Specific Plans

Many people have asked such questions as "what will you do different?" or "how will you handle (such and such) department?". The last 3-1/2 years have not been as chairman, but I have gained a great perspective of the county's operations, strengths, and weaknesses. As a small business owner for 12 years, I have direct management experience and can manage operations for the efficiency necessary to maximize service delivery and budget efficiency. Additionally, my experience with roads, construction/planning, and also as a firefighter will give a greater perspective to actual changes needed, rather than having to trust people in the field. Therefore, I plan to implement the following changes and policies on day one:

  1. An immediate freeze on hiring and raises for all county employees, pending a complete staffing evaluation. I am not planning to immediately fire nor promote any individuals. Everyone will have a chance to prove themselves and adapt to the new management style.
  2. There will be a VERY STRICT policy against county employees working on any private property or providing favors that show favoritism towards any one citizen, family, or section of the county. Additionally, ALL county vehicles (including the chairman's!!!) will be clearly marked.
  3. I will personally interview all county employees on a one-on-one basis. In this interview I will ask what they do, how they view their job description, if they are underutilized or overutilized, how they feel about their pay, how they feel about their co-workers, and what they think should be done to make their department more efficient and productive.
  4. After meeting with all employees, I will meet with each department head to discuss reassignments, changes in job descriptions, pay structure, etc. in regards to their employees. I will then advise them of my expectations, performance goals, and requirements. Any department head who is not capable of meeting these objectives will be replaced.
  5. A direct line to my desk will be dedicated as a "tip line" or "complaint line". This is to serve as Quality Control. In small business, I've learned that customer satisfaction is of utmost importance. In government, customer satisfaction should be an even higher priority. Citizens may call this line and leave a message either anonymously or with their information, at their discretion. Their complaint will be listened to and forwarded to the appropriate department head. One week later, the complaint will be revisited, the citizen will be called to determine if satisfaction has been made. If not, the department head will be called in to discuss the matter and go further. Knowledge of this system should in itself produce more "customer friendly" county operation.