Winner of commissioner race will run unopposed Nov. 6
QUESTIONS
1. What qualifications do you have that would effectively serve and benefit Perkins County if you are elected to this position?
2. What sets you apart from your opponents?
3. What is your main concern about the county and how would you address that issue if elected?
4. Where do you see Perkins County in 10 years?
* Candidates appear in the order they filed and appear on the ballot.
Bernard Deaver
1. Experience, education, a knowledge of what can actually be accomplished, and the time to continue doing it. I have held the office for just over three years, and have attended every educational event available to me during that time to be the most effective representative I can be.
By studying other road districts beforehand, I knew what was actually possible, and have since put that program in place.
2. A sincere desire to make things better wherever possible within the scope of this position and spending the time to do so.
For 25 years I have served time volunteering with Farm Bureau Federation, City of Grant Economic Development, Perkins County Area Arts Council, and Perkins County Chamber of Commerce. The only reason: to do my part in making our county a better place to live.
3. There are a number of concerns facing Perkins County right now.
County government is a “payer of last resort”, and it falls on the backs of our property owners—whether commodity prices are high or low. Perkins County government property tax asking is currently lower than it was six years ago. But expenses keep going up—fuel alone by over $.50 per gallon in the last three years—and it will be a struggle to hold the line on budgets without services suffering. We must constantly look for ways to do things more efficiently.
The communications contract with Keith County saved money, but the service hasn’t been what we hoped for or were used to. It is looking more likely a decision will have to be made to return the service to Perkins County control by the end of the contract.
The roads are an ongoing concern and always will be. The road rebuilding and gravel program that was put in place in District 2 over the last three years needs to be kept in place year after year to have better roads—there is no magic wand to do it all at once.
4. Perkins County will continue to be a great place to live and raise a family. While Perkins County will continue to be an ag-based economy, local governments need to be receptive to all kinds of growth—at the same time protecting the quality of life we now enjoy.
If you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind. Over the last 20 years, main street has worried about the internet taking all the business. 100 years ago, main street thought the same about the Sears and Wards catalogs.
What this means is we are continually adapting to change. Local governments need to continually adapt as well, to serve their residents in the most effective and efficient manner possible.
Ron Hagan
1. I feel that I have several qualifications that will benefit Perkins County if elected to commissioner of District 2. The first of which is that I have managed to operate and grow a successful farm operation; this includes working within a very tight budget while still getting the job done.
In my operation, I have had several employees work for me and have the skills necessary to lead and manage. While this is important, I have also experienced being an employee as I worked for a large corporation. This helped me to understand how to manage my own employees.
Additionally, over the years I have served on several community and regional boards including the baseball board, Madrid Fire Board, Midwest Electric Board, and the Tri-State Electric Board.
2. The biggest aspect that I think separates me from my opponents is that I really like a good challenge. Getting the most out of every tax dollar is very important and researching how to do that is very enjoyable to me.
I also fully understand that I do not have all of the answers. Brainstorming with others who have been in my position will be a big part of finding the solutions.
3. The biggest concern I have with District 2 is the conditions of the country roads. The current status of the roads results in standing water, washboards, and an overall unfit condition for driving vehicles along with farm equipment.
These roads need to be maintained regularly (which includes removing snow after a snow storm,) get rid of the ridge and a crown needs to be worked into each of them. All the while maintaining the roads, we need to gradually elevate a majority of them.
Farm land valuations are decreasing which means that the county will generate less tax dollars than we currently operate with. Not only do we need to create better processes, but we need to operate more efficiently in case we are required to work within a smaller budget.
4. I am very excited about the future of Perkins County. There has been a steady flow of younger individuals moving back to the good life, which will keep our schools and churches full.
In order to keep this influx of citizens, we need to make our county as appealing as possible. I feel that Perkins County has been making significant strides in increasing its attractiveness. If we aren’t moving forward with our county, we are moving backwards and our population will gradually decrease.
James Vak
1. I have numerous years experience working District No. 2 Roads. As foreman, I took care of all the duties needed to keep our roads maintained and safe. I reduced costs and improved efficiency and communication with the public.
I have managed businesses for other people and I have run my own business. I can make the hard decisions based on fact and economical feasibility. Emotion and popularity does not affect my decision making.
2. I have a very extensive background in construction and mechanics. I have already worked on the District No. 2 roads and am very aware of what needs done. That is why I will be working in the roads department as well to ensure concerns are being addressed and not ignored and to make sure equipment is taken care of. Also, we will go back to making repairs in-house instead of sending all the work out, thus saving the county a lot of money.
Working on the roads and being commissioner works. Several counties in Nebraska are doing this. The commissioners I have talked to say it allows them to stay on top of all the things that need done and makes it more manageable.
Also, I do not own a gravel pit or sell gravel to the county so I have no conflict of interest and I have no immediate family or relation that own businesses that I would be funneling county resources to.
3. My main concerns are the extremely unsafe conditions that our rural roads are in and also that we are not doing enough to help our fire departments, ambulance, Handibus and other first responders.
4. I think that Perkins County is going to see moderate growth for the next 10 years. That is if you get someone in charge that will make improvements to our infrastructure.