20060621 Future issues and future elected officials in Carroll County

What are the candidates for elected office proposing for the future of Carroll County?

June 21, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

Considering that this is an election year, it looks like a portion of my social schedule will be attending political fundraisers.

I’m looking forward to attending as many political fundraisers as my pocketbook and time will allow. Besides it is well known that I like to eat.

For the most part you meet interesting folks who care about our community. I prefer to attend fundraisers as opposed to simply donating money to a particular candidate. Perhaps it is the frugal Carroll County farmer in me.

At a fundraiser I get to spend some time with exceptional community leaders who have decided to stick their necks out and give back to the community and ultimately, whether I support or not support the particular views of any specific candidate I applaud all candidates who leave the comfortable cocoon of their day-to-day lives and strive to contribute and make a difference.

Perhaps I am the eternal optimist, but I happen to think that there is no better place to live than Carroll County and things are only going to continue to get better.

The political season is young and we have time between now and the primary on September 12, 2006, however, many Carroll Countians are clamoring to hear discussions about plans and ideas about our future.

A word to the candidates, you lose me when you go negative. I don’t really care what went wrong last year or several years ago. I care about what are you going to do to continue to maintain our great Carroll County quality of life. I’m looking for the opportunities, the positive and a vision for the future.

I have no interest in personalities, although electing accessible, knowledgeable and friendly folks to be community leaders, who concentrate on the issues is always a plus.

So what are the issues? Okay, I’ll bite – here goes… Not in any particular order. And not necessarily as a function of what I agree with or disagree with for our future. Just to get the conversation started.

What will you do to bring Wi-Fi internet service to Carroll County so that we have universal access to high speed internet from one end of the county to the other. It is no longer a luxury. It is a quality of life issue. It is an economic development issue.

What will you do to bring about cable competition, so that we may have a choice?

What will you do to facilitate all folks from every corner in Carroll County having a say in government? The South Carroll, Finksburg and Mt. Airy areas of the county has grown a great deal over the last decade or so, they need to be a part of the future. Northern Carroll County has a stake in our future also.

What is your position on the municipal incorporation of Finksburg and Eldersburg? The best government is that government that is closest to the people we serve and many feel it would be better if folks from the Finksburg and Eldersburg area made many of their own decisions.

What are your proposals about the ensuring future supplies of water and wastewater treatment facilities in the county?

What is the future of solid waste management? What are your thoughts about waste-to-energy and generating electricity with our trash as opposed to hauling it out of the county and dumping it into a landfill?

What is the future of taxation in Carroll County? As demands for services and infrastructure improvements continue to rise, how are we going to pay for it and what do you propose to do about the increasing burden of residential property taxes?

What are your proposals for attracting economic development and jobs to Carroll County? Not only for the tax base, but to provide local employment for Carroll Countians.

What are your thoughts about expanding the opportunities provided by the Carroll County Regional Airport?

What are your proposals for future recreation opportunities for Carroll Countians?

Most everyone agrees in the importance of agricultural land preservation but what are your proposals to sustain the viability and future success of agriculture?

What is the future of public safety? What are your proposals to ensure adequate fire, emergency medical and police protection?

What will you do to develop workforce – affordable housing?

What your thoughts on ensuring an appropriate social welfare safety net for our neighbors who hit a bump in the road on the highway of life? What will you do to prevent and treat drug and alcohol abuse?

Talk with us about the future of schools and education? What will you do ensure adequate classrooms and continue the high quality of our schools? Tell us your plans for Carroll Community College?

What is the best future government of our county? Code Home Rule? Five commissioners? Charter government? The same form of government we currently have?

What will you do to facilitate appropriate, inclusive, civil and productive dialogue about our future?

What are your thoughts? I am considering making the subject of the issues that need to be discussed in the upcoming election season to be the topic of an upcoming Westminster Eagle column and I will appreciate your feedback so that the column may be as comprehensive as possible.

One last word on fundraisers: Alright, two words: Ice Cream.

Oh, and a word to candidates, I’ll be more than happy to post your response to this blogpost on kevindayhoff.com. E-mail me your thoughts and visions for Carroll County and I will put them up on the web-site – unedited - regardless of political affiliation or whether I agree or disagree.

Thanks a bunch.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org

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