Election 2018

NSP Q&A: Scott County Supervisor candidates, part 2

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Scott County Supervisor candidates joined more than 50 voters for a Sept. 20 NSP forum. NSP Assistant Editor Mark Ridolfi moderated the forum and presented questions from readers and North Scott High School FFA students.

Candidates were encouraged to be concise, but had no time limits.

The result was more of a conversation than debate. This report is compiled from audio recording and is edited for clarity and brevity. Supervisor candidate Carla Williams was unable to attend, but took the same questions in a separate interview. Her answers are included.

NSP Q&A: Supervisors Part 1

Q: Supervisors are a team of managers. What will be your role on this team? What background and experience will help define the role you would play?

WEBSTER: This is exactly the way these boards work. They are teams. It doesn’t matter Republicans or Democrats. When you have a disagreement, you need to be able to voice it to other supervisors and articulate to them why this particular ordinance needs to be changed or modified based on the constituents you represent. I do this very well at the city of Bettendorf. … A lot of council members say we talk to each other more than we ever used to. That’s because if something comes up and it’s wrong, I call them. You have be able to articulate that without insulting them. If you continue to insult them and bring Washington politics to the Scott County board, you’re not going to get anyone convinced that the problem needs to be solved.

It’s about working as as team, articulating your problems to them and getting them to compromise.

WILLIAMS: It’s a lot like what I do as a mental health therapist. It’s a lot of listening. That’s key to everything we do. If you’re a better listener, the better you can come into people’s worlds, undertand them and help come up with better solutions.

KINZER: When you sit on any board, any council, you’re a team player. That doesn’t mean we’ve done a very good job of checking our partisanship at the door and working for the better for Scott County.

You take the issues that come before you and you look at them.
… I have a very good relationship with supervisor Diane Holst… We’ve reached out and voted on issues together. We’ve collaborated on issues together. I collaborate with the rest of my board members. But nothing can move forward unless you come to a consensus. You have to do that.
I think this board has shown we’re not in lockstep by any means, but we certainly have discussions and when we vote our votes have shown we’ve moved on. If it’s a 3-2 vote, that’s how it goes and we move on.

CROKEN: I think the opportunity for me to contribute is around my experience with large enterprises management. I’ve spent 15 years with the IBM corporation. I spent 15 years with Genesis Health System and a number of other very large organizations with very large budgets. …I have extensive experience in both economic development and market development.

… So I know how to grow markets and develop the economy.
Also, as a communications strategist, I think that might be the area I can be most effective. Communication has not been the strong suit of the county board. I would like to think I can help make that connection a lot stronger.

Finally, my experience in health care will be very helpful going forward.

KIRK: I started off as a young man knowing what it means to be part of team and being a leader in a team. I enjoyed being part of the U.S. Marine Corps, which is a nice group to be a part of.

Also while serving with Federal Express and being able to manage managers, and being able to use processes to solve problems.

… I’ve served on many boards. Gov. Vilsack appointed me to be part of the Board of Parole. I’ve served on Q-C Interfaith board, on which I was president; NAACP, I was president of that as well.

Presently, I’m serving on the National Baptist Convention USA Inc., representing about eight million members. I serve as vice president of that board.

So I’ve work on boards large and small, all trying to work together, being a leader.

That’s what I bring to this board. I can say, here are some processes and techniques we can use to work together.

It also gives me an opportunity to talk about issues that plague our board, issues of transparency and many others.

MAXWELL: Obviously the biggest one is the school board I serve on now. Really it’s about relationships you build. I’m going to serve with two of these guys. Do the math. There probably will be a Democrat involved, or a couple. Really, we’ll need to check that at the door. We’re about doing Scott County right and collaborating with each other.

As school board president I’ve talked with individuals and we have worked out the problem at hand and done it where you don’t have to have it always fall your way.

