your position on school consolidation. If you don’t support it, what would you support to improve county schools? If you do, discuss funding for the $90 million proposal. Peters: First and foremost, I support education and if school consolidation enhances education then I support it. That being said, I think there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered about the proposed school project, most notably, where will it be built, how much will it cost, and how will it affect the Greene Technology Center. Personally, I don’t believe the project will cost $90 million, particularly because I don’t see $11 million worth of upgrades being necessary to repurpose the existing high schools into middle schools. As a commissioner, what I would really like to see is community support for either a one or two high school concept, because I believe there is a way to fund it without an enormous tax increase. Arrowood: I have spoken to community members, parents, students, teachers, and just about anyone who has an opinion. Over 90 percent of those I have spoken to are opposed. I represent the people of my district, and they are my boss as a county commissioner. It is that simple. Personally, I have some issues with the idea of one high school, but there are beneﬁts. There is unquestionably the idea that one high school can provide more classes that multiple high schools do not allow as resources are spread out. The core classes would not likely be affected as much as the standards are uniform, but higher level classes and nontraditional classes would be expanded. The issue is the negatives. I have seen some say that class sizes would not be affected. That is false. The state sets class sizes, but often schools have enough students in a grade to form one and a half classes. You don’t have half classes, so class size is decreased and you have two. So, you would necessarily see an increase in several instances as elementary schools are condensed into less

and classes would get closer to those limits. I hear that this will allow the county to compete with GHS for students who now choose to go to the city. People in my district may send their students to GHS or even Crockett because those schools will be closer than the proposed school, depending on where it would be placed. Powell: As far as school consolidation goes I personally am not in support of one Greene County high school. I am in support for consolidation, but I am for school board and the county being in favor of two Greene County high schools. Shultz: I believe that we must do something to increase the educational opportunities for our students, as well as address the aging schools in our district. Our students and teachers are not receiving the funding they deserve, and as our schools age, it will become more difficult. While I am incredibly torn on this issue, I find myself leaning toward consolidation in some form. Obviously, it will drastically change our communities, and we must do something to replace that feeling of local pride, for example, funding for new community centers. The state must address the spending discrepancy between our county schools and the city schools, as it is completely unfair to our county schools. Considering how much we will have to spend to renovate and update three of our four high schools, and several of our middle schools, it does appear that consolidation will ultimately be the only way to keep our taxes low. As for the funding, again, the state needs to address our spending discrepancies, and our local representatives need to be more active in finding state funding for our schools. Also, as I have stated, taking advantage of opportunities to expand tourism revenue would provide immediate tax revenue.

Where do you think the county could be more efficient and save the taxpayers money? Peters: The largest controllable cost in the county’s budget is actually controlled by the citizens, and that is garbage disposal fees. Commodities such as cardboard, mixed paper, plastic, light tin, and aluminum that could be collected and sold for well over $100/ton, are mostly landfilled at a cost of nearly $40/ton. Until we, as a community, become more conscious of the economic importance of recycling, we will continue to throw tax dollars in the garbage. Arrowood: I think the county needs to really prioritize spending better. We are facing major issues with the need to fix EMS pay, upgrade school security, and look at keeping convenience centers open longer. In order to do any of these things, we will hear how we need a tax increase to do any of these. And if we do things the way they have always been done, it will take a tax increase to cover the increases in spending. My suggestions is that we look at things a bit differently. Recently, the commission voted to use taxpayer money to purchase playground equipment. I am not saying it is wrong to do things for taxpayers such as parks. If government is going to do that, it should probably happen at the local level. While I would not vote for government to do that, my broader point is this does not rank high

on a scale of importance. The taxpayers have entrusted the commission with only a ﬁnite amount of money that the commission should prioritize much better. Put money toward the important things ﬁrst and work down the line until there is no money left or until other things are not important enough to spend tax money on. If we get down to having to raise taxes to purchase playground equipment, I believe it will be less likely that a tax increase is made for something of that nature. Powell: No answer provided.

Shultz: We need to look into local salaries for attorneys and ofﬁcials. Additionally, seeking state funding for tourism development and local farm assistance would increase our revenue, without cutting any services. That said, some of our commissioners have spent a great deal of time looking into this, but year after year, it seems they choose to continue doing things the same way they’ve always been done. If we continue down that path, we will see more and more people move away, to pursue educational and employment opportunities elsewhere.

Do you think the county needs to increase pay for EMS personnel? If so, how should the county fund an increase? Peters: I believe most county employees are underpaid, and when you categorize the salary needs of one department as more important than another, you set yourself up for a demoralized workforce. I am well aware of the criticism the current commission has received over the state of EMS wages, but as I told an EMS employee the other day, in 3.5 years we are on our fourth EMS director and this past year was the ﬁrst time any of them requested a pay increase for the employees — a 2 percent increase, and we gave them 5 percent. I have no doubt that the commission will do whatever is necessary to ﬁx the recruiting and retention issues at Greene County EMS, but in order to do that someone has to bring us a plan — a plan not only for salary adjustments but also for how we can get young people to consider this profession as a career. Not only would I like to see a more competitive pay scale for EMS, I

would like to see a tuition reimbursement plan for those already working for the county, as well as those entering the field. Arrowood: EMS makes money that is often used to balance the budget. Then we keep the wages of EMS so low that the turnover rate is beyond maddening. The situation is not one that will be magically fixed tomorrow. It may take time to incrementally fix things because we would otherwise face a huge tax increase to cover the fix. That cannot happen. The turnover rate is a danger to the people EMS serves. It depletes the experience of the department. That means more EMS workers with no experience and no plans to remain long term. The fix is going to be higher wages that at least makes Greene County EMS competitive. If we are not going to be willing to do that, we will need to SEE EMS, PAGE 15

GreenevilleSun.com

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Page 15

3rd Commissioner District Sees 8 Candidates Compete last four years. He is a widow and has never ran for public oﬃce before.

BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER A total of eight individuals will be looking to fill three seats in the 3rd Commissioner District. There will be five Republicans — Jason A. Cobble, Robin D. Quillen, Cliﬀ “Doc” Bryant, Jan M. Kiker and Chase Murray — and three Democrats — J. Clement Allison, Melissa D. Willett and Dollie Boyd — in the race. The candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

WILLETT

Jason Cobble

Commissioner Robin D. Quillen

Cliff “Doc” Bryant

Jan M. Kiker

Chase Murray

J. Clement Allison

Melissa D. Willett

Dollie Boyd

Greybark Lane, Greeneville, is a personal finance teacher at North Greene High School. She has been a high school teacher for the Greene County School System for 26 years, with the last 24 being at NGHS. She is married and was elected to the county commission in 2002 and re-elected for three consecutive terms until 2014, when she made a failed bid for county clerk.

He then attended Walters State Community College and received an associate degree in agriculture. He then transferred to Tennessee Technological University and received his bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education. He previously taught at West Greene High School for four years before transferring to Chuckey-Doak last year. He is married and previously made an unsuccessful bid to serve on the county commission in the 2nd district.

the Department of Art for 34 years. For 20 of those years, he also served as director of the Division of Arts & Humanities. He also served as director of Tusculum’s Doak-Balch Gallery, which was eventually named after him. Before coming to Tusculum, he was a commercial artist/illustrator for the J.L. Hudson Department Store in Detroit and then he was a commissioned oﬃcer in the Air Force as a pilot and radar intercept director. he taught art at MacMurray College and Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois, for 3.5 years. He has been a volunteer for Meals on Wheels for the last 15 years and volunteered at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church Soup Kitchen for the

COBBLE Jason A. Cobble, 47, 3270 Snapps Ferry Road, Greeneville, is currently the owner of By-Pass Lawn and Garden. He is married and is seeking re-election.

BOYD

BRYANT QUILLEN Robin D. Quillen, 59, 2325 Fairview Road, Afton, currently owns South State Contractors Inc. with her husband and also has an animal rescue named Feral Friends of Greene County. She is a 1976 graduate of Chuckey-Doak High School. She attended Walters State Community College and took dental assistant classes. She worked as a dental assistant for a few years and at American Greetings until her sons were born. She was a stay-at-home mom until they started school and then worked as a teacher’s assistant at Doak Elementary school. She is married and is seeking her third term on the county commission.

Melissa D. Willett, 41, 805 Willis Drive, Greeneville, is currently the director of Adult Mental Health Housing for Frontier Health. She began her career as a case manager for Frontier Health in 2000. She left for a brief amount of time to be the director of Residential Services at Comcare. She returned to Frontier Health as the coordinator for the Tennessee Recovery Project after the tornadoes of 2011. She received the Health Care Hero Award in 2015 for her role in the community during the Recovery Phase of the disaster. She became director in 2013. She is married and has never ran for public oﬃce before.

Cliﬀord “Doc” Bryant, 56, 297 Fairfield Drive, Greeneville, holds a Doctor of Chiropractic degree and is president of TAC2-Tactical Advantage Concepts 2000, a shooting range and tactical firearms training school. He has had his chiropractic practice in Greeneville for 20 years and has been president of TAC2 for 20 years. He has also served on boards of civic organization in Greeneville, including as president of the Noon Exchange and the Lost State of Franklin Jaycees. Bryant is married and previously ran for county commission in 2014. KIKER Jan M. Kiker, 56, 102

MURRAY Chase Murray, 26, 140 Carriage Lane, Greeneville, is currently an agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor at Chuckey-Doak High School. He graduated from North Greene High School in 2009.

Why are you running for this office? Cobble: I am running for this office to ensure the constituents have a true representative and have their voice heard. Quillen: I am running for this office once again because I want to continue to see progress in our county. We need so much more. We need to at least improve our county to be up to par with our surrounding communities. We need to improve our services so that our citizens will have access to medical services and other necessary services. Bryant: I am running for commissioner, because the current commissioners can’t seem to understand that we have to quit wasteful spending. Their answer is to keep raising our property taxes. We have to have more “true constitutional conservatives” on the commission. I am a very staunch constitutional conservative, and will never vote to raise property taxes. There are much more equitable ways to fund the “needed” projects of Greene County, such as user fees, and sales taxes, that don’t overburden just the property owners of Greene County. But, first we have to understand the constitutional role of government, and quit the wasteful spending. Kiker: I am a candidate because I want to be a voice for the people of the Doak and Tusculum View districts. Murray: I am running because I feel that the people need their voice heard. My position is to be a commissioner that serves the people without hesitation. A commissioner is someone who by definition is a representative of the people. I seek to bring transparency to this office and be honest with not only the people of the 3rd district but the entire county. Allison: I believe there is a need for change on the commission. We need commissioners who are open-minded with a vision for the 21st century and who are able to make tough decisions that are in the best interest of the people of Greene County. More specifically, Greene County residents need commissioners who are willing and able to find ways to improve the quality of our schools, maintain a safe and clean environment and bring better paying, 21st century jobs to our area. Achieving these goals will require bolder, more creative ideas and solutions while being fiscally responsible. By giving back to the community at this time in my life, I know that I can contribute significantly to that effort. Willett: I feel that the this county is ready for a positive change. I am a progressive thinker and I would like to see economic growth in the area with higher paying wages that also do not damage the natural resources we have in the region. Expanding our class curriculum would attract families to Greene County, while also preparing many students that may not pursue college immediately after high school the opportunity to learn a trade while in school. Deciding to run for this office was not a decision taken lightly, this position requires research and gathering information on all aspects of the county. I know that I will do the homework that comes with the position, and not vote on items based on my personal emotions or feelings. Boyd: I feel that it is time for some new voices and ideas on the county commission. I was inspired by the mood in the country and the record numbers of women who are stepping up to run for public office for the first time.

EMS FROM PAGE 14

need to look at alternatives that are not popular. We might have to look at private firms and such to replace the government run service. I am not proposing that, but we must have EMS workers who are experienced or at least gaining experience that will give our county future benefits. If we cannot do that, we have to look to find a way to have experienced workers dealing with those life and death situations. I would want to do this without a tax increase. Prioritizing may mean eliminating other non-essential services Greene County provides. It might also mean utilizing other taxes that are already collected by the county whether that necessitates getting permission from the state to use the funding in that manner. Powell: I do feel that our EMS workers are in need of and deserve a raise as they work daily

ALLISON J. Clement Allison, 83, 77 Larkspur Lane, Greeneville, is currently retired from Tusculum College. He taught art and served as chairman of

Describe your position on school consolidation. If you don’t support it, what would you support to improve county schools? If you do, discuss funding for the $90 million proposal. Cobble: I do not support the proposed consolidation plan. Based on conversations with voters, a better focus on the fundamentals already offered to raise test scores would be the best. Quillen: I believe that we do need to improve our schools, not only the physical aspect, but the curriculum as well. I don’t believe that one school is the answer for our county. We have a very large area to cover. I’m still researching this issue so that I can properly educate myself and decide what’s right for our kids. Bryant: I am absolutely opposed to it. The vast majority of research in Tennessee, and across the nation, shows that school consolidation is always a bad idea. Small schools excel academically. There is much more involvement of students in sports and other extra curricular activities, there is much more involvement of the parents and the local community in general. The first thing that needs to be done, is to get a county school board that has it’s priorities right. The first priority should be academics, and it is not. Sports should be one of the lesser priorities. So what if team wins their conference, or beats GHS. If half of them can’t read and write above a 6th or 7th grade level, then we have huge problems. We have too many teachers that are simply not doing their job very well. Get rid of them, and get teachers who really want to make a difference. County schools can offer any class that GHS or any school offers through distance learning. One teacher presenting a class at one school, and it being transmitted through the internet to the other schools at the same time to three or more other rooms of students. GHS, and every college we know uses this approach. We have the technology, what are we going to do with it. There is no $90 million proposal. That’s hogwash. Talk to most commercial contractors, and you’ll discover that this proposed facility, with cost over runs, and inflation, etc., will be closer to $150 million. Furthermore; that proposal doesn’t include the cost of the land, the architectural design, or site development, etc. Nor does it include the cost of the equipment and extra teachers needed to set up a CTE program in the new school, so the “real” cost of the project would be more like $200-$250 million. We’re about $40 million in debt now. We can’t afford to do this without driving property taxes 2-3 times higher than they are now. Kiker: First of all, consolidation and how it is done is up to the Greene County School Board. The only decision I would make as a county commissioner would be a vote for the funding that is presented in the Greene County School Budget. My vote would depend on the proposal for funding that was sent by the school board to the county commission. I can support funding depending on the amount that is proposed. Murray: Being in the classroom each day, I feel that I have a genuine understanding of how education works. The common misconception is that the county commission has any power to decide whether school consolidation will happen or not. The truth is that the idea of consolidation has already happened. The school board decides how our schools would be set up and the county commission only decides how much funding they get. I believe that our students are the most valuable asset to our community. With that being said, I am

on the front line of our community saving the lives of citizens in our county. As a resident of this county if we decide to raise the pay of these great EMS workers we as a county would have to be willing to pay for this raise. Shultz: Our duties as commissioners will be to protect our constituents, and serve their needs. Of course we should increase pay for EMS personnel, and expand their services so those of us out in District 2 aren’t left out in the cold. Our first priority should be to look at expenses in other arenas, and try and rework contracts from previous commissions that benefitted individuals rather than the county. Additionally, finding a use for the Greene Valley facility could add revenue to the county, along with expanding business opportunities so that the development doesn’t end at the city limits.

