From time to time, questions come in asking for elaboration on a position I’ve taken. I’m always happy to answer and I’ve decided to post the responses here for all to see:
1.) Where must I live in order to vote for 1st District Allen County Commissioner?
A.) Anywhere in Allen County! In order to ensure geographic diversity among representatives to the Board of Commissioners, a commissioner must reside in one of three districts and only one commissioner is elected per district. However, commissioners are elected at-large, meaning that all voters vote for all three commissioners.
2.) On my support for a single county executive system in Allen County:
Q: I’m a little concerned with your “single executive” stand. Do you feel all 92 counties should do that or only the large ones?
A: I worked in the Allen County Commissioners’ Office for 5 years. I saw a lot of potential for what the Commissioners could accomplish and how a lot of that potential got lost in a uniquely Allen County problem. I do not think a single county executive system fits everyone. But we have a problem here in Allen County with a Commissioner system that fights the Fort Wayne Mayor at every turn over every issue. We have a problem with a Commissioner system that puts the brakes on when speed is of the essence. House Bill 1362, which predated the Kernan-Shepard Study, gives local communities a mechanism by which to reorganize to fit their own needs. I think we should do that without applying a solution statewide. Let’s fix OUR problem without breaking the rest of Indiana. There are perhaps a half-dozen counties in the state that want a single-county executive system. But in counties where the population ratio is probably opposite of that in Allen County (more rural than urban), there is a downside to single county executive.
3.) On my belief that we should pursue meaningful consolidation of support functions, including transportation departments:
Q: I pay additional taxes to receive additional services. I do NOT want to see my services reduced if I now have to share with the County and their taxpayers who are not paying for the same service. Therefore, if there are operational and management streamlines between the two that’s great, but I will NOT be happy if in the name of efficiency, I pay the same and get less. I am very happy with level of services I am receiving from the City’s street department as it currently operates.
A: I would never suggest one unit of government’s service providers subsidizing another. What I would suggest is that they do not need to operate as separate entities. Obviously Allen County puts a set amount of money into its transportation budget and that is what it is going to spend. That is the service level it is going to provide. But does it go farther if the county perhaps eliminates one of its maintenance barns and consolidates those resources into Fort Wayne facilities (or even those of another municipality, like New Haven). We as taxpayers fund completely separate entities operating without regard to one another in a county big enough to get the job done with one department that everyone pays into. One place to call, one place setting priorities, one place putting out information about schedules and road conditions. I think everyone gets more out of their highway budget if they share the backend functions and – perhaps – shares a management team, similar to the Homeland Security leadership arrangement Fort Wayne and Allen County found a way to agree on.
More importantly than “Should we consider this?” is the question, “Don’t we HAVE to?” With every annexation by the City of Fort Wayne, Allen County has lost revenue that goes toward maintaining roads and running a highway department. If Allen County government wants to continue providing the same transportation value it has in the past, I think it must find a way to economize somewhere other than in the number of people is has available to do the job.