Money on the minds of county candidates
Published 2:35 pm Thursday, August 9, 2012
Money, money, money.
It appears like taxes, budget and finances will be key for the candidates running for the Mower County Board of Commissioners.
The Herald emailed questionnaires to the six candidates seeking two seats on the Mower County Board. Most, in some way, talked about county spending and the budget in their responses.
District 2 candidate Bryan Young said he’d be determined to spend taxpayer money diligently and only where necessary.
“Taxation is an infringement on our liberty,” he wrote. “We should be free to spend our hard-earned money as we see fit.”
With the state expected to cut about $400,000 in County Program Aid from Mower County, District 1 candidate James Williams said it’s important for counties to hold the state accountable for cuts and reductions.
District 2 incumbent Ray Tucker said one of his key goals is efficiency.
“My No. 1 goal is to continue to work hard to make county government efficient and to hold cost in check,” he wrote.
Paul Fischer, a candidate in District 1, said people shouldn’t automatically assume cuts are the answer.
“I do not think hastily making cuts or cutting programs is the answer, but budgeting the money available to us in a better, more manageable and cost effective way would make more sense,” he said in his emailed response.
Likewise, District 2 candidate Polly Glynn said she plans to approach the job with an open mind, not making decisions about what to cut until she’s entrenched in the job. Glynn also talks about her experience in the financial field, as the former president of a bank.
District 1 incumbent Tim Gabrielson said he wants to work hard to bring well-paying jobs into the county.