Dollie Boyd, 49, 406 Dyer Circle, Greeneville, is currently the director of Museums of Tusculum. Before that, she was a public school teacher for 11 years, teaching theater arts in two large high schools in Rutherford County, Tennessee. She left that career to purse a graduate degree in public history at Middle Tennessee State University and took a position at Tusculum College as the manager of schools programs for the Museum Department. She was promoted to interim director nine months into the job and was named director a year later. She serves on several committees and boards and is currently the president-elect for the Tennessee Association of Museums. She is married and has never ran for public oﬃce.

for what is best for our young people. If that means revamping what we are currently doing then we will do what we can to fund what the school board requests at a reasonable cost to the taxpayers. I love this county and want to see the next generation thrive more than the last. Allison: Enrollment in the Greene County schools has dropped by 800-900 students over the last eight years, and this trend is expected to continue. Since state funds received by the county for education are tied to student enrollment, it seems obvious that some sort of consolidation plan will need to be implemented sooner or later. Waiting until later when a crisis point is reached will, of course, mean increased costs for renovation and construction. The county school board’s recommendation for consolidation recognizes that there are major problems with the current system. For instance, in view of the impending cuts in stated funds, it will be difficult, if not impossible to maintain the current level of administrative costs required for the number of schools now being used. Also, continuing the current costs of upkeep, especially for some of our more dilapidated, inadequately designed schools is problematic at best. Furthermore, our county students need to have more curriculum choices than they now have if we expect them to receive a 21st century education and obtain well paying jobs. Whether the decision is to consolidate or not, infrastructure and other improvement will still need to be made. This means that additional funds will most likely be needed from a variety of sources, including private, state and federal grants as well as property taxes. I am not in favor of increasing the sales tax or wheel tax since they are both regressive in nature. Willett: Initially I was not for the school consolidation plan, however after researching further and reviewing the Master Plan that the county has proposed, I am in favor. Money for our education system will need to be spent now or later to maintain enrollment. The more state dollars we lose will in turn create more burdens on the citizens of Greene County. It is our responsibility to ensure a proper and competitive education system for the next generation. I know the school board is proposing the best outcome for our current and future students. Boyd: I think that school consolidation in some form is an idea that has merit. Our current situation is unsustainable, we are losing approximately 100 students a year and that trend looks to continue into the future. The BEP money we get from the state simply won’t be enough to keep four high schools open. I think the vocational opportunities we can offer at a single county high school would show our students we care about their future. We want to train them for jobs that will pay a living wage and allow them to remain in the community. Not everyone wants to go to college and we need to offer those students a path to good-paying jobs available here in the county. For the kids who do want to seek a higher education, they will have a leg up if they come from a school that has AP classes, fine arts, and the varied curriculum college admissions officers favor. No one likes the idea of increased property taxes but that is how we fund our school systems. We will either have to invest in a new consolidated school system or pay for the upkeep of the current system. If schools are consolidated we can consolidate administrative and security costs. We can also look for alternative funding sources through grants or programs that pay for themselves such as courses that produce sellable products. I read recently about a high school that offered a carpentry program where the students built small houses which were sold and the proceeds rolled back into the program. We need to get creative in the long term and practical in the short term.

2nd District Commission Race Responses Continued ... A brief additional statement, if desired. Peters: I have enjoyed serving the citizens of the 2nd District for the last four years and hope that I have represented them well. I am sure that some of my votes have not pleased everyone, but I hope they are reassured by the fact that whether my vote is “yes” or “no,” it is cast only after careful study of the issue at hand. I appreciate your vote and covet your prayers throughout the upcoming election. Shultz: I love where I live. I have lived in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina. Tennessee, however, is my home. When I met my wife Erin in South Carolina, we knew we would move back here when we had kids. Her father taught half the county how to fly an airplane. Her mother has taught English at North Greene for many years. Her aunts and uncles have dedicated their lives to this community. Her grand-dad, Robie Hensley, was post-master general for Chuckey for decades. This is where I want my kids to grow up and raise their own families. But there are problems here that need to be addressed, so that can all happen. I am passionate about this county, and specifically Chuckey and Afton. That is why both my kids are scouts, and why we volunteer for Meals on Wheels, local community theaters, and several community based organizations. I want my kids to raise families here, but they’ll need good jobs and opportunities, so I will fight to make that happen.

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The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

3rd District Commission Race Responses Continued ... Do you think the county needs to increase pay for EMS personnel? If so, how should the county fund an increase? Cobble: Yes, as long as the county operates the EMS system they should pay a competitive wage. Funding could come in pat or whole from reducing services, cutting spending or the benefits of the last tax increase. Quillen: I have asked for raises for EMS almost from the day that I was elected eight years ago. These people have very hard jobs … they save lives. They see things that I certainly wouldn’t want to see. When you think about how many lives depend on them, it’s very sad that they are so poorly paid. As far as funding the raise, the EMS always turns into the general fund, the monies that collect over and above their expenditures. We can include the raises in their budget, therefore we are not asking for extra funds during the year. Bryant: Absolutely. Our Para-Medics are making less than $12/hour. The EMS continually shows a profit, year after year. Earmark those funds for EMS only. That’s a huge step. The other steps are to cut wasteful spending, so we can look at increasing their pay. Our mayor and the budget just proposed a $22,000 raise for the budget director. That’s a 30 percent pay raise. Really? When our EMS are making so little. Quit the stupid stuff. We can increase the pay of our EMS without raising 1 cent in more taxes. Kiker: I think the county commission should look at projected revenues for EMS to see if the projected revenues could fund the much-needed pay increases for the EMS personnel. If the projected revenues cannot cover the pay increases, then other avenues would have to be considered. Murray: I would absolutely like to see an increase for our EMS workers. I believe this is one of the most valuable services our county offers. As for funding the increase, there are a number of ways this could happen. One is to search for grants and federal funds that may be able to assist in their work. There are many grants available through the Department of Homeland Security and cost saving programs through Savvik Buying Group. Another solution to this issue is to cut costs across the board and look for potential savings within each department. Finally, would be a tax increase, which would be my last choice to raise the wages. If this is the only resort, I feel that in order for the pay to increase this would be a valuable cause to vote in favor of. Allison: I do think EMS personnel need a pay increase. My understanding is that they are now paid $9 per hour which is less than a livable wage. A low retention rate would not be surprising given that level of pay. The service these people provide is invaluable and involves high levels of stress and often the necessity of making life and death decisions. Here again, there is a need for increased revenues through grants and/or taxes and a possible reallocation of the county budget to cover the cost of any pay increase if cutting other essential programs is to be avoided. Willett: I feel that EMS personnel deserve an across the board raise to a living wage for many reasons. These individuals are not only challenged physically every day, they are also being challenged mentally. To retain seasoned employees, Greene County must be a competitor with other counties. The old saying, “you get what you pay for” rings true in this situation. The overall budget needs to be reviewed and see where funds can be re-allocated to the EMS personnel. Boyd: We have to pay our EMS workers better. We are asking these young men and women to put their lives on the line every day, how can we offer them less than they could make in fast food or retail? Unfortunately, this might mean looking at our current taxes, but if we are going to ask for a tax increase, we owe it to the citizens of Greene County to look for other sources of funding as well. Are there community development grants that we can apply for that would defray the costs? We pay the lowest tax rate in the 10 counties of Northeast Tennessee, and the struggles we are having to fund basic services reflect that.

Where do you think the county could be more efficient and save the taxpayers money? Cobble: The best savings will always come from the various departments being efficient with their money and returning what can be returned to the general fund. There is not “one” simple solution to solving any financial issue. It is something that will require constant monitoring and absolutely requires department heads to be efficient. Quillen: You are going to hear so much about how to save money. But until you see how things operate in the county, it’s hard to understand how much money it takes to run everything efficiently. I think all of the departments are good with staying within their budgets. Some departments turn money back in at the end of the year. That money goes back into the general fund. I also know with all of the building repairs we have had to do in the A brief additional statement, if desired. Quillen: I would sincerely appreciate your vote and support in my quest for my third term as one of your 3rd District commissioners. I work hard to make sure that our county is one that we can be proud of. We want it to be so inviting that our grandchildren will want to come back here after completing their education to live and work. Thank you for your support. Bryant: We’ve had two property tax increases in the last 5.5 years. Robin Quillen voted for both of those. Jan Kiker voted for one of them when she was in office last term, and Sharon Collins voted for the one in this term. Robin Quillen and Sharon Collins both voted

Lyle Parton

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

There have been a number of tax and fee increases in the last few years, yet fund balances have been used to balance the budget. Address the deficit and under what circumstances you would support another tax or fee increase. Cobble: We have tried diligently to be good stewards of the people’s money for the past three years. Hopefully with this last property tax increase there will be enough surplus to cover the county deficits. We must listen to the taxpayers’ voices and make wise decisions accordingly. Quillen: So many people do not understand or want to see why it is necessary to increase taxes. All of the services provided by the county cost lots of money. There seems to be a huge misunderstanding that there is money in this county somewhere. Well, I’ve been in this position for eight years and I haven’t seen it yet. Our pockets are definitely not being padded. In all honesty, it takes several years to pull our county up from all the years of neglect. We are working diligently to make it happen. Bryant: First and foremost, we must create a centralized budget, as we’ve be told time after time by the state auditors to do. This would help control a lot of the shady manipulation of funds in the numerous separate budgets. We have to realize that it’s not the government’s place to fund every non-profit organization in the county. Non-profits should live or die on their own merit. What government is doing now, is stealing from all of us, and giving it to small select groups that most don’t even know exist. If we want to contribute as individuals, then so be it. I will never support or vote for a property tax increase. I do believe that user fees, and sales taxes applied properly are the most equitable way to raise revenue. Forty percent of the registered voters in Greene County are property owners. If they are happy being lied to, and their taxes continuing to go up, then they should continue voting for the commissioners that have constantly voted to raise their taxes. If they are not happy, then all they have to do is go to the polls and vote for someone other than the current commissioners that have continued the tax, tax, tax program. I will not support any type of tax or fee increase, until I’m satisfied that we have cut the wasteful spending. Kiker: I do not support balancing the budget with the fund balance. I believe an important issue such as SROs in all Greene County Schools will be a topic considered for funding. In this case, I would like to see the county look at all possible state and federal funding that might be available. If none were available, I would be in favor of whatever it takes to keep our students safe. Murray: I am not a proponent for tax increases on our citizens. However, costs rise each year and makes the dollar stretch less than the year before. Having such a large county puts a real strain, at times, on each department to make ends meet with the same money given the previous year. In order to rectify this issue we must apply for federal grants and funds that are available to help fund some of our departments. For example, I know that there are programs through the Federal Highway Administration that could assist with our road issues. Another example are school improvement grants through the U.S. Department of Education, which could help fund projects for our school system. I believe that all avenues need explored before any tax increase is considered. Allison: It appears that the present practice of using the fund balances to balance the budget enables us to do little more than “tread water.” I believe in the truism that, “change is inevitable, but growth is optional.” Greene County needs to grow in terms of quality, particularly by raising public education standards, and my implementing a wisely guided and coordinated process of economic development that encourages even greater tourism among other things. Of course, all this will require at least some new money. As I said earlier, the commission will need to consider all available revenue options in the fairest and most responsible way if we are to reduce the current debt of $28.7 million and still meet the demands of a changing world. Willett: The past has lead us to deficit spending unfortunately. I believe now is the time and opportunity to get spending back under control. I am a fiscal conservative by nature, I operate some of the most underfunded programs in the country, mental health housing. Being able to maximize the funds we have currently, cutting back in some areas that are wasteful, and reviewing imminent needs of outdated technologies should be priorities. Boyd: We are still digging out from years of bad decisions but I think there are creative ways to address the deficit and move forward with a balanced budget. Again, I would apply a leave-no-stone-unturned approach to finding funding resources for the county. I have managed the budget for my department for eight years and brought it in under budget every year. I have written 10 successful grants, funds from which have been used to enhance the program I direct. I know how to pinch pennies and work within the funds I am allotted.

past three to four years, it has been hard to save any money. We are always looking for ways to cut costs, unfortunately the cost of running a county is not cheap. Bryant: To answer that question fully would require way more space than the Sun is willing to allow, but we have to elect constitutionally conservatively commissioners that know what the true purpose of government is supposed to be, and we can simply stop the wasteful spending. Since the last wheel tax increase, (remember, the one that would prevent a property tax increase), and the property tax increase that soon followed, the county now receives about $8 million (yes, 8 million) more each year, yet still can’t seem to balance a budget. The answer is not to tax more, but to spend less. Sometimes we simply have to say no, we can’t afford that. Kiker: I believe that Greene County’s department heads do a great job with the money that is allotted to their respective departments. My job as a county commissioner is to vote

on a budget allotting money to each department. It is then up to the department head to use that money how they see fit. It is not my job as a county commissioner to micro-manage any department. Murray: I have completed an evaluation of this past year’s financial budget for the county. From my research, I could not find a lump sum of money that could be moved to solve our budgetary issues. I feel that our county does very well with what tax funds we receive each year. Allison: I will need to examine this issue in greater depth before attempting to identify any current expenditures or programs that need to be reduced or eliminated. It goes without saying that priority will need to be given to those areas that contribute the most to maintaining and improving the quality of life in Greene County. Willett: I feel there are many ways we can be more efficient in spending tax dollars, from installing

to raise the wheel tax. Additionally, when the commission passed a resolution opposing the issuance of same sex marriages, Robin Quillen and Sharon Collins were the only two commissioners that voted against the resolution. Is that really the type of people you want representing you and your family? If not, vote for me, Clifford “Doc” Bryant, and don’t vote for any of them. The truth only hurts if it should. Kiker: Serving as a county commissioner from 2002-2014 has prepared me for this ofﬁce. Also, being a native of Greene County and my educational background in business and education is another asset I bring to this ofﬁce. I consider my strengths to be dependability, organization, leadership, and knowledge of current Greene County issues.