I come up for school board election in 2019. Iowa law does allow me to stay on the school board. … I will do that for at least a year and see how it goes. If I do not have time, then I won’t run again (for school board). If I do have time, I will run again.

Q: This year’s supervisors have committed up to $50,000 to post video of meetings. What level of meeting disclosure do you find necessary? Talk about issues of transparency beyond publicizing the meetings.

MAXWELL: I’ve been going to supervisor meetings the past six eight months. School board meets at 6:30 p.m. and it doesn’t bother me. We can have it at anytime. I’m great with transparency. If that’s what the board wants and that’s what the citizens want, then I think that’s what it is.

If the citizens really don’t want it, if they’re not going to show anyway, it’s silly to have move the meeting to 7 p.m. But if they want to come and want to be part of it, then we need to be serving them and do it at that time.

KIRK: I’m so excited that the board has agreed to the $50,000, but that’s only the beginning of what I see transparency is. … Transparency is not only using video to show what you do, but it also says I’m concerned about what you want. In other words, why not change the time to make it easy and accessible for people, but also what’s wrong with every quarter they get an update of where you are? Why not move that quarterly report to Eldridge? Why not move it to Buffalo? So now you’re really saying to the people, we want your input.

What’s wrong with changing the meeting time to 6 p.m., so people could come? What’s wrong with moving that quarterly update to Buffalo, so now people can come and give their input? I think about more than just that information being out there on TV, but also to create an environment where people care and voice their opinions, and they can hear the arguments that make the decisions.

CROKEN: As North Scott Press readers know in February I came forward and said we need to create a mechanism for online access. Scott is a very big county. Irrespective of the meeting times, there also is the issue of the distance involved. So I proposed that all meetings be webcast, then be archived on the website so people ca see them live or any time anywhere access.

I certainly also have supported the notion of moving the meetings around and making the times more convenient. Eight o’clock on Tuesday mornings is not the time that screams you are all welcome to be here.

I’d disagree with Mr. Maxwell. I believe we have an obligation to be transparent whether anybody is looking or not. Whether or not anyone shows up, we should be making our processes open and transparent. … Transparency is not a popular vote. It’s an obligation and responsibility.

KINZER: For 17 years, I’ve been taped in Blue Grass. When I came in to Scott County, I found out we weren’t being taped.

… For three and a half years supervisor (Diane) Holst, and myself in a bipartisan way have been trying to settle things.

Move the committee meeting from 8 in the morning. (Residents) can’t come to the meetings because they’re out working… . I would go with 6 p.m., then move the board meeting to match.

As far as recording, that’s just something that over my years of service I’ve come to expect. I want the audio tapes loaded on the auditor’s site, our site, indexing whatever you want so you can listen to it. I will support videotape if that is what you folks want to do.

If it comes with a price to videotape and the consensus is … that the (web) hits aren’t there, let’s take that money give it to the sheriff’s department to get another deputy, or buy another bulletproof vest. …

… Your county is transparent. … . We’re just not convenient and we need to be convenient.

WEBSTER: I’m not going to call them not transparent. I think they are transparent. I think at the same time, there’s an opportunity to be more transparent. The idea of video and audio? I’m recorded every other Monday and Tuesday, (at the Bettendorf council) it’s on the Bettendorf website. … I use the video recording myself when the city administrator tells me he said one thing, and I can go back ad say, ‘no, this is what you said.’

… We’re arguing something already put into goals by supervisors who are there. They knew the problem, they solved the problem. …I will continue to push that forward to get audio and video as quickly as we can.
But the idea that they’re hiding something is as fallacy.

WILLIAMS: I think $50,000 is a lot of money, especially when we need money for mental health. Personally, I believe people who want to know what’s going on are going to be there.

They can get minutes. They can see the information that’s posted online, and they also can talk to people.

I don’t have a problem with being televised. Audio also would work. But does it need to be a $50,000 solution, or some other amount?

Q: Give voters a reason to support you. Make your best pitch.

