FORT MADISON - The race for the Lee County Supervisor District 2 seat is heating up and Pen City Current posed five questions to both Tom Schulz, the Republican candidate, and Donna Amandus, the Democrat seeking the seat.
The questions focus on hot-button issues currently facing supervisors and the county. Their answers are left in their entirety so voters can hear the full responses to each question.
Question 1 - What, aside from obvious political affiliations, sets you apart from your opponent in terms of qualifications for county office?
Amandus (D): What sets me apart is I get things done. I work well with others, utilizing their strengths in areas where they excel and together we put the pieces of the puzzle together to make great things happen! It has been exhilarating to work with some very inspiring people, on the dog park, the pickleball courts, and even PAW animal shelter, just to name a few. I truly enjoy working with people and building coalitions to enhance our community.
Schulz (R): First I don't think you can completely separate party affiliation. My opponent has a long history of supporting the politics of the extreme left where my history is quite clearly center right. Having said that, what separates us is education and experience. I have a lifetime of experience working in and around government at the local, county, and state levels and the connections I have at those levels now will help me to serve the county quite well. My opponent has proven herself at being good at raising money from people to build parks. If she was running for county park builder that would be very beneficial, but she is not. The job of a county supervisor is far more focused and, quite frankly, difficult. It requires a lot of analysis, the ability to take projects apart piece by piece, to analyze budgets and come up with alternatives that save money. I have been working with significant budgets and the budget process most all of my life. The financial pressures that will be facing our county are significant and seriously exacerbated by the policies of the Democrat party nationally. We will have to try to find ways to stretch our budget and find alternative means of helping fund our county projects and sometimes alternative means of financing. My experience with government, private industry, including some experience with EMS, will give me a unique perspective to face the challenges we are going to meet.
Question 2 - Do you support a measure to create essential services in Lee County which would open the door for the county to levy a tax to help fund the ambulance service? Do you believe the funds should go solely to the ambulance service, or in part to volunteer fire departments.
Amandus (D): I do support a measure to create essential services in Lee County. We must make sure that every citizen has access to emergency services, especially at the most vulnerable time when an ambulance is necessary. Our citizens deserve no less. With the hospital closure in Keokuk, it’s critical for them to have emergency transportation. The county made a commitment to its people when it developed the ambulance service and we must fund it adequately. I believe the majority of funds raised from this measure should go to support the ambulance service. Where we have volunteer fire departments, those townships can levy for their needs on their own. However, when special circumstances come up, I believe the county should step up when it can to provide additional support, but it should not be an annual commitment.
Schulz (R): I believe that we should go through the entire process to allow us to do this, but only pull the trigger on this if we are unable to find some other means of funding. If it becomes necessary, it should be done at the minimum level to fund the essential service. As far as funding for volunteer fire departments, I would want to meet with each of these departments individually to determine if there were actual funding gaps that needed to be filled as these volunteer departments do have access to some funding the professional departments do not. They also have fewer regulations with regard to facilities, etc. I have said over and over again that public safety will be a priority, but I will see that every penny we spend is spent wisely.
Question 3 - The county’s financial health has taken a hit lately with payroll increases as a result of Back the Blue and the current ambulance service’s increased demand with the closure of Blessing hospital, as well as other economically driven cost factors. State officials are predicting record increases in assessed valuations in 2023. As supervisor, would you vote to reduce the mil levy in the wake of increased assessments or utilize the assessment increases to make county funds healthy….or something in between.
Amandus (D): I believe we need to have a solid infrastructure in Lee County, roads, bridges, county buildings, safety, all these things cost and need to be secured for our citizens. At this time I can’t say I’d definitely cut the mil levy, I’d need to see how the budget looks, what the needs are, and how the money would be spent. Nobody likes to see their taxes go up, but from my experience on the city council, nobody likes to drive on bad roads either. It’s definitely a balancing act and, as someone who is a prudent spender with a frugal outlook, I would first need to see exactly how the county is sitting before I could completely answer that question truthfully.