Murray: I am a candidate for the people. I have a deep-rooted passion for Greene County and want only the best for our citizens. I feel that I am a candidate who cares and who will put the people ahead of any personal opinions or sides. My main goals are education and economic development. It is my understanding that when our educational system makes improvements, our economic development will follow closely behind. If you have any questions or concerns, I have created a Facebook Page: Chase Murray for County Commission District 3. Feel free to message the page and I will get back with you in a timely manner. I truly want to be “Your Voice for a Better Greene County.” I would appreciate your vote and support on May 1.

George Clemmer

William “Bill” Dabbs

Ryan Rowlett

solar panels at schools and county offices, to researching grants that are obtainable for the county to use. New technologies with lighting is an efficient way to reduce the long term costs associated with operating on a day-to-day budget. While we may have to spend initially to update some of the old technology tools being used, in the end the money will come back to the county and continue to save us for years into the future. Boyd: I believe there is a great deal of potential for building our tourism industry. In 2016 (the last year figures are available) tourism brought in almost $90 million (motel rooms, gasoline, restaurants, theater tickets etc). That revenue has an even greater economic impact as each local business reinfects that money into the local economy. Without that revenue we would all be paying higher taxes. There are many ways the county can support the tourism industry, attract more outside money, and broaden the employment base. As a commissioner, I pledge to listen to suggestions, do my homework, and be an honest arbiter for the people of Greene County. Willett: I will do my best to serve the citizens of Greene County, and I will listen to those in my district and those outside of my district. Boyd: Since choosing to move my family to Greene County I have grown very fond of it. I want to see it prosper. I am willing to do the hard work it will take and make some tough decisions to make it a beautiful, safe and fulfilling place to raise a family and start a business. If elected, I will be fair, honest and forthright. I will work with the commission and other county leaders to show others what I’ve discovered about this wonderful place.

Donal J. Sexton

Candidates Compete For 4th Commissioner District Seats BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Six individuals will be seeking to fill three seats to represent the 4th Commissioner District. Three Republicans — Lyle Parton, George Clemmer and William “Bill” Dabbs — will square oﬀ against three Democrats — Mary Lynne Potter Nicholson, Ryan Rowlett and Donal J. Sexton. The candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series

of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

PARTON Lyle Parton, 67, 10665 107 Cutoﬀ, Greeneville, is currently the owner of Partons Electric-Heating & Air Conditioning and is also a farmer. He has owned his own company for the last 49 years. Before that, he worked at Greeneville Industries as a supervisor.

He is married and is seeking re-election after winning in 2014.

CLEMMER George Clemmer, 56, 110 Sunnydale Road, Greeneville, is currently a senior claims representative with Tennessee Farm Bureau. He is a graduate of West Greene High School and obtained a degree from Walters State Community College and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Clemmer previously worked at Paty’s Home Supply/Lumber Store and Lowe’s Home Improvement. He was also pre-

viously employed by the Farm Service Agency. He has been a lifelong beef cattle producer and farmer. He is married and seeking re-election after winning his first term in 2014.

DABBS William “Bill” Dabbs, 60, 316 Oak Hills Parkway, Greeneville, is currently the managing partner for Moore & Dabbs Properties. Before that, he served 20 years with the United States Navy and spent 20 SEE 4TH ON PAGE 17

GreenevilleSun.com

4th District Commission Race Responses Continued ... Why are you running for this office? Parton: To help make a difference for the people of Greene County and the taxpayers. Clemmer: I am seeking a second term as 4th District commissioner because of my love for Greene County and serving the residents in our county. I feel that Greene County is a wonderful place to live, but I hope to see our county continue to grow and advance. I hope that we can secure more economic growth in our county through business and industry that supplies sought after employment. By securing stable business and industry, we gain steady employment and economic growth to positively impact our county as a whole. I hope to see growth in the ability to train current and future employees with valuable skills in technology and vocational trades. Having a prepared and trained workforce is vital to our county’s potential growth. I believe that education is an essential component to advancing the county’s economic presence. Another key to this is to continue our county’s work to combat the drug epidemic. I believe that the county has many great things to offer, but I hope to see continued growth. With the proper steps and procedures, we can move into that positive direction to make Greene County a better place for business, residing and raising families in the future. Dabbs: Being a former commissioner and serving on numerous county committees, notably budget and finance, insurance, law enforcement, and ethics, I have an insight and understanding of Greene County’s government. Nicholson: I think we need a change in the way we manage our county government. We need to be more conservative in the way we spend the tax payers money, careful considering how it is to be spent, especially when we don’t have the money to spend. We should be paying more attention to our infrastructure, (i.e.: roads) and budgets. We need to make Greene County a place our young people will want to stay and raise their children. Rowlett: I am running for this office because I believe we have a legitimate chance at laying the foundation for a better and more prosperous future in Greene County. Sexton: I am running for the county commission (4th District) because I’ve always believed that active citizenship entails a willingness to serve one’s community. In a sense, I am practicing what I preached during my teaching career. As a long time resident of the county, I’ve had ample opportunity to observe and reflect on the issues facing both the city and county. I would bring a fresh and pragmatic perspective to the deliberations of the county commission. I appreciate the importance of compromise and moderation in problem solving, and value transparency.

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years as the owner of MW Financial. Dabbs also serves as a diversity team member with the Greeneville City School System. He is also a Rotary Club member, Moose Lodge member and former JW King David Lodge number 5. He is engaged and was a

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The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

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Describe your position on school consolidation. If you don’t support it, what would you support to improve county schools? If you do, discuss funding for the $90 million proposal. sports. New sports programs could be developed now that occupational areas. Parton: I do not support the consoliaren’t currently offered at the various county high schools Dabbs: I am opposed to the school dation of the county schools. As has been currently. Not to mention the funding for arts and technical consolidation plan. Are we going to need noted by the evaluation group, our schools programs would now all be at one location instead of school buildings in five years? Using the are in good shape at the present time. The poorly spread throughout the county. The world we live in words of ex-UT football coach Derrick county cannot support this kind of funding is becoming more and more complex, and it is our duty Dooley, it’s not about the money, it’s about and tax increases. Chuckey-Doak High School has not to give the children of Greene County the best chance the amount. even been paid off, and just remodeled Chuckey-Doak Nicholson: No I do not think that consolidation of our possible at succeeding in life. That is why I am for school Middle School, now considering closing the middle school. schools is a good idea. When the school board chairman consolidation. Going to a county school should not mean Clemmer: The school consolidation you receive less opportunities and resources compared to says we don’t have enough children to keep the schools has obviously been a large topic of disa city school. we have, means there are also fewer people to pay for his cussion throughout our county. The school Sexton: School consolidation is a proposal. By raising taxes to pay for this, we will be putting board has already approved and passed complicated issue that defies easy solution. a greater burden on our senior citizens, at a time when their plan for the project. Speaking with While I understand how consolidation they are struggling to pay for the increased costs of medmany citizens, I feel the overall consensus for the project of four schools into one centralized high ical insurance and medications. We will also be raising is no. Being a representative for my community and school promises efficiency, I also appreciate the value of taxes on the poorer citizens of Greene County to pay a bill district, I also echo the same sentiment of a no for school which will run much higher than the $90 million projected. local schools as anchors for neighborhoods or communiconsolidation. From the commission stand point, it is not We need to think about the future of the county, by looking ties. However, the realities of a declining county student my duty to vote for or against the consolidation. However, forward and making sure that all citizens of the county can population (loss of between 7-800 students in last 10 our duty is to vote for the funding of the projected school years) and dependence on state funding to fund county afford to live here. Our county government needs to more reconfiguration. The affordability of this project is a highly schools point in the direction of consolidation, perhaps into transparent and communicative than they have been. questionable concern. Actual financial figures, details and two high schools. Consolidation into one school may free Rowlett: My position on school number are also an elusive factor. I believe that we curresources with which to enrich the curriculum, but it also consolidation is that it is the best available rently have wonderful schools and employees throughout puts the county in the difficult position of finding dollars option for the children of Greene County. the school system. A greater education concern I have is The Dejong-Richter study which is available to meet the costs of construction. The $90 million figure seeing our teachers’ salaries competitive with surround often cited as the cost of a single new high school campus on the Greene County Schools’ website counties. Our county system attempts to stay at that is at best an estimate. One or two schools would probably clearly details the situation. Schools budgets are based on competitive level, but our county school system loses top cost more. And that inevitably raises the possibility of an the number of students. Some schools in the county are educators each year to higher paying systems. Though our overcrowded, while yet others don’t have enough students increase in taxes. No one likes paying taxes, but balloonsystem and schools are dedicated to our educators, we ing debt — and Greene County is currently in debt to the to continue long term. I know travel times are an issue for must continue to improve teacher retention. Also, though tune of approximately $28.7 million, which makes a tax some, but we already have buses going to four different I am not for the one-high school project, I definitely see increase inevitable. Such an increase would pay strategic high schools at the same time every morning; more the need for advanced CTE opportunities for our students. dividends in terms of enhanced pre-college and technical routes, less stops on each. As for the sports teams issue, I would love to see more technology and vocational educational programs making Greene County students first of all these are extra-curricular, extra, but I feel even experiences for our students to gain valuable skills and more competitive in increasingly integrated national and there it would improve the caliber of the team, fielding certifications to become career ready in a wide variety of global economies. a freshman, J.V., and varsity team for the most popular Do you think the county needs to increase pay for EMS personnel? If so, how should the county fund an increase? Parton: It has been discussed that the EMS may be able to set aside some funds for employee upgrades and equipment. Clemmer: The EMS is such an essential service to our county and citizens. I am not sure how anyone could argue against that our EMS employees earn every penny of their paycheck. The EMS is a service that most people do not need every day, but when you do need their service, it is vitally important. We have wonderful employees that truly put their blood, sweat and tears into their job day after day. If we look around, many critical occupations do not earn a wage that matches the skill and importance of their work and hours committed. We are currently working on the commission through a formed committee to address this issue. I hope to see an increase in our EMS employee pay to help compensate them for their work. Dabbs: The Bible says a man is worthy of his hire. Nicholson: I do not know until I understand where our costs are compared with comparable sized counties and populations. I think more study is required, and it needs to be much more transparent than it has been. Rowlett: I am 100 percent for EMS getting a raise. These brave men and women face a dangerous job and their current pay is a joke. This is why Greene County cannot retain employees and has several vacant positions. Sexton: Yes, I believe a pay increase for EMS personnel is warranted. A rate of $9 an hour is unacceptable. If the county commission supported such an increase in pay for EMS personnel, in my opinion, the funds for it should be drawn from a reallocation of the county budget. That means combing an already tight budget for funds that could be used to support a potential increase for EMS personnel, who provide the county with an essential service.

former three-term commissioner representing the 8th district. He lost a bid for re-election in 2014.

NICHOLSON Mary Lynne Potter Nicholson, 65, 285 Mysinger Road, Greeneville, is currently the owner of The Olde Towne Gate Salon. She is a graduate of South Greene High School. She has been a cosmetologist

There have been a number of tax and fee increase in the last few years, yet the fund balances have been used to balance the budget. Address the deficit and under what circumstances you would support another tax or fee increase. Parton: No tax increase at the present time, we have had too many increases during the last four years that I have served as commissioner for the 4th District. It appears the county may be facing a deficit again for the 2018-19 budget. The $25 wheel tax was to be split so we could pay down the debt, however, it got brought back to the commission and the part for the debt reduction was shifted to the road department. Clemmer: The commission is the acting government body that decides budget allocations and how the county’s finances are utilized. I strongly feel it is our duty, at all times, to utilize each and every tax dollar and revenue the county receives in the most judicious and efficient way possible. Our county is still recovering from difficult economic times, which even further emphasizes the importance of our financial choices. Each dollar that is spent by our county government must be supported with justification. With my experience on the commission, I can fully say it is a difficult task to decide. We have departments and amenities that are easily justified due to the services they provide. I feel that during my times on the commission we have worked diligently to solve our financial problems and budget deficits. However, as another fiscal budget cycle approaches, we must again decide how to fund, who receives cuts, or other alternative measures. At the end of the day, the “cost of doing business” continues to rise whether you are talking about citizen’s private homes or a county government. We have to work collectively to maximize the efficiency of each utility we have across the county. I can say, virtually no one wants a service or department cut or reduced funding. So again, we are back to the question. Improve efficiency or make cuts. I have been opposed to property tax increase and will continue to be unless it is absolutely necessary or justified to do otherwise. We still must provide our citizens with the necessary services they deserve. Dabbs: Under no circumstances period, in order to address Greene County’s ongoing deficit and bring it under control we must be serious about economic development in Greene County. Nicholson: I believe there is waste in our current government which needs to be addressed. The only way I would support another tax increase, is after the county commission has published, in detail, its proposed budget; the citizens of Greene County have had an opportunity to digest it, and I have received favorable feed back that a tax increase is acceptable. I believe the past county commissions have done what they wanted without regard for what the tax payers want. Rowlett: Greene County has some of the lowest taxes in the region. I do believe in a slight tax increase, while at the same time limiting the raises officials at the top receive to only those mandated by the state. No more. To try and give the budget director a $22,000 dollar raise while raising taxes is ridiculous to me. Sexton: I strongly favor strengthening public education and also the economic development programs of both the county and city. The two are complementary, mutually reinforcing. Higher educational standards are essential to a dedicated work force and economic development, including tourism, which means good jobs. Both require the expenditure of public funds. As I suggested above, a property tax increase is probably inevitable, but other potential sources of revenue need to be systematically exploited. For example, state and federal grants for education and community development are available. There are also private grants available. These sources ought to be imaginatively explored and whenever possible tapped as potential sources of funding. I favor studying whether or not it is feasible to retrofit county school with solar panels that would reduce heating and cooling costs. I do not support an increase in the regressive wheel and sales taxes.

for 45 years and owned her own business for 20 years. She is a member of Eastern Star, Mosheim Chapter and was the family support director for C Company during the first Gulf War. She has also helped hold elections in the previous 2nd District, which is now a part of the 4th District, for almost 30 years. Nicholson is married and has never run for public oﬃce before.