KIRK: I’ve been a part of Scott County for over 27 years. I come from Lousiana and was part of Federal Express. I served in many positions since I’ve been here. What I bring to this board is leadership. I bring innovation. Look at how we can solve problems working together for the good of Scott County. So when you vote for me, what you’re voting for is a person who will stand strong for Scott County, whether you are in Davenport, or Bettendorf, or if you’re in one of the other 14 townships, you can count on me to stand for you and to be the best I can be for you.

CROKEN: I think I bring a fresh perspective to some of these issues. As a business leader, as an attorney, as a healthcare advocate, as a communications strategist, I believe I can bring not only knowledge, but know-how to some of these very special county issues that you deserve to be dealt with in a truly professional way. And I ask for your support and thank you for your time tonight.

KINZER: …I want to thank the FFA students. I’m 58 years old. I sleep very well at night knowing you’re going to be in charge one day, so thank you for what you do.

I’d like to thank veterans, too.

...I shook like a leaf when I did my first budget of $80 million. In Blue Grass, it was $2 million. But since I’ve been there and seen the teamwork, not just the board, but everybody who works in the county, I’m grateful and so impressed.

The folks who work for the county are great, terrific folks. Everything we did, Phase 1, 2, 3, and 4 of courthouse; consolidating juvenile detention, moving the planning department.

I’m asking you, allow me to serve you again. You are my bosses. I’ll never forget that. I’ll return your phone calls. I’m asking for another opportunity to serve you and I hope you’ll give me that.

WEBSTER: I want to thank you for doing this. And the FFA, and of course the veterans.

I want to thank the county supervisors in the audience.

It’s about becoming part of a team. That’s what I look to do. Everybody here? You are the bosses.

You may not always agree with them, but you need to talk to them, address your concerns and move forward. That’s the way I work as a representative. I listen to everybody. It doesn’t matter if they’re Republican, Democrat, Green Party, independent. You listen, figure out what problems are and come up with solutions to fix them. Not only do you come up with ideas, your constituents can, too.

I’d like to take the experience I’ve had over the past five years on the Bettendorf council and move forward, and bring a little bit more youth to the board and bring some younger ideas. … You can always contact me. My number is on Facebook and also on the Bettendorf council website.

WILLIAMS: I believe my background, my business background, my 23 years in mental health and as someone who has been in government at a couple of different levels. I believe those experiences have helped shaped me into someone who would really be effective. This job would take advantage of all of my talents.

The large majority of people I’ve spoken with talk about mental health in some way. They may be talking about juvenile issues in the community, or someone in their family or friends, but most people touch on mental health.

I think my background makes me a strong candidate for the board.
When I was in my early 20s, I dropped out of college. I happened upon an opportunity to start a wholesale foods business. I borrowed a pick up truck and started buying groceries for a few small stores. By the end of summer I had more accounts and decided not to go back to school right then. Eleven years later, I had 100 accounts within 100-mile radius. I had a fleet of trucks and 100 employees.

I learned a lot from creating that business. Those are the skills I bring to the table. I think those are valuable skills.

MAXWELL: Thanks to The North Scott Press. Thanks to all of you folks for caring about what we do and what we have to offer.

I’m proud of the FFA. I’ve seen that grow and thank you to for doing that. Thank you to the veterans and everyone else.

I’m bringing continuity to the board. I look forward to serving with Ken (Beck) and all the others.

I’m really excited about taking my leadership to the next level. I’ve served on school board and now taking it to the county level and doing the things I’ve done for this community, and doing it for all of Scott County,… and bringing a lot of new perspectives that might be a little different.

Scott County Board of Supervisors, Mark Ridolfi, Carla Williams, Scott Webster, Bettendorf City Council, Brinson Kinzer, Diane Holst, Ken Croken, Rogers Kirk, Tom Vilsack, John Maxwell, North Scott School Board, North Scott FFA, Blue Grass City Council, Ken Beck

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