Commission candidates reveal stances

Written by Byron Hensley | 20 July 2010

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Six commission seats on the Coffee County Commission are being contested this year in races that will be decided in the August 5 County General Elections.
In play are commission seats for Manchester’s District 1, in a contest between Helen Debellis and Warren G. Walker; Manchester’s District 3, between incumbent Claude Morse and challenger Wilma Thomas; District 7, between Eric Chance and Patricia F. Pinegar; Tullahoma’s District 15, between incumbent Mark Kelly and challenger Sandy Lindeman; Tullahoma’s District 18, between incumbent Myra Patton and incumbent Mark E. Schempp; and Tullahoma’s District 20, between challenger Christopher Bird and incumbent Bobby Stewart.
To help voters decide, The Saturday Independent sent a list of questions to candidates in the contested commission races. Here are responses to those questions that were returned by press time Friday. TSI will print more responses next week as they become available. Early voting began Friday, and continues through July 31. Why are you seeking this office?

Morse
I am seeking office to represent the residents of District 3 to give back some of my time to the community and to bring open communication to the residents of the district on how their tax dollars are being spent.

Kelly
Local Government has a direct impact on our lives and our pocketbooks. I believe that taxpayers manage their money better than government. That means that I expect local government to establish a conservative budget that provides funds for future infrastructure improvements and live within that budget. Accordingly, I support hard work and individual responsibility, and I oppose entitlements.

Schempp
I have always been involved in my community in some capacity either through civic organizations or serving on city boards. I have enjoyed being on the Commission these past four years and believe I can continue to be an active and effective commissioner.

Coffee County is currently looking at a projected $1.9 million budget shortfall for the 2010-11 fiscal year. How should the county deal with this deficit?

Morse
We need to look at all expenditures the county makes and make sure they are valid. With sales tax revenue down the county has to tighten its belt just like families do.

Kelly
Coffee County needs to take immediate action to control costs by consolidating any and all functions where cost savings are possible. Actions similar to those taken in Bedford County to consolidate financial management, purchasing, benefits, etc., can work in Coffee County to provide funding for essential services. Conservative budgets and management of our limited resources are vital. I am convinced that Coffee County can reduce the size of its workforce without a loss in service. However, our revenues may not be sufficient to permit us to continue to provide the current level of services. In any event, Coffee County must be able to manage within the available resources. After all that is what the voters expect from us.

Schempp
I don’t know of an easy answer. The Budget & Finance Committee is working through the issue and has sent budgets back to the departments to cut 2.5%. How much that will save is still an unknown. It does, however, require us to take a hard look at our operations. One of the considerations we face when making cuts is that the County delivers mostly basic services to the citizens. i.e., Sheriff, Jail, Ambulance, Schools, Libraries, Election, Taxes, Tags, Courts etc. These are already pretty barebones operations and there is not a lot of discretionary costs to be cut before we get into cutting services to the citizens. Another issue is the State health plan is undergoing some fundamental changes that may have an impact on the final budget.

How would you fund needed capital projects such as Coffee County Schools’ building program and a new jail?

Morse
We need to develop a long range plan and budget frugally to include the bond costs for these facilities.

Kelly
The Coffee County voters have already decided on how the Coffee County Schools’ building program is to be funded. As a Commissioner, I want to make sure that the schools receive every dollar provided by the tax increase approved by the voters. Then it is up to the School Board to make sure that they build a program within the funding constraints imposed by the voters.
As previously stated, Coffee County must manage with the resources currently available. The current economic downturn is only the beginning of the problem for local government. The cost of the national health care plan and debt from the Obama/Pelosi administration will reduce family income. The end of the “Bush Tax Cuts” will further reduce family income. Finally the Obama/Pelosi pending legislation to tax interest and gains on pension income and the 55% “death tax” and to forgive taxes for illegal immigrants and grant them in-state tuition will destroy family farms, small businesses and family incomes. I am concerned that after the Federal government finishes taking our money, little will be left to support local government services. So it becomes our duty to manage our resources, cut costs where necessary and set our priorities so that we can live with the current tax income.

Schempp
The issue of funding the capital projects for the schools has been addressed through the sales tax increase we voted for several years ago. Like all funding sources it is subject to the constraints of collections available. I know we have to move a little slower on construction than we would prefer, but I am pleased there is a system in place to deal with construction over the long run. Our School Board has a difficult job given the Tennessee Diploma Project and its' space demands. The need for a new jail is one of the more pressing needs the County faces. The jail is a worn out facility that is a on the verge of becoming a liability due to overcrowding and lack of sufficient space and facilities to meeting certification standards. Should we lose certification we could face some financial liability issues and the possibility of court intervention or be required to move all our over capacity prisoners to other facilities and suffer the additional cost of housing and transporting them to court proceedings plus the loss of revenue from the state for housing prisoners. We would still have to deal with our old jail at the same time as the problem will not go away. We should know better after the budget process as to what revenue options we have available. I would not rule out a wheel tax as a solution since it has the potential to spread the costs over the entire community and not just the property owners. I understand that any tax hits lower and fixed income people the hardest.

Do you consider metro government a viable solution for resolving the county's ongoing budget difficulties?