ROWLETT Ryan Rowlett, 31, 206 Pinecrest Drive, Apt. 4, is currently a political science student and full-time parent. Before that, he worked in the restaurant industry for more than a decade before building his own food truck that operated in the Northeast Tennessee/ Western North Carolina region. He did that for three years before returning to

Where do you think the county could be more efficient and save the taxpayers money? Parton: The mayor will have to work with each department to make budget cuts. We need to go back to zero budget for each department and start over, not just keep adding money each year. This has gotten out of hand and needs to be addressed. Clemmer: I do not believe saving taxpayers’ monies can be localized or targeted to any single department, service or program funded in the county budget. I truly believe our department heads and program managers have made adjusts and the effort to increase efficiency across the county. We cannot stand back and point fingers at one solution that solves this problem. As I stated earlier in this interview, the cost of doing business continues to rise; which combats our effort to ratchet down on efficiency. As a citizen, I wish we had the finances to support every vital service the way they deserve. However, we must also look into the law of diminished returns. Every venture that we invest in must prove its benefit. Everyone wants more, but I feel it is not always a justified cause. Whereas, some ventures deserve more, but we simply cannot afford to give. We must continue to focus on the reasons behind spending and what benefits it generates. Especially with future investments, we cannot be penny wise and dollar foolish. We must be both dollar and penny wise, no matter how large or small the item or project is. Dabbs: Each department must stay within or under their budgets and we must lower or eliminate taxes whenever and however possible. Nicholson: One of the areas I believe needs to be reviewed is the number of county vehicles owned, and how many are driven to and from home. Additionally the budgets of all departments, from last year, need to be reviewed with actual expenses, to see where savings can be realized. Rowlett: To save money I believe the government should look at every department and thoroughly evaluate them. Are the people at the top making an exorbitant amount while saying they are short on funds? Is the county opening itself up to litigation costing us thousands of dollars? Sexton: The county could achieve modest savings by reducing the number of commissioners per district from the current three to two. Development of an ecotourism program would produce additional revenues. Similarly expediting development of the downtown district would also attract greater numbers of revenue-producing tourists, a major source of revenue for both the town and county. Perhaps reducing the tax concessions granted industries locating to the county would save taxpayers money. It’s easy to ask how the county can be more efficient and save taxpayers money, but developing responsible answers to the question requires a willingness to entertain imaginative and practical solutions, not standing pat on the status quo. A brief additional statement, if desired. Clemmer: I would again like to thank each and every one who has supported me during the past four years. I am humbled to have been given the ability to serve my community and county in this facet. It is my hope to continue to listen to the citizens of our wonderful county and hear their praises and concerns. It truly takes everyone doing their part to make our county the great place it is. I hope to continue to advocate for the best decisions and outcomes in improving our county. I would again like to ask each voter in the 4th Commission District for their support and would be grateful for their vote. Dabbs: I would like to thank the citizens of the 4th District, Camp Creek, Courthouse, Greystone and Sunnyside, for their vote and support. Nicholson: I believe all citizens of Greene County need to vote, regardless of whom they vote for. Rowlett: I would like to bring vision to the Greene County Commission, which I feel it currently lacks. I would like to look into innovative technologies and renewable resources and the companies that manufacture them. I would like to try and bring those manufacturing jobs to Greene County versus the large chemical manufacturing companies that are currently courted. I want to champion eco-tourism to our beautiful natural resources so they spend money in Greene County while they visit. I would like to make Greene county a truly green place to live. Sexton: Greene County has reached something of a crossroads. For a variety of reasons, the county commission has deferred action on thorny issues. Many commissioners have been content to stand on the status quo. The county is in a position where hard choices can no longer be postponed. Unfortunately the costs of the services provided by county government will continue to increase. That’s the dilemma facing the commission: How can such essential services and obligations as police, emergency medical services, education, fire protection, road maintenance and debt repayment be met and funded? Finding responsible solutions to this vexing question will require good will, hard work, imagination, transparency, a serious review of all potential sources of revenue, as well as a commitment to acting in the best interests of the county and its citizens. school at East Tennessee State University and Walters State Community College to pursue a degree in political science, which he is currently still seeking. He is single and has never run for public office before.

SEXTON Donal J. Sexton, 78, 400 Flamingo Circle, Greeneville, is currently retired.

He taught history for 40 years at Tusculum College, retiring in 2005. During that time, he served as divisional and departmental chairperson and retired as professor emeritus. Sexton has also taught American history on an adjunct basis for Walters State Community College. He is widowed and has never sought public oﬃce before.

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The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Candidates Seek 5th Commission District Seats

Pamela Carpenter

Chan A. Humbert

Joseph Houser

Lloyd “Hoot” Bowers

Kandice Davis Casteel

Ruben Dr. Garcia

Dwayne D. Wells

Road, Greeneville, is currently a supervisor at LPI Inc. He has been involved in supervision in the automotive industry for more than 15 years. He has managed and supervised multiple departments, been involved in start-up and problem-solving projects, obtained several cost reductions and worked on many continuous improvement projects. He is currently married and has never sought public oﬃce before.

has worked there for 44 years. During that time, he supervised employees, ordered products, set retail prices, handled customer complaints and assisted the head manager with day to day operations. He is a graduate of South Greene High School and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from ETSU. He is married and has never ran for public oﬃce before.

is currently retired. Garcia served in Vietnam with the United States Army after joining in 1965. He left briefly to pursue a college degree only to return to the Army to become a pilot. He left again in 1979 to attend Austin Peay State University in pursuit of a master’s degree. He joined the U.S. Army Education Center in 1980 and became the director of U.S. Army Special Operations Forces School for Language Training in 1986. He retired from the Army in 1997. That same year, he moved to Greene County to become a cattle farmer and teaches psychology at nearby colleges. He is married and this is his first time seeking public oﬃce.

BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Eight Republicans will be competing for three seats on the Greene County Commission in the 5th Commissioner District. Those individuals are Pamela Carpenter, Chan A. Humbert, Joseph Houser, Lloyd “Hoot” Bowers, Gary Shelton, Kandice Davis Casteel, Ruben Dr. Garcia and Dwayne D. Wells. The candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

CARPENTER Pamela B. Carpenter, 64, 625 Cedar Creek Cave Road, Greeneville, is currently employed at Greene County Farmers Coop. She has worked for the farmers co-op for the last 39 years. She is currently single and seeking re-election after winning a seat on the commission in 2014.

HUMBERT Chan A. Humbert, 36, 190 E. Brad Street, Greeneville, is currently the special projects coordinator at Holston Home for Children. Before that, she spent 17 years as an employee of Greene Valley Developmental Center before it closed. She was a trainer in staﬀ development and taught CPR, first aid and state-mandated training to more than 500 employees. Humbert has also served the citizens of Greene County in the last year as an auxiliary sheriﬀ’s deputy. She is married and has one child. This is her first time running locally but was previously elected and is currently on her second term as the District 11 director on the board of directors for the Tennessee State Employee Association, where she represents state employees in Greene, Northeast, ETSU and Appalachian chapters.

HOUSER Joseph Houser, 49, 2733 Poplar Springs

CASTEEL BOWERS Lloyd “Hoot” Bowers, 73, 147 Doyle Davis Road, Greeneville, is currently retired. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice and worked in law enforcement for 35 years at both the county and the state level. He is currently married and previously served on the Greene County Board of Education from 1994-2002 and the county commission from 2010-2014, when he made an unsuccessful bid for Greene County mayor.

SHELTON Gary Shelton, 63, 2600 Cedar Creek Road, Greeneville, is currently the sales manager at Greene Farmers Co-op. He

Why are you running for this office? Carpenter: I am running for re-election for this office to continue to be a voice for the people of Greene County. As I have served for the past four years as 5th District Greene County commissioner, I will continue to have the best interest of the people of Greene County if re-elected. Humbert: A couple years ago I was approached by a few county commissioners who asked me if I would be interested in running for election. After attending several meetings and later being asked by members of the community after they saw my hard work and dedication with Greene Valley, I prayed about it and decided I would seek election. I love serving our community and feel this is another way to learn more about how our government works and plays an influential part of getting things done for Greene County citizens. I want them to know my door is always open on any concern or issue they may have. Houser: I want to bring my skills as a problem solver and my professionalism to Greene County government. I would like to cooperate with each department of the Greene County government to make a concerted effort to resolve some of the issues in the county, to make sure they have the resources needed to accomplish the goals they have but at the same time hold them accountable for the resources they are allocated. Bowers: I have no personal agenda.

Shelton: I would consider it an honor and privilege to serve the people of the 5th District. Over the past year the commissioners voted to raise the property tax. I disagreed with their decision. Not only did I disagree with the decision, but the way it was done was not in a professional manner. The decision that were being made affected the people of this county and when you start throwing out numbers from one to the other like they were doing, it show that there was no structure. These decision affect the citizens of Greene County. When the meeting

start sounding like a cattle auction then you know there needs to be better structure. I am a citizen of this county and have been my whole life so running for commissioner is something I consider an honor. I want to help my neighbors of the 5th District the best way possible. Casteel: I have a desire to build a better future for my county. I have a desire to be involved in making decisions for our county and helping it grow to where it needs to be. Garcia: I am running for the people of Greene County who are discouraged and disheartened. We are all deeply disturbed by the lack of interest in the people that has been shown by other elected officials. Somehow, some seem to have forgotten that they “owe” the people who placed in them their trust what is in the benefit of the people and not the special interest groups or individuals. This is a big problem that has not been addressed by the previous commissions. Rate increases have been suggested, enacted, and implemented without regards of the impact on the residents who are in urgent need of economic opportunities in our struggling community. I am running not only for them but for their children and their families. I plan to protect the desires of the people I represent and I will work effortlessly for all Greene County citizens. This is the era to innovate, to be bold, and be in demand for more than transparency. All candidates seeking official seats throughout the county must be cognizant that the people want and demand sanctity in the office you hold. To work cohesively among all agencies and county officials. It is my hope that the Greene County residents challenge themselves to vote for all new blood in all official seats. If elected officials become unresponsive or careless in their attitude toward these critical matters of loyalty to the people, then (...) Greene County will fall farther into economic despair... Wells: I have an interest in serving in our local community. I saw an opportunity to participate in the county commission race when two of our current commissioners decided not to run for re-election. I want to contribute what I can to solving the issues facing Greene County.

Kandice Davis Casteel, 36, 405 Cove Creek Road, Greeneville, is currently a procurement specialist at John Deere Power Products. She has worked at John Deere for 15 years and during that time has learned about and used strategic sourcing, budgeting, finance, price negotiations, negotiating contracts, purchasing, management and resolving price disputes. She has held many roles during her time at John Deere from assembly, outbound logistic coordinator, manufacturing tech and her current position. She is married and has never sought public oﬃce before.

GARCIA Ruben Dr. Garcia, 72, 805 Gibson Road,

WELLS Dwayne D. Wells, 46, 67 Links View Drive, Greeneville, is currently the superintendent of Technical Services for Greeneville Light & Power System. He started with GLPS as an engineer in February 1994. After 16 years, he moved into his current role where he is responsible for maintenance and construction of substations. He is married and has never sought public oﬃce before.

