WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT?

As a strong supporter of economic development, I believe this shouldn’t be a single idea or industry, but a mindset focused on quality of place investments. Companies should be encouraged to work together symbiotically and prioritize adding value to our abundant local resources for sustainability and long-term job growth. 

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WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON DRUG COURT AND THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TAX?

​Any county may impose a mental health and chemical dependency sales tax up to 0.1% for mental health and drug treatment purposes (RCW 82.14. 460).

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In Cowlitz County, this tax helped fund programs like Drug Court and Mental Health Court. The current Board of Commissioners allowed it to expire without renewal and opted to put it to a vote of the people this year.

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While I always strive to keep all taxes and fees at the lowest possible rate, this is a tax that provided great benefit to citizens of Cowlitz County who have taken great strides toward recovery and becoming productive citizens.

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These programs are not “get out of jail” free cards. They give the opportunity to those convicted of some crimes to go through stringent programs to help them resolve issues that led them to commit crimes in the first place. They have proven successful for many years, both in Cowlitz County and nationwide.

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As a Commissioner, I will abide by the vote of the people this November. My hope is that Cowlitz County will recognize the value of this tax not only for the individuals directly impacted, but also because the people who complete these programs are far less likely to re-offend and that is of great benefit to all citizens.

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WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON HOMELESSNESS?

​Hope Village was a good start in addressing a problem that the county and cities have been dealing with for decades. There just isn't any easy answer to to fix this problem that almost every city in America is dealing with - especially in communities where rents are high.

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It's a multi-faceted endeavor and it will need state, county, and city funds and ongoing efforts from all elected officials to reduce the number of homeless people on our streets.

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It must be a collaboration of the county and all the municipalities to address this issue.

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WHAT IS YOUR POSITION THE BOARD OF HEALTH?

​It's critical to take politics out of the decision-making process and appoint diverse and qualified applicants to the board.

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WHAT ARE YOUR THREE BIGGEST PRIORITIES WHEN HANDLING THE COUNTY BUDGET?

​1) Meet with all department heads to understand their concerns and needs.

 

2) I would suggest a budget workshop for the entire board, which I believe would be extremely important because there will be two new commissioners, to thoroughly understand the county budget, how it works, where the funds and revenues come from, where they're going and how it aligns with the needs and important goals.

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3) Are the reserves sufficient? The county is operating at a meager level of having only one month's reserves, which does not follow the best practice recommendations of Washington State's guidelines of having two months of operation expenditures held in reserve.

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