Schulz (R): This is a simple question that will take a lot of work and complex analysis. The answer is obvious we should keep our tax rate at the absolute minimum amount to fund the business of the county. We are responsible for finding every penny that can be saved and every available source of alternative financing. This is going to require hard work and a whole lot of public input.
Question 4 - Would you support bonding to pay for the remainder of the costs of the proposed Lee County Health Department/EMS building in Fort Madison if needed. The building is projected at about $5.5 million and supervisors have already committed to funding the building to that level with remaining ARPA funds, CDBG funds, and possible USDA assistance.
Amandus (D): I would support bonding (if necessary). If these past few years have taught us anything, it's that we need a solid health department. Our health department answered the call and did some amazing things during the pandemic and they continue to care for the citizens of our county in a professional, helpful, customer-focused way. Honestly, the Health Department has been looking for a solid home for over 30 years. We need to provide them ample space to do that in an effective and efficient manner. I don’t think the average citizen realizes all the services and support that this health department provides, including the extra storage space they need just for all the records they are mandated by law to keep.
Schulz (R): The short answer here is probably yes, but I think there might be better methods by which to handle this. I still think there are opportunities for us to have this project work through a third-party nonprofit with more traditional funding to cover the shortfall with an arrangement between the county and the nonprofit to make the payments. I think this can be done and still show a significant savings based on our current rental arrangement for our health department.
Question 5 - Zoning for utility projects has come up recently with new pipelines and solar fields and potentially other utility projects in the county. Do you favor a county ordinance governing zoning for utility projects? Why or why not?
Amandus (D): I don’t think zoning in the county for utility projects is a bad idea. I do not believe in eminent domain for these types of projects.
Schulz (R): I think instituting countywide zoning would be a disaster and cause a massive revolt from county citizens. What I have suggested, and what I believe we could do, is institute a type of special use permit requirement. This could cover utility projects and possibly some other items such as subdivisions of more than a certain number of houses with a certain lot size. In other words, projects that would make a significant change in property use of a fairly large parcel. We need to find creative ways to give the citizens of Lee County more say so with regard to these types of projects. We will have to work with our state legislature to try to change some of the laws regarding eminent domain and also fine-tune the laws with regard to fair compensation to landowners utilizing some of the discoveries that are now provable with regard to long-term crop loss over the entire areas affected by construction. I think there are multifaceted ways for us to address this without some type of county-wide zoning. I have also endorsed the idea to explore the development of a new county comprehensive plan.
The two candidates were also given time to talk about other issues and an open format and responded with the following comments:
Amandus (D): Quality of life in our county is of major importance to me. I believe we haven’t scratched the surface of the things we could do to enhance our county to make it an even better place to raise kids, operate a farm, open a business, and enjoy all the benefits of life along the Mississippi. I believe strongly in economic development, in our county conservation, and developing an even stronger workforce here. I would be following someone who has also come up from a city council background. I believe I have received great training in local government and have taken the initiative to improve myself in leadership, educational, and networking opportunities, which make me an even more qualified candidate. I am honest, ethical, and work well with others. I also believe it's important to work with other board members for the good of the entire county. Partisanship has no business in county government. I believe we work together for the common good.
Schulz (R): I am going to work hard to establish myself as the best-informed county supervisor. To be the most available and empathetic member of that body. I will represent the entire county, but maintain a special focus on my district as is my responsibility to the voters. I will work to build a greater liaison between county and city offices as well as a greater understanding of the budget challenges faced by each of these so that some level of coordination can take place to help maintain the lowest possible tax rates. I would like to see at least some of the county supervisor meetings take place in the evening so that those people that work the typical dayshift have the availability of attending meetings either in person or electronically.
Jobs and job training will also be a primary focus of mine. I have some experience at developing apprenticeship programs for the trades and there are professional organizations out there that can help do that so that we can have work-and-earn programs available as well as school-to-work programs available for our students . This, of course, is going to require the coordination between different government bodies as well as advocacy groups and our own economic development people. As a supervisor I will owe no allegiance to any special interest, only to the citizens of Fort Madison and Lee County.
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