Describe your position on school consolidation. If you don’t support it, what would you support to improve county schools? If you do, discuss funding for the $90 million proposal. Carpenter: My position on school consolidation is that every child should be offered the best education that Greene County can provide. I feel that the people of Greene County should have the right to vote in August regarding decision for the future of Greene County Schools because they will be the ones funding any changes. Humbert: I have researched, watched BOE meetings and reviewed the consolidation draft. I think a consolidation of the high schools or building two high schools is a great idea as it offers many opportunities to the students and that’s what we should really be focusing on is their futures, but here are the things I question: How are we going to fund the $90 million price tag without another big tax increase? We are the 13th lowest county as far as taxes go, but many of our taxpayers can barely afford to buy the necessities. Travel time for students is a big issue, and I personally wouldn’t want my child driving 20- 30 minutes to school back and forth. We already have many wrecks and I could see the bypass becoming an even bigger issue with more young drivers on the road. It’s stated in the consolidation draft that positions would be cut? Will there be retirement options for those eligible ﬁrst? If so what will that cost be? Will there be a severance package offered and what does that cost look like&gt; Maybe another option is forming a small board of parents to work alongside the BOE. I’m still educating myself on the consolidation and talking to many educators and listening to their thoughts on this issue. In the end, we have to keep focus about our children’s future and the skills they need to have better opportunities in life. Houser: I am totally against school consolidation for many reasons: 1. Putting all students in one school does not create a good atmosphere. It does create more issues, i.e. bullying, losing personal touch and relationships between students and teachers, lengthy commutes for some students who live in county, losing the competitive drive that students have with their individual schools. I would need to look at the studies that have been done, listen to the ideas of the people of the county to come up

with a solution to the problem that the schools are facing. I understand the position of the county with the declining registration in some schools; however, I believe there are better options than the two we are always presented with — closing schools or raising taxes. Bowers: I’m not in favor of doing away with community based high schools. I can however support curriculum improvement in the current high school setting. Shelton: I do not support the school consolidation issue. I believe we need to improve the system we already have. I have a granddaughter that is in the public school system and I want her to have the best education possible. I believe that the logistics of the school would be horrible. I do realize that schools are for education, however there are other things that must be considered. Athletic participation would be cut in half or even more. I’m not saying that athletics is the most important part of schools but they are a valuable part. Full consolidation would eliminate a lot of fan participation as well. Take for example the year North Greene had this year. We would lose that community pride with a school consolidation. Another issue I believe is drive time and ride time for students. For example, students that live out in the Camp Creek area and West Pines area would have a long commute, either driving or riding a bus to school. What student or parent of a student would want to be on a school bus for over an hour just to get to school or go home. We have that issue now, so it would be even longer if we go to one school. The big question not yet answered is who would pay the bills. Casteel: The decision on school consolidation will most likely be voted on by existing commissioners, and my hope is that they decide what is best for the county. I believe two high schools would be the best investment for the future, but most are wondering how we are going get to $90 million for only one school. With the research I have done, I believe there are grants for consolidating schools, which the existing commissioners need to SEE SCHOOLS, PAGE 19

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

Page 19

5th Commission District Race Responses Continued ... Do you think the county needs to increase pay for EMS personnel? If so, how should the county fund an increase? Carpenter: Yes, I feel the county needs to increase the pay for EMS personnel. In recent years, there has been a loss of experienced employees in Greene County EMS due to the pay scale. This department is one of the most important parts of county government as it can be a matter of life or death. Humbert: Yes, I believe that EMS personnel need a pay increase. It’s a shame they haven’t received one beforehand. To fund this increase I think we need to look at the price of services. Perhaps prices of services can be increased and the funds made from them could supplement a pay increase instead of a tax increase. Also, since they are making a profit each year already from services why is that money not going into a separate account? Instead it’s going into the general fund instead of giving them a much deserved raise and getting more staff. $12 dollars an hour working 24 hour days for saving lives is embarrassing and disrespectful to the people we need in the quickest when tragedy strikes. Houser: I would need to look at the current wages and research the earnings of EMS workers in surrounding counties. The EMS workers need to be paid a competitive wage. As far as funding any raise, I would have to look at the current budget to see if there’s waste that needs to be cut or if there are grants or other monies available. Bowers: Yes. These medically trained personnel starting pay is less than $10 per hour. EMS as I understand is self-sufficient. It is also my understanding $1.6 million has been turned into the city/county governments in past three years. I’m in favor of using some of those monies to not only improve these underpaid professionals pay but to also keep equipment up to a high standard. Shelton: I am not up to par on the EMS pay scales. I will know more if I am privileged enough to be elected. However, I do feel that we do need to maintain a quality EMS. In the past my family has needed the assistance of the EMS and it was a relief to see them pull up the driveway. Casteel: Yes, I believe that this is something that should have been done years ago. We need to look at what money we have allotted and move money around to make this work or invest in more grants. These grants are really at high demand and we need to attract multiple investors for we need to improve our county. These individuals are out there saving lives while struggling to keep up with their own. Garcia: I am not aware of the current cost of Greene County EMS; however I must go on the assumption that there is a need to increase pay. Pay increases should be determined by degree of experience and certification. Therefore, here are some of my suggestion(s). 1. Provide the money that has been allocated for the budget director to EMS. I am sure that his position far exceeds what one EMS personnel currently makes. I am sure that if he were to be in a wreck along the bypass, he will be very glad to have a competent and well paid EMS service looking after his medical needs. 2. Provide one dollar ($1) from the current county taxes every motor vehicle is taxed when renewing or registering a vehicle. This action will improve the attitude the residents of Greene County have toward the commission and its officials. Many other actions can accomplish funding without the need to raise taxes. I am certain that Greene County residents will participate with enthusiasm, especially when they are assured that no tax increase will be made for such resolution. Besides, all Greene County residents will have a need of EMS sooner or later. I think all would agree that they would desire the best at such an hour of need whether for them or a loved one. Wells: Our EMS system is so important to everyone. I believe the personnel should be paid at least equivalent to comparable positions in the medical field. I would like to see the EMS be self-sufficient through the rates they charge. EMS is basically an extension of the hospital system and ambulatory services are covered by most insurances. This seems to be one service where the county could be cashflow neutral with.

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look into before they pass this. We also can look at the schools we have now and look at what changes we need to make to our current schools to get them up to where they need to be. When changes are made, not every person will be completely happy. People in our county will to have to understand creating one high school, two high schools, or staying the same, there will have to be some changes no matter which option is chosen. So, as a county, we need to ask ourselves: Is this worth it for the future of young people, and if so, what is the most viable and logical option? Education is an important topic that should be handled with care. Garcia: I understand this argument from both aspects; however, I am not in support of a school

There have been a number of tax and fee increases in the last few years, yet fund balances have been used to balance the budget. Address the deficit and under what circumstances you would support another tax or fee increase. Carpenter: When the county commission voted for an increase of property taxes in 2017, I voted no. The taxpayers cannot continue to fund tax increases. Greene County needs to find ways to save money in each department. I cannot support another tax increase. Humbert: I feel that each department needs to be held accountable of their budget. They need to stop coming to commissioners wanting to move a line item and pull money from the general fund. Once they’ve spent their budget, that’s it. No more pulling from the general fund and causing a deficit. We have to work together to set an example to our tax payers we are spending appropriately and making good decisions with their money. Houser: I do not support any new taxes or fee increases. In my supervision experience, we had to come up with cost reductions on a monthly basis. I believe there are cost reductions within county government and more efficient ways of running departments. The county needs to spend the money it has and stay within its budget like individuals/families have to do. Bowers: I will not vote for a tax increase of any kind without an excellent justification for an increase. Shelton: First, I am not in favor of a property tax increase. The wheel tax has maxed out. If you have three cars and go to buy tags it feels like you are buying a whole car instead of tags. While the wheel tax

includes more tax payers it does not exclude property owners. So in essence property owners get hit twice. Casteel: I have looked at the budget and I don’t see a lot of overspending, but I do see a lack of grants and a low level of revenue coming in from our county. I feel we need look into investments in new products, new businesses, and new technologies that result in a positive return on investment that holds great promise and possibility for years to come. At the same time, we need to make smart investments that have high ceilings and high floors, so to speak. Better investments, more cooperative management of the budget, and identifying areas that need to be a lower priority are all things that could bring more balance to the budget. Garcia: My major premise is that you cannot please everyone. My experience with budgeting for the military had to do with what little we received to accomplish our missions. Sometimes the budget worked but we often had alternate plans for another outcome. It seems that unrestricted tax and fee increases were not the correct approach, and it has not improved government or services. What it actually did was (...) stop the financial bleeding while not attending to the financial wound that now requires a more drastic measure. So, it seems that involvement and agreements reached did not contain a clear defined strategy to correct the financial path the county had taken. Tasking the county residents as the ones to save the government does not predict success. That is obvious already with the job limitations and departing businesses. What must be done is incorporate restrictions. The deficit has to be analyzed and determine what can be postponed, what

can be removed, and what priority each proposal has. So, no! I will not vote for any increase in fees or taxes until a comprehensive plan is formulated depicting how each agency would do with less and maintain effectiveness. Finally, I will support fees or tax increases only when there is a strong economic environment with strong industries coming into Greene County securing employment for county residents. It is time for the nation and the world to know that Greeneville and Greene County is here and looking for competent industries to relocate to this county... Wells: This is a problem that should have been dealt with over the years instead of allowing it to get to the point where you have the possibility of large tax increases now just to keep up what you have. The reality is that it costs money to provide all the services that citizens want. Everyone wants roads that are paved, schools that are new, ambulances available to come when called, deputies who can respond when we are in need, safety for our children when they are in school, convenience centers that are open every day and a myriad of other things. All of these are expensive undertakings in a county our size. We have a county that is 7th in size in Tennessee, but only about 68,000 people living here to fund it. Many of the departments have budgets that you cannot reduce, and you cannot balance the overall budget based on what is left. If you believe waste in a particular department is the problem or possibly that a department has an exorbitant budget, you need to bear that in mind when you vote for the leaders of these departments. You only have one chance every four years to change the leadership, be sure to vote for the good of the county when you do.

Where do you think the county could be more efficient and save the taxpayers money? Carpenter: There needs to be a committee in each department made up of commissioners and department employees. These committees should create ways to save time and money for their perspective departments, so they can operate most efficiently. I feel that this would ultimately save the county money. Humbert: I would like to study the budget thoroughly to make sure that funding from prior tax increases is serving the purpose for which it was intended. That way we make sure that each county department’s budget has justification for how their taxpayer dollars are spent and that the public needs to know this information. Houser: In my 15-plus years of supervision and management, I have learned to never attack a problem until I have studied the data and found the root cause. I would have to look at each department’s budget and understand how the money is being used to see if there is a better way to spend the taxpayers’ money. Bowers: A needs assessment study of each department might serve to answer that. Shelton: This in part answers the previous question. For one thing we should ask our elected department heads to prepare a budget with the taxpayers in mind. Ask themselves what can I do to save the county money so my fellow citizens do not have to pay higher taxes. I would like to review the unfunded mandates we are required by law to follow. The commission needs to do this with our state representatives so we can determine if we can eliminate or at least modify some of these mandates.

These items may have to be done at the state level. Our state representative can take the items we find back to the state house to get them changed or at least modified to help us out. I would see if we can have the state allocate part of the new gas and diesel tax to the local highway department. The tax money would allow the highway department to lower their request for money from local taxes and free up money for other departments. I would ask the state to give part of the $5 they added to the price of tags and be given to the county court clerks office to offset the cost of that office, thus freeing up more money. Casteel: I think that if we would do our part in recycling, this would help save the need for some of that tax money and create opportunities to make money. We need to restructure our waste system to place less stress on the taxpayers’ pockets. I would also like to see the material suppliers that the county is using. Maybe we can work with surrounding counties to use the same suppliers they do. For example, if Greene, Washington and Hawkins counties use the same suppliers, this could lead to bigger discounts on the things we need. I have firsthand knowledge that suppliers play a large role in the success of business, and if we look at the business aspects of our county, we could do a better job of choosing the best option for quality and quantity while using the model for strategic sourcing. Garcia: In our current commission there is little to no transparency. No one can say what the exact cause of our inefficacy is until there has been a complete review of the past commissions. In short we must begin by initially finding out what time and period the government was solvent and for how long. Then, begin to recognize the fluctuations within each year and you will begin to recognize which decision, strategies or approaches were taken that

began to skew the financial stability of the government. Once you recognize what was done, or what failed to be considered, or why the warnings and red flags were ignored, then you can begin to discuss and plan how to acquire financial stability again. Also, as you find the financial culprit of the crisis relate this to all agencies. I strongly suggest that the findings are made public. It is my strong opinion based on personal observations that there is much negativity in our county among government agencies. This is not good when you work for citizens who are dependent on you for their well-being and welfare, thus, just as the nation’s capital is “draining the swamp” maybe Greene County needs to drain its swamp also. Wells: Everywhere and nowhere, think about that. Schools and roads are two of our biggest expenses. There is a plan proposed to generate efficiency in the schools through consolidation. Under utilization seems to be the problem we face most with schools (paying for more capacity than we need). I have stated previously that I don’t personally agree with the proposed solution to that issue, but I also believe there are other steps we could take to reduce the numbers of schools over time and not be stuck with older buildings in the process. We just need to start closer to the bottom and work our way up to the high school level. I would certainly be open to the guidance of my constituents, if elected, before voting on any plan of that magnitude. When it comes to roads, we need to take a hard look at how the county can continue to maintain the road system we have. We are nowhere near as proactive in road maintenance as we should be. We have an asphalt plant that is underutilized; we basically have a machine we can’t afford to run. We need to look at new ways we can spread the money we have farther. Once again, that is a place where great consideration needs to be made when voting for the leader of that department.

raised. These things will keep us from raising taxes. I am a life long Greene County Republican that was born and raised here. I want what is best for the county and that means better roads, better police and EMS services and most importantly what is best for the kids of this county. This should be the goals as commissioners and citizens of this great county. I strongly believe this can be and will be done. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to state my ideas. First and foremost I want to ask the citizens of the 5th District for their support. Thank you. Casteel: I am a 2000 Graduate of South Greene High School I have lived in 5th Distract for 36 years. I am a 2009 graduate of Tusculum University, with a bachelor’s degree in organizational management. I would like for us to ﬁnd more funding for the EMS and Drug Task Force, and I would like to see more money toward the DARE program in schools. With the current drug epidemic, I believe that it is important to get ahead on instilling drug-free values into our children and educating them about the dangers of drug use. If elected, I would also like to have a quarterly meeting in my district to have the community come to me with any issues or problems they are having. I also want to thank each and every person that is volunteering in our county. I also want to thank you to everyone that has supported me in this journey. I want to also thank the 5th District community for always begin a great community. Garcia: I want to help the residents and the children of Greene County to aspire for a better community. We are in a no grow economy while all around us

other communities are growing by leaps and bounds. I want Greene County to know that I am seeking their trust and that I am willingly to work for their ideals, wishes and desires for a better community just as our constitution demands for every American citizen. It is my hope that what has been discussed and shared can be integrated in the conscience of my county district residents and they can count on my experiences to look after their choices, rights, and will, for I understand how they feel about the current status of our county government because I too have similar feelings of disappointment and frustration. I am conducting a low-budget campaign. I have no volunteers and adhere to no special interest groups but rather rely on God for my success and therefore my alliance is to the people that would give me the chance to be their representative. I stand with a clear conscience that my observations and comments are truthful and my feelings are genuine and from my heart. I do not simply want to just make a change because a change is nothing more than just an excuse or a pretext to hide something. I would rather be recognized as an innovator bringing tangible and qualitative results that beneﬁt as many people as possible. Wells: Greene County is a beautiful home for me. Since the days running on the playground at DeBusk, to later wandering the halls of South Greene and then coming back home to take a job after graduating from the University of Tennessee, Greene County is home. Greene County has been good to me, I hope to return the favor by being good for Greene County. I would greatly appreciate your support and vote in the 5th District.