Morse
Metro government is certainly something that we should look at. There may be other opportunities short of that to leverage purchasing power to lower cost for supplies and services that the county and the two cities buy.

Kelly
I believe that the voters determined this issue and they decided against a metro government. As our economic circumstances change, the voters may decide that a metro government is a viable alternative. But that is really a decision for the voters.

Schempp
I think that the County and its' Cities already have certain consolidated functions as mentioned previously plus a Joint Industrial Board, Health Department, Communication/911 Services, Emergency Management Agency among others. The time may come when the economics may dictate consideration of a complete metro approach and be apparent enough to cause voters to support that position, but I don't believe that is the case now.

In addition to what has already been mentioned, what do you consider important issues facing the county, and how would you address them?

Morse
We need to develop both short and long range plans on how to expand required services and infrastructure as the county grow in the next two decades.

Kelly
Growth and business development are crucial for our long term health, Continued growth in Coffee County is equally dependent upon our ability to provide the necessary infrastructure (roads, utilities, etc.), a business friendly environment (land use, codes, taxes, etc.), and an educated and trained workforce. The Commission must continue to work together for the overall good of Coffee County if it is going to provide such an environment.
Additionally, I believe that education is the foundation of all great nations and communities. It must inspire people to achieve greatness. Education must foster a sense of purpose by teaching accurate civics and history; a sense of oneness through a common language; a sense of vision through the arts and a sense of awe through mathematics and science. Teachers must be given the freedom to select the instructional methods that work best for them, but this freedom must also be accompanied by accountability for the outcome of their efforts. The Coffee County Commission must continue to work with the School Board to achieve this vision.

Schempp
I think that we have not fully grasped the looming tide of baby boomers entering their senior years. We have acknowledged it to a degree at the federal level in discussions about Medicare and Social Security. I feel we need to become more pro-active in seeking retirees to live, vacation, shop, eat or seek medical care here. We are well positioned geographically, have a good quality of life, reasonable costs of living, beautiful lakes and mountains and moderate weather. I would like to see us join in with the States' efforts towards recruitment and have our Three Star program include an element on seniors. I feel we should extend the same effort towards that as we do to recruiting retail, industry, health and other services. An influx of seniors over the coming years will spur housing, banking, retail, food and most importantly health care expansion. This expansion is going to take place and no turn of events will stop or slow it down. We need to get ourselves positioned to benefit from it.
What would you like the voters to know about in terms of background and qualifications for the office of commissioner?

Morse
As your commissioner, I pledge to do the following; Bring a fiscally responsible conservative voice to development of the County Budget; Question unexplained or not fully justified expenditures; Work to frugally spend your tax dollars effectively Hold taxes down; Make sure Education and essential services (Fire/Ambulance/Sheriffs Department are funded adequately Help develop/update short term and long term plans for County Government to meet immediate and future growth, including road and utilities, our schools and emergency services (Fire/Ambulance and Law Enforcement); Work for a properly sited Manchester bypass in District 3 that does not go beside the High School or through people's yards; Be accessible to every resident of District 3, and listen to your concerns and questions about county government.
I am retired so I have time to work County Government issues for you. I am a Conservative, who believes that the U.S. Constitution means what it says and that we need to return to the principle of our founding fathers. I have management, leadership, communication, marketing and budgeting skills honed in more than 40 years service in the military and industry I retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1988 - I served in Southeast Asia and Middle East as well as stateside assignments, including Arnold AFB as a Captain from 1972-1975. I resided in Manchester during my military tour of duty at AEDC. I retired from Aerospace Testing Alliance at AEDC in June 2009 with more than 20 years as manager of Public Affairs & Marketing. I have lived in Manchester since early 1989. I am an officer on the Arnold Community Council and have been a member since the Council was created in 2000. I participate at my own expense in trips to Washington and have been working with Congressional staff members to change legislation to increase work at AEDC and avoid layoffs of up to 300 positions this fall at the Center I served on the Board of Directors of the Middle Tennessee Honor Flight that takes World War II veterans at no charge to them to Washington D.C. to see their World War II Memorial. I am a member of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce. I am married with four children, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Kelly
I am a Christian, a conservative, and a nationally/internationally recognized businessman. I drafted legislation which exempted AEDC from payment of Tennessee Use Tax on the value of its test articles. The legislation passed, and has reduced the cost of testing at AEDC and saved jobs. In cooperation with the Arnold Community Council, I also drafted Federal legislation which would make AEDC an “Export Free Zone.” This legislation has been endorsed by the Secretary of the Air Force and Department of Defense, and is presently making its way through Congress. If this legislation passes, it will make AEDC more competitive on the international stage and provide additional jobs.Thank you for the opportunity to share my perspective with you and the voters.

Schempp
I mentioned earlier to your first question of the pleasure I get in serving my community. I have owned and operated my own business and understand costs and the impact they must have on our decisions. I also know that we have up and down cycles in our lives and economy and the problems we deal with today will ultimately get better. I appreciate the efforts of our county employees and my fellow Commissioners. I am proud of my record and I believe I have been and can continue to be a good, involved and effective Commissioner. I would appreciate your vote.