A brief additional statement, if desired. Carpenter: I would appreciate your vote on May 1 in order to serve each person in the 5th District i.e. Greeneville Middle School, DeBusk, South Greene and Nolachuckey. Thank you for your continued support. Humbert: Being a commissioner means hard work and constant studying and learning. I might not know every detail of these issues, but I ask questions, research and try to get a better understanding of how our government works. I also respect other people in these positions and feel that having a positive, courteous attitude goes a long way in serving others. I have enjoyed meeting many new friends in Greene County and can’t wait to meet many more of you. I ask for your prayers during this election. I invite your readers to connect with me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChanCan2018/#. Remember your vote is your voice and I am happy to be that voice for Greene County! Houser: As a family man having raised five children, I understand the burdens of added taxes and fees and also the frustrations of wasted funds by the government without any fiscal responsibility. I understand the meaning of “living within one’s means.” Don’t spend more than you make! The county officials need to be able to show results for the tax dollars they receive. Shelton: These are just a few of my ideas. There are other things that can be done for this county. There are savings that can be had and money that can be consolidation at this time. I have had children and grandchildren who have been in our county schools as well as in consolidated schools in other states. I have seen little to no meaningful difference in the education. In fact I have seen families move to our area to remove their children from consolidated schools. I am a firm believer that each child has the same opportunity if they want to succeed. If the argument is for a bigger sports team and more technology then yes a consolidated school is the answer. However, a smaller school can provide the opportunity for each teacher to know and recognize the unique gifts of each child. Our current situation is by no means perfect, however the educators know the child by name and not number. The history of our county will also be lost if we consolidate into larger schools. Use the proposed budget and improve our current schools into eco friendly smart technology

schools. Our county should also emphasize the development of a STEM academy much like the one in Knoxville. In our current economy jobs are based around the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math concepts. Providing our children with a better education should be the encouragement of every individual. To attract more opportunities in our community with higher paying jobs and better beneﬁts we must ﬁrst concentrate that our children are ready to compete for those opportunities... Wells: I personally do not support the proposal as it is presented. I am not against improvements to the school system, it is so important for education to be emphasized in our county. Jobs and the economy rely on a well-educated workforce. I would summarize my viewpoint on what needs to be done as “Innovation before renovation.” There can be intermediate steps taken to modernize and streamline

our school system with an eye towards retiring some of the older buildings in the future rather than keeping them up in new roles indeﬁnitely. One possible option is building middle schools for the north and south ends of the county now. This would create opportunities for greater efﬁciency, more site security at the new facilities and a consolidation of the elementary system. It would also allow Greene County to focus on early education, better preparing students for when they do arrive at high school. A by-product of this would also be increased safety, it would be easier to staff SRO’s at fewer buildings. As part of this plan, two new high schools could be planned for future construction, allowing three of the current high schools to be closed instead of repurposed. Chuckey-Doak would transition to a middle school so the older middle school there could be abandoned. I think the public would support an idea like this as part of a larger plan for the school system’s future.

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The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

Josh Kesterson

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

John Squibb Waddle Jr.

Jeffrey Bible

James Secrist

6th District Features Republican, Democrat, Independent Candidates BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER Two Republicans — Jeﬀrey Bible and Josh Kesterson — one Democrat — John Squibb Waddle Jr. — and one independent — James H. Secrist — will seek to fill three seats to represent the 6th Commissioner District. The candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series

of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

KESTERSON Josh Kesterson, 36, 80 Midway Road, Mosheim, is currently a service technician at Heritage Propane. He is also a member of the Midway Volunteer Fire Department. Kesterson has served on the 911 Board of Directors for the

last four years and is a lifetime volunteer fire department member; he has been a member for 20 years and served as chief and in all oﬃces. He was also elected constable in the 6th District before being elected to the county commission. He is married and is currently seek re-election.

WADDLE John Squibb Waddle Jr., 1105 Wilkerson Road, Mosheim, did not respond to the Sun’s questionnaire.

Why are you running for this office? Kesterson: I was born and raised in Greene County. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I want to try to do my part to make Greene County a great place to live work and raise a family. Bible: I want to be the voice of all the people of the 6th District to the Greene County Commission. I would like to see a monthly meeting set up at say a local volunteer fire department so the people of the district could come and talk to their commissioners and tell them how they feel about county business and how they would like to see their county commissioners vote on county matters. I have been a volunteer fireman in Greene County for over 30 years and I want to put that same dedication to work for the fine folks of Greene County as a county commissioner. Secrist: If and when I’m elected as a county commissioner, I will have a check-off list of improvements to the way our county is operating. Following is just a start of the list: Reduce the number of county schools from 16 to 12. Build a new West Greene High School. Build a new Chuckey/Doak Elementary School between Chuckey-Doak Middle and Chuckey-Doak High School. Close four low-attendance elementary schools: Glenwood 177; West Pines 179; Ottway 212; and Camp Creek 277 – a total of 846 students. Fully utilize our remaining schools — four high schools, four middle schools and four elementary schools. Keep our current Tech Center open, but just for juniors and seniors. Donate Camp Creek to children’s home. Convert Glenwood, West Pines and Ottway to senior citizen housing (number of classrooms to number of dual occupancy apartments). Sell any excess land not utilized. Implement (start) school tax of 5 percent to 10 percent of property taxes to fund a special account for construction costs of needed new schools (seniors 62 and above exempt). Reasoning — they have raised their children and grandchildren and they need a break (...)! This would go to pay for a school bond. Strive to join Greeneville City and Greene County Schools to one entity (consolidate schools). Drugs and schools do not mix! Don’t make an “open campus” an opioid clinic out of Greene Valley Developmental Center (just across the road from Chuckey-Doak Middle and Chuckey-Doak High Schools). Make a “closed campus” out of DeBusk Elementary School! Do you think the county needs to increase pay for EMS personnel? If so, how should the county fund an increase? Kesterson: Yes I support a pay raise for the EMS. We as a county have in the past used them as a crutch to balance other budgets by them turning more in at the end of the year than their budget was. So their budget needs to reflect on the revenue they bring in. Bible: I want to see the study that was done on our EMS. If what I hear is true yes the EMS personnel need a pay raise yesterday. I have had the pleasure to work side by side with these fine dedicated men and women for many years. These people pull 24 hour shifts and many days they go without sleep just to help the people of Greene County in their time of need. These great men and women see things day in and day out that you would never want to see or deal with. I want to know why if the EMS brings in thousands of dollars profit to the county each year why some of this money cannot be given back to the EMS for a pay raise? From what I have seen and heard if the county were to go to a private for profit ambulance service the people of Greene County would have to pay more out of pocket for EMS services. You would also lose the dedication these current fine men and women have for Greene County. Secrist: Our EMS’s have to attend a lot of schooling and learning to be a certified EMS medical technician. They put in long hours and average, say $10 an hour. All of our “top” elected officials make seven time that much/with no more work. Just seems a little unfair! I say: Take from “rich” and give to the “poor.” Let’s raise pay for our medical technicians (our lives can actually be in their hands). Reduce our highest paid public servants and pay a more reasonable amount to our medical technicians.

Where do you think the county could be more efficient and save the taxpayers money? Kesterson: I feel in the last four years we have cut the budget to the bone as all of the commissioners and department heads have worked very hard and strived to do a lot with a little. Bible: As in my answers above I would like to see a study done on every county department to look for ways to improve them. Do away with any discretionary, comfort and non-mission critical perks and activities. Gain control of any miscellaneous spending by all departments. Last but not least set goals and make yourself meet those goals. Where I work we have the auto companies for our customers and they expect us to do it better and cheaper every year. I look at the people of Greene County as customers of us the Greene County Commission. They have every right to expect us to all ways look for better ways of doing day to day county business. We all so need to be working overtime to bring business, stores and sit down type restaurants to Greene County. Every dollar in tax money brought in this way is a dollar the Greene County citizens don’t have to come up with out of their own pocket. Secrist: Stop our city mayor and his idea to take the money for the bypass around Greeneville — and use it in improving the Asheville Highway. To solve the problem with the Asheville Highway — 70 South from Main Street to the river bridge — just reduce the speed limit to 45 mph and enforce it. The Asheville Highway has 1/10th the traffic that is on 11E. A bypass would put all the thru traffic — trucks, cars, etc going from Exit 23 I-81 to Johnson City and beyond — off our congested 11E. All of us would benefit with better mileage and shorter trips thru town! An added benefit would be a new area for growth and income from new factories and businesses on the new loop around town! I’ve heard about the new loop around town since 1982 — 36 years and counting! To have the new loop and then having it taken away is a sad outlook on the future!

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BIBLE Jeﬀrey Bible, 51, 215 Arrowhead Loop, Midway, currently works in the logistics department at Huf North America in Greeneville. He is a graduate of West Greene High School. When he graduated he worked for three years for Franklin Furniture running the supply room. He worked for Allen Petroleum for nine years and then went to work for HUF about a year after they opened. He celebrated his 20year anniversary there this year. He is single and has never run

for public oﬃce before.

SECRIST James H. Secrist, 77, 1780 Main Street, Mosheim, is currently retired. He retired after 30 years in Naval Aviation in 1980. He then owned Secrist Inc. in Texas. He unsuccessfully ran for Greene County sheriff in 1989 and for the Greene County Commission in 2014.

Describe your position on school consolidation. If you don’t support it, what would you support to improve county schools? If you do, discuss funding for the $90 million proposal. Kesterson: As a commissioner I have to look at the finance part as the school board members have done voted that they think as a majority that it is the best to have one school but it is the county commission to fund it or not and me personally don’t think the county is in financial shape to fund that at this time but I do think we need to do all we can do to give our children the best education we can possibly give them. Bible: I am all for the kids of Greene County and what we can do to help them. Our children of today will be our leaders of tomorrow. I am against the school consolidation for the following reason. I have asked many people in my district and all but two have said leave the schools alone. My question, even if we could afford $90 million to build a new school not counting the land cost, what would it cost to add some of these needed classes to our current schools? I feel all the people of Greene County should have a vote on something like this that effects more than just the school board members. Secrist: A school with 2,000 plus teenagers would be a disaster! (Just like Florida). If the director of schools really supports this idea, have him take his children out of the city school system and put them in the county system! I do agree that the city schools should allow a parent to transfer a county students to a city school for “higher” learning! — But not for free! If you want your child to attend a city school, you need to pay from $500 to $1,000 per year for that privilege (in lieu of city taxes) per child and furnish transportation to and from school. I will agree that we need to condense our school system from 16 to 12. Our schools need to be centrally located — with one high, one middle and on elementary in four areas for the county — North, South, East and West. 1.) North — around North Greene High School. 2.) South — around South Greene High School. 3.) East — Chuckey-Doak middle/high and new elementary school built between those two schools. 4.) West — Mosheim Elementary — Mosheim Middle (West Greene) and new West Greene High School. Greene County has 6,000 plus students in our school system — with 12 school (fully utilized). This amounts to 500 plus at each school. Four elementary school. Pre-K thru fifth grade. Children ages “average” 4 to 10 years. Four middle schools. Fifth thru eighth grade. Children ages “average” 11 to 14 (...). Four high schools. Ninth thru 12th grade. Young adults “average” 15 to 19 (...). There have been a number of tax and fee increases in the last few years, yet fund balances have been used to balance the budget. Address the deficit and under what circumstances you would support another tax or fee increase. Kesterson: We as a county have almost always took from the fund balance to balance the budget but we have cut that amount tremendously in the last couple of years. Bible: I would like to see a study done of every county department to make sure we are getting our up most bang for each and every tax dollar. We should never stop looking for better ways to do our daily jobs in county service. We are not spending our money but the money of the citizens of Greene County. We as elected officials have a responsibility to spend every tax dollar wisely and to the best of our ability. I would like to see each years current budget posted on the county web site to make it easy for anyone to see. That way you would know how much the total budget is for the current year and where your money is going. Also you would know how much each department received if they come back to the commission needing more money that same year. Last the only way I would support another tax or fee increase is it would have to a dire emergency to the county or supported by a majority of the people in the 6th district. Secrist: First, off the bat we as citizens need to know that we no longer have any say if the county commissioners decide to raise our taxes. That was taken away from us by our elected officials having the state to change the law when they raised our wheel taxes! We need to get that changed back, so the general public can vote a yes or no on election day! Second, we need to implement (...) a term limit on county commissioners — two terms and you remove yourself from the position. After four years you can run again! We have seven precincts, three commissioners in each for a total of 21. Each election, seven would rotate off and seven new would be elected. New members with new ideas. New blood to take our county forward. (...) The ideal situation would be to have two year terms — not four year terms. That would totally change our commissioners every six years. Third as for taxes. I’m all in favor of starting a school construction tax of from 5-10 percent of your property taxes (voted on by the general public) and that money deposited to a school building construction fund and to use money out of our fund balance. (Seniors 62 and above would be exempt from these taxes.) Nathan Holt — our tax assessor could tabulate how much money would bring in! Fourth, why not just raise our sales tax by one-fourth of 1 percent and make it an even 10 percent— that everyone pays!

A brief additional statement, if desired. Kesterson: I want to thank my family for standing behind me and understanding the time I spend away from home as a current county commissioner and every vote is very appreciated. Bible: Just a little more background on me. I am born and raised in Greene County. I have lived in Greene County all my life. I have never been married and don’t have any kids. I started my volunteer ﬁre department service way back in 1986 when i joined Midway Volunteer Fire Department. I served as assistant chief of Midway VFD for four years. I then joined the Mosheim Volunteer Fire Department and I am still a proud member there today. I served as lieutenant/safety ofﬁcer for the Mosheim VFD for several years. I served as the secretary for the Greene County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments for four years. After that I served as the treasurer for the Greene Association of Volunteer Fire Departments for six years. I am also a former member of the United Volunteer Fire Department. In closing I would like to add I will not say I have all the answers but that I will listen. I would be honored to have your support and to serve the people of Greene County. I respectfully ask for your vote in the upcoming election. Secrist: Citizens get out and vote. If you’re against one school for 2,000 students — ask your commissioner if he or she supports your wishes. If not, vote against them. Let’s get new blood, new ideas, and get rid of the yes men and women. Let’s get some growth started in Greene County. Get out and vote.

The Greeneville Sun

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Butch Patterson

Paul Burkey

Teddy Lawing

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

April Harmon Lane

Page 21

Peter Higgins

Republicans, Democrat Compete For 7th District Commissioner Seats BY NICK SHEPHERD STAFF WRITER There will be five candidates looking to fill three seats for the 7th Commissioner District. Those candidates include four Republican candidates — Butch Patterson, Paul Burkey, Teddy Lawing and April Harmon Lane — and one Democratic candidate, Peter Higgins. The candidates recently responded to questions from The Greeneville Sun about their campaigns. The following provides biographical information about each candidate and their responses to a series of questions. Early voting begins on April 11 and runs through April 26. Party primaries will be held on May 1 and the general election will be Aug. 2.

PATTERSON Butch Patterson, 48, 102 Alderman Drive, Greeneville, is currently the recreation director

for the town of Greeneville. He has served in that role for the last 21 years. Before that, he was the director for the town of Rogersville for four years. He is also a referee for high school and college basketball as well as high school football. Patterson is engaged and was elected in 2014 and as a commissioner has served on the budget and finance, education, road and highway committees and the library board.

BURKEY Paul Burkey, 58, 2718 Warrensburg Road, Greeneville, is currently a business manager. He retired as a Navy captain after a 27 year career as a naval intelligence oﬃcer. He returned to Greene County in 2008 and has worked as a business manager for a consulting firm providing advisory and assistance services to the Department of Defense and other agencies. He is married and was elected

Why are you running for this ofﬁce? Patterson: I want to continue to try to make this community the best possible place to live that we can. I want to improve the educational opportunities for our students so that they are better prepared for the demands they face. I want to help with our infrastructure issues that we face in our many old buildings, improve funding for roads, replace aging vehicle force for both solid waste and EMS. I want to improve our opportunities for job development thru the career center and school systems. Burkey: I am running for re-election because I think I can apply a lifetime of leadership experience to connect vision with practical, realistic execution to move the county forward. I especially want to represent the interests of my constituents in the 7th district. I am pro-growth and pro-education. The two go hand in hand as education is the foundation of prosperity and prosperity is motivation for better education. They are also necessary to tackle some of the problems we’re facing as communities. I am especially concerned about the school board-approved recommendation to close Glenwood Elementary, the only Greene County Schools presence in the 7th District. That would be neither pro-growth nor pro-education for those I represent. In fact, it would be devastating for the community where our school anchors both our identity and our focus. While it is true that the Greene County School System does not have a speciﬁed responsibility to support communities, community health and well-being are right smack in the middle of my job description as a commissioner. From where I sit, it appears that the plan is to trade the costs of running Glenwood, Camp Creek and West Pines for a mortgage payment on a new high school. I will do what I can to strengthen the communities of the 7th District, which includes keeping Glenwood open. Lawing: I have lived and worked in Greene County my entire life in public service positions. I admire and appreciate the people of Greene County and want to try and make Greene County government better for the people. I believe there are several changes that need to be made in the way Greene County government operates. I have been asked my opinion about several important issues that affect Greene County and my answer is that the people’s opinion is what is important. I want to represent the wishes of the people and if elected, vote their opinion. I think that when we talk about raising taxes or fees, it should be a well thought out process where we are proactive and not reactive to the issues involved, and the people should have the opportunity to vote in a non-binding referendum as to the people’s wishes. Lane: While working with the groups I do, and seeing people struggle, I have developed a desire to help my community. I believe my experiences and education will be an asset to the county commission and to the community. Higgins: I’ve always wanted to be involved: to have a voice in making the tough decisions the commission has to make, to be the voice of citizens surrounding me expressing concern over the results of the decisions currently being made. I aim to bring openness and accountability to every decision made. I believe my youthful perspective and objectivity would be an asset to the commission, and to Greene County.

in 2014. During that time, he has served on the Greeneville-Greene County Airport Authority.

LAWING Teddy L. Lawing, 48, 409 N. Hardin St., Greeneville, is currently a deputy with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department and is assigned to South Greene High School as a school resource officer. He began his employment at Greene Valley Developmental Center as a developmental technician. He then moved to GCSD as a transport officer and a court officer. He moved to the Greeneville Police Department where he served as a patrolman, detective and then patrol captain. Lawing returned to GCSD as a part-time court officer and later a full-time corrections officer. He has worked as deputy director of the Greeneville/Greene County Emergency Management Agency, on the flight line for

Greeneville Aviation Services and currently works part-time for Staples as a computer technician. He is married and has never sought public oﬃce before.

LANE April Harmon Lane, 36, 200 Mayor Ave., Greeneville, is currently the administrative assistant for the TRIO programs (Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math and Science and Talent search) at Tusculum College. She also volunteers for the Tusculum College Veteran Services Greene Zone program and is a mentor for the Tennessee Achieves Program for Greeneville High School and homeschool students. Before that, she worked for Blackburn, Childers and Steagall, certified public accountants. Lane graduated from South Greene High School in 1999. She received a Master of Arts degree in education with an emphasis in human resource development

from Tusculum College. She also received a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational/financial management from Tusculum and an associate degree in business management from Walters State Community College. This is her first time seeking public oﬃce.

HIGGINS Peter Higgins, 38, 411 W. Church St., Greeneville, is currently the lead software engineer for Leaf Group. In the past, he has worked several jobs ranging from delivering The Greeneville Sun to retail clerk to contractor labor. Higgins attended Tusculum College for computer science and has made his career out of technology, ranging in jobs from web developer to architectural lead for large scale projects and managing teams of developers across the country. He is married and has never sought public oﬃce before.

Describe your position on school consolidation. If you don’t support it, what would you support to improve county schools? If you do, discuss funding for the $90 million proposal. Patterson: I feel that we need to look strongly at school consolidation for a variety of reasons. We currently rank 114th out of 134 in local funding from tax payers. We are about $1,000 below the state average in per pupil spending. We currently are not even able to offer the same classes at all four high schools or an adequate amount of AP courses. For example South Greene offers 60 classes and three AP courses while Chuckey-Doak offers 72 classes and seven AP courses. With more stringent state and federal requirements students are not as flexible to take as many career tech classes at vocational school. We need these classes on campus and more available because every student is not going to college. The kids coming out of high school today are competing against every kid coming from all our surrounding counties for spots in schools and jobs. Its not fair to them that we don’t provide a level playing field for them to compete. We have also lost $3.5 million in state funds due to declining enrollment and are expecting to lose another $2 million in next five years. That forces decisions of either combine schools are have more funding to maintain what we have. Burkey: I oppose the currently approved school board consolidation plan. While I agree that Greene County Schools need better programming and instruction to turn out more well-educated and high performing citizens for our future, this plan presents a false choice that sacrifices too many of the good features our system has now in return for too little. This plan abandons the community-based K-8 elementary school format, for larger, consolidated middle schools that draw from distant communities. In doing so, we risk students arriving in high school with less social connection and not as intellectually ready to excel at the college prep and career training education that we are trying to achieve. The Cooperative Strategies study was chartered as a facilities study to determine how to save money on facilities so that those savings could be applied to better programming with fewer staff. Because we asked for a facilities solution, we got two facilities options with estimated costs. That’s a 20th century solution to a 21st century problem. I never saw a cost estimate on an option

that included state-of-the-art teleconferencing in our current schools with remote two-way video interaction without building entire new buildings. I never saw a cost estimate for block-scheduling alternatives (e.g. A-B blocking) or even the comparative costs of keeping or increasing teacher quality. This is not about avoiding spending another dime on education and asking the schools to excel; it’s about investing the right amounts in the right things to get the outcomes we desire. Lawing: I strongly oppose the school consolidation proposal. The Greene County Board of Education (which are elected by the people) employ the director of schools to run the school system. The board of education, following the advice and counsel of the director of schools have the sole responsibility of deciding which schools to close, newly build or consolidate. The Greene County Commission, decides based on the people opinions, how to fund those recommendations. Since being assigned to South Greene High School as a school resource ofﬁcer, I see the kids on a daily basis. We all want students to excel in life and have the very best education and start in life possible. I also see the struggles kids have. The substandard housing, the fact that some kids only get nutritional food while they are at school and the need that many kids have for a mentor. I also see the faculty and staff at my school and the dedication and love for these kids that they exhibit. I think that the principals, teachers and staff know what is best for kids, and we should look at our local educators to develop a plan for bettering our schools. (...) There are deﬁnitely changes for the better that need to be made but not consolidating schools and losing our small teacher student ratio. Our kids need the advantage of small classrooms. The Greene Technology Center is an excellent resource that is currently under used. (...) Students (...) are now excelling and offer excellent salaries... Lane: Most people I have spoken with are against a one school consolidation for the four high schools. I am in agreement with them. I would rather see a consolidation with two new high schools. I believe for several reasons that Greene County is too large in land area

to be successful with one large high school. First, because of Greene County’s size, students would have to spend a great deal longer on buses. Second, one large high school would have around 2,000 students, compared to GHS, which only has 861 enrolled students. Third, although change is hard, and most people are against it, I believe that it is a good thing. With two new larger high schools future students could be offered a variety of classes which could include but not be limited to: CTE (career and technical education) classes, honors, AP (advanced placement), focus credit courses, and expanded electives. These classes would expose students to more options. A fourth reason is the overwhelming burden our aging school buildings are putting on the county. Yes, consolidation will be expensive, but I feel that the county will save money in the long run with the new schools. In 20 years the new high schools will only be 20 years old, but the other school buildings will be over 40 years old, adding nothing but constant upkeep and repairs. Without a good educational system, our county will not be able to provide qualified personnel to the industries we are in need of. Higgins: On paper the consolidation makes fiscal sense, and is the right decision. In the real world consolidation would be disruptive and worrisome. Initially, I was in favor of a twoschool consolidation, if not based entirely on the geography of Greene County. Travel times and community anchor points are compelling arguments, but it also must remain fiscally viable. If enrollment falls below a threshold, we lose too much funding. If we lose too much funding, we have to make up the difference in taxes (or close schools). Education should be our highest priority, and I’d love to see all the schools brought up to a standard that would match the proposed single school offering — but that would cost. The painful truth of the matter is the choice ultimately becomes “do we raise taxes to cover a single school” versus “do we raise taxes to adequately fund our existing schools”, and “which will require less of an increase, or have better longterm savings”, because either way our children deserve the best possible educational opportunity we can muster.

Do you think the county needs to increase pay for EMS personnel? If so, how should the county fund the increase? Patterson: Yes I do agree EMS personnel needs the salary adjusted. These folks have to attend college and have numerous hours of continuing education each year to perform their jobs as EMT or paramedic. They often face life or death decisions and often work in very high pressure situations. They should be making more than $8.73 as an EMT and $9.21 as a paramedic. The citizens fully expect a trained, efﬁcient and quick response time from EMS. Currently the funding for EMS doesn’t cost the Greene County tax payer one dime, the funding comes thru the payments from the charges to the client that is paid by insurance companies. That could change at any point if the federal government ever made changes to Medicare etc. If that happens then to continue it another revenue stream would be required. Burkey: Our EMS system requires highly trained and highly motivated personnel. In Northeast Tennessee, the market is deciding what the value of a trained, motivated EMS technician is. If we want to recruit, hire and retain quality EMS personnel, we need to respond to that market. If we’re paying below

market prices, we’re going to struggle to keep good folks. I don’t know where that value is exactly, but, based on what I’ve read and heard, we are probably paying in the low end of that market. EMS is already a revenue generator for the county. We recently took some steps to ensure the EMS could keep some of that revenue for long term needs. We might be able to get some more funding from increased user fees for certain discretionary services EMS provides or work harder to get state grant money for equipment. If neither of those work, we’re back to more traditional sources. Lawing: Yes, I think that EMS along with county law enforcement and county teachers are not paid within pay scale ranges of surrounding counties, and we lose a lot of experienced personnel. I think that EMS needs to be evaluated and changes made involving employee shift schedules. Currently our EMS personnel work 24 hour shifts and overtime pay is required because of the amount of call volume. I think that with 8 or 12 hour shifts and having the experienced, well trained people in place to work them, we could see a savings in overtime pay and still be able to

provide better pay for each employee. Lane: Greene County absolutely needs to increase the pay for EMS personnel. This is a physically strenuous and stressful job, which sometimes involves life-or-death situations. They need to be paid for their worth. The 2016 median pay in the U.S. for an EMT was $15.71. The current starting pay in Greene County for an AEMT (advanced emergency medical technician) is only $8.62, and $10.25 for paramedics. We need to make the effort to find the money for this increase, even if it means cutting funds from other departments. Another option could be to write for grant funding. Either way, we need to make this happen. Higgins: Absolutely. The current rates are insulting, made evident by our inability to retain personnel. Anybody responsible for life and death split decisions and being first responders deserves proper compensation. Allowing EMS to keep their revenue will likely solve their issue, but leaves the budget with a gap that needs filled. So more tough decisions SEE EMS ON PAGE 22

Page 22

The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, April 7, 2018

7th District Commissioners Race Responses Continued ... There have been a number of tax and fee increase in the last few years, yet fund balances have been used to balance the budget. Address the deficit and under what circumstances you would support another tax or fee increase. Patterson: Four years ago this commission inherited a financial mess, things had been put off and debt kicked down the road. We spent money repairing buildings that had long been overdue needing repair such as the courthouse. We had less than $1 million in fund balance and was in debt to the tune of $32 million. By making the decisions we have we now have a fund balance of over $3 million and have cut our debt down to $25 million. We have refinanced debt to save the county money in the long run. We was not at the state comptrollers level of fund balance requested and now we are. Most people don’t realize that the state can step in and raise taxes if you are not in good standing. Burkey: A county government gets revenue mostly from taxes (like property taxes, wheel taxes, sales taxes and others), but also some from usage fees (like EMS payments, court fees, fines, marriage licenses) and state/federal payments for various purposes (like specified grants, contracted prisoner boarding fees and others). Unlike a family, if the county needs more money, it cannot go get a second job. Even if we never hire another employee, inflation

will inevitably increase our costs just like it does for everyone else. Tennessee requires that we pass balanced budgets and that a significant part of county services (election office, highway department, sheriff’s department and schools) maintain a level of effort, which means you cannot cut them very much. First, the commission should examine changes to usage fees which would increase the burden on those who choose a given service and we could consider a few position reductions in offices where it’s allowed and is practical. However, that won’t solve the deficit and it would reduce the excellent level of service we have come to appreciate. Second, the government departments need to continue their frugal management which already results some savings every year. They could also dig harder for additional grants. Third, I would encourage citizens to shop in Greene County. The extra sales tax you spend here would off-set the need to increase other taxes. If all those don’t work, we are back looking at more traditional taxing actions. Lawing: I do not think that anyone would disagree that we have to live within our means. Every household has a budget and a set amount of money

to fund that budget. As a household, we do not have the option of raising more funds other than asking our bosses for a raise. I think that when the commission asks the people to raise taxes or fees, they are in reality asking their bosses (the people) for a raise. I think that before any tax increase or fee increase they must be looked at very carefully and be proactive and not reactive. I think that we need to look at the future and have a plan in place for the next 5 to 10 years. If we absolutely must raise taxes, the people should be able to vote in a non-binding referendum as to whether they wish to fund the increase or not. I believe for the past several years, we have been in a quagmire, limping down the road on a flat tire with the three others losing pressure, but we are just fixing the flat. Lane: The current Greene County deficit is around $939,000. Both property taxes and the wheel tax have increased in the past few years, yet we still have a deficit. Tennessee has one of the lowest median property tax rates in the United States, with only nine states collecting a lower median property tax than Tennessee. Greene County’s current property tax rate is $1.9731, while the

highest in the state is Williamson County, coming in at $2.15. Greene County is due for another property tax reappraisal in 2018. Although I do not support another tax increase for the citizens of Greene County in 2018 and I am not honestly sure how all the money has been distributed from the last one, I believe there is no way to avoid an increase. Higgins: The current commission has done a tremendous job reducing our debt liability through the thankless task of raising our taxes. Many of the painful fee increases are from the state, beyond the control of the commission. I’ve not met anyone unwilling to weather a tax increase if that increase translates to measurable quality of life improvements: You get what you pay for. I would support any tax and fee increase that has overwhelming public support. No one has said to me EMS doesn’t deserve a raise. No one has said the convenience centers should have shorter hours. No one has said we should spend less on road maintenance. The decisions have to be made, but they have to be made with consideration as to who they impact and who they actually beneﬁt.

Where do you think the county could be more efﬁcient and save the taxpayers money? Patterson: We here all the time about waste I feel however that the departments do a good job of not wasting money. Most of our ofﬁces have less people working in them than the surrounding counties. Our employees in most cases are at best average or below the surrounding counties and have only had two raises in the last 13 years contrary to what most people think that they receive one every year. Nobody wants to have their taxes raised and always say they pay too much but the don’t want any services cut. Just like in the past 10 years prices have went up for everyone in their daily life from insurance, materials, fuel, utilities, repairs, etc., it also has on the county in its operation just the same. We rank in the top 50 percent out of 95 counties in household income but rank 81 out of 95 in property tax rate. The surrounding neighbor counties that are higher Hawkins $2.53, Cocke $2.50, Unicoi $2.68, Grainger $2.50, Carter $2.27 are just a few that are much higher. The bottom line is if you want services then you have to pay for them and that takes money to provide them. You either pay for them or cut them no other option. Burkey: A county government,

just like any other form of government, is a tool the people use to do things. It is designed to do some things well and may not be the right tool for other things. Over the years, long before I was around, we decided that a county government should provide schools, law enforcement, highway maintenance, solid waste, court functions and other administrative services. It’s not a good tool for raising our children, taking care of our neighbors, settling simple disagreements peaceably among ourselves, keeping drugs out of our families, and growing faith in our churches and communities. Someone has to do that but that’s our job as citizens. When we ask the county government tool to do something it’s not meant to do, we get inefﬁciency. So, volunteer more, team with our teachers to make education a continuum between home and school, ﬁnd something you like to do and give back to your community, pick up the trash along the road near where you live, don’t throw trash along the road where you don’t live. If we all do that enough, we may not need to spend as much money asking the county to do those things for us. Lawing: I will ask questions of all department heads, study the current budget and look for ways to save money and/or

improve efficiency. It seems when something is needed or a pay raise is requested, money comes from somewhere. I am interested to learn where somewhere is. There are several areas that I want to explore as to making them more efficient but the most common conservations that I have had while out talking to the people is the convenience centers. I think that the commission needs ask the people what is most convenient to them and make the convenience centers convenient. I think that once the best hours of operations are determined and set in place, they need to be maintained. Lane: I think the county could be more efficient by reducing wasteful and duplicate spending where necessary. I have been asked if both a county attorney and a county HR director are both necessary. I have since found out that the HR director cannot hire or terminate people and is mainly there for prevention of lawsuits. I thought like many other citizens that lawsuits were handled by the county attorney. These seem like an expensive duplication of services. Another way to add efficiency could be to cut or change the hours of the convenience centers to better suit the needs of the citizens. Thirdly, I do not agree with the current mayor’s agenda to

How To Register To Vote In Future Elections All qualified citizens have the right to vote in national, state and local elections after registering to vote. A qualified citizen is one who is at least 18, has been a resident of the jurisdiction in which he/she wishes to vote for at least 20 days and is registered with the election commission in the county of residence. Convicted felons are prohibited from voting unless they successfully petition to have their voting right restored. To remain a registered voter, one must vote in at least one election every four years. Residents of Greene County may register at the Greene County Election Commission Oﬃce, 218 N. Main St., Suite 1 Greeneville, TN 37745, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The telephone number is 423-798-1715. First-time voters must register with the election commission 30 days prior to an election. In Tennessee, any registered voter may vote in either a Democrat or Republican primary, regardless of the voter’s party preference or aﬃliation.

NATIONAL/STATE VOTING National and state general elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. In presidential election years, primaries are held on the first Tuesday in February. The Democrat and Republican parties in Greene County may choose to hold their primaries on the same date. Federal and state Democrat and Republican party primary elections are held in August on the same dates. The county primaries are conducted in May in even-numbered years. Registered voters in Tennessee are required to show government-issued photo identification in order to cast a ballot at the polls. Acceptable forms of ID include a Tennessee driver’s license with a photo, U.S.

passport, photo ID from the federal government, U.S. military ID or a gun permit card with a photo. The law applies only to those voting at polling places. It does not apply to absentee ballots, or those voting at licensed nursing homes.

LOCAL ELECTIONS Greene County holds a general election on the first Thursday in August in even-numbered years. At that time, county school board members are elected to four-year terms in alternating years, as are other countywide or districtwide oﬃces. Municipal elections in Greene County’s towns are non-partisan. Following is information on elections in municipalities: Greeneville: Since 2015, the elections are held in August to coincide with the Greene County General Election. In odd-numbered years, two aldermen for the 1st Ward and a water commissioner are elected; in even-numbered years, two aldermen for the 2nd Ward and the mayor are elected. The 1st Ward is north of Church Street, and the 2nd Ward is south of Church Street. During each election, one or more school board members are also elected. The Greeneville Board of Education has five members, each elected to a four-year term. In one year, two school board members are elected from the 1st Ward. During the next year, two school board members are elected from the 2nd Ward. In the following

year, one at-large school board member also is elected. Baileyton: Coordinated with Greene County general elections, Baileyton municipal elections are held on the first Thursday in August of even-numbered years. Baileyton has a mayor and four aldermen, each serving a four-year term. In even-numbered years when the mayor and two aldermen are not up for election, the town’s other two aldermen are elected. Mosheim: Mosheim has a mayor and four aldermen. A mayor and two aldermen are elected in June of odd-numbered years and serve fouryear terms. In odd-numbered years when the mayor and two of the aldermen are not up for election, the town’s other two aldermen are elected to serve four-year terms. Tusculum: Municipal elections in Tusculum are held every two years on the first Tuesday in November in odd-numbered years. One commissioner is elected in one election, and two commissioners are elected in the next election. Each serves a four-year term. The commissioners elect one of their own as mayor. Bulls Gap: The town, located in Hawkins County, elects a mayor and four aldermen to two-year terms every November. Municipal elections are held with the general election.

EARLY VOTING Registered voters may cast their ballots early (in person) during the period that extends from 20 days before an election to five days before an election.

VOTING BY MAIL Registered voters may vote by mail instead when certain conditions are met. Voting by mail must be requested in writing. Any registered voter over the age of 65 or who will be traveling outside the area during

the early voting period may vote by mail using an absentee ballot. In addition, certain other registered voters may vote absentee by mail: persons who are on jury duty on election day, candidates in the election, election oﬃcials, election commission employees and people who observe a religious holiday during the early voting period and on election day. Registered voters may also vote absentee if they are hospitalized, ill or physically disabled or are caretakers for such a person. Military personnel and students attending accredited colleges and universities in other counties or states may also vote by absentee ballot. If voting by mail, a citizen must send a request no more than 90 days and no fewer than seven days before the election.

ELECTION COMMISSION Donna Burgner is the administrator of elections for the Greene County Election Commission. The election commission’s chairman is Peggy McCamey (R). Secretary and members of the commission are: William West (D), Ben Hankins (D), Charles Johnson (R) and Latasha Keller (R). The Democrat and Republican parties nominate commission members every two years. Their names are then submitted to the Tennessee Election Commission, which makes the appointments. The political party to which three of the five commissioners belong will be the party with the majority in the state legislature. There are three Republicans and two Democrats currently serving as election commissioners. The election commission oﬃce is located at 218 N. Main St., Suite 1 Greeneville, TN 37745. The oﬃce phone number is 798-1715 or 798-1716.

give the budget director a $22K raise. Currently, the budget director currently makes $66,500 per year, and he is not an elected official. Finally, the county commission needs to come together to approve a budget for the upcoming 2018-2019 fiscal year that will be beneficial to Greene County, and will not increase the deficit. Higgins: I’m a fan of things that pay for themselves. There are a range of future-thinking things the county could invest in for longterm savings from utilizing solar to updated lighting. A full-time grant writer would likely result in net gain. I’d like to explore the idea of waste bounty system to encourage innovation from within the departments themselves to find cost cutting measures. Though it is popular to claim gross governmental waste, no one seems to be able to pinpoint any single offender. The various departments all wish they had more money to provide more services. Being open and honest about spending and better showcasing the services they do provide would go a long way towards fixing the negative perception. People don’t seem to mind spending when it translates into more services or better quality of life for everyone.

A brief additional statement, if desired. Patterson: Greene County is a great place to live and we can make it better but we have to invest in our future to grow. We have only built one new school in the past 35 years. Our highway department is under funded for the 1,218 miles of roads we have which ranks the second most in the state. We are under funded in our school system that’s evident. So this county has a choice we make sacrifices and we grow or we keep going down the path we are and remain on a path where we don’t have what others do. Its simple if we want what everybody around us in surrounding counties have we have to be willing to do what they are doing, we cannot expect to have everything if we are not willing to pay for it. Burkey: Being on the county commission is a team sport. There are 21 commissioners and no one of us can do things alone. I want to promote actions to tackle tough issues and strive to persuade my fellow commissioners to do what seems best. Lawing: If elected, I will vote the way the citizens of the 7th District wish. I will not vote my personal opinion nor will I go with the crowd. I will review every item that I vote on, I will never go into a meeting to vote that I do not understand what I am voting on. If I do not understand what the issue is, I will ask questions until I do. I will keep the citizens informed on what is coming up to vote and ask as many people as I can what they want. Lane: I would like to see Greene County and Greeneville city come together to continue the improvements of downtown Greeneville. I believe a thriving downtown area plays a critical role in increasing tourism and profits for both city and county businesses. I also want to see stricter penalties and fines for animal cruelty violators. In addition, I believe we need to work on getting the county’s opioid problem under control. I believe I can use my education and experiences to make Greene County a thriving place to live again. I am available at any time to speak directly to the citizens of Greene County to address their questions and concerns. I want to thank you ahead of time for your support and vote in the 7th District.

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need to be made. Cuts to be found, or alternate revenue sources. Better participation from commissioners in budget and finance committee meetings would be a great first step to identifying cost-saving cuts, or at the least foster the discussion that provides the accountability and thoughtfulness as to where our tax dollars are going. Tangentially, I’d like to see better support for our many volunteer fire departments as well for the same reasons.

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Saturday, April 7, 2018

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The Greeneville Sun Election Edition

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Readers Vote Voters Read If you’re looking to connect with voters... 84% of Democratic, 83% of Republican and 81% of Independent voters regularly read newspapers in print or online. Impressive online response! 51% of voters rate local newspaper websites as reliable, accurate and in-depth for local political/civic issues. That’s more than all other websites. Now, as mobile usage emerges, 58% of voters who use mobile devices for political information use newspaper sources for that news. Seniority counts! The most reliable voting bloc, seniors, are frequent and regular newspaper readers - a whopping 84%. Surprise! 79% of young voters, 18-34, read a newspaper in print or online at least once a week. Even on mobile devices, young voters turn to newspaper sources Àrst for campaign and election news. When it comes to reliable, accurate and in-depth information about local politics, and ALL politics are LOCAL, newspapers - print and online - rank #1. Source: Moore Information (January 2012), American Voter Media Use

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