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Top Priorities

1. Smooth transition to Council / Manager form of government
One important priority is choosing the right County Manager for Summit County. As mentioned at the Oakley Civic Club meeting, there are at least three individuals who likely meet the minimum requirements for County Manager. I would expect that at least one individual in that group could be among the three candidates forwarded to the Council for selection. That being said, it is critical that the Council is able to work effectively with the Manager, that the Manager has adequate experience to shepherd the County through the new government format implementation pains, and that the Manager have the same desires for Summit County as do its residents.

2. Increase government efficiency
I want to determine areas/programs for greater efficiency/cost savings, hold the line on or decrease taxes, champion open government (GRAMA), and protect private property rights. The County Manager has the executive day-to-day responsibilities of the County but the Council, via a majority vote, does have veto powers. It is critical that the Council members do not step on the Manager's toes and vise versa. That does change the dynamics of what the Council can do regarding personnel and initiating County issue conversations with them. I suspect that it will take a little time to work out the new dynamics. The bottom line is that the Manager has executive decision making responsibilities and the Council has legislative responsibilities but I remain committed to increasing government efficiency.

3. Work toward sufficient water availability
Along with conservation we must ensure adequate water, even during times of prolonged drought. We must limit development to the availabilty of resources. We will face another drought in the years to come and we must be able to weather it without excessive constraints placed on the citizens.

4. Open Space
Acquire public use space based, in part, on BOSAC and ESAP committee recommendations. Open space and access to open space is one of the attributes of Summit County. Open space enables our participation in our recreational pursuits and encourages tourism with the resulting tourism dollar. Yet open space should be obtain via the gifting of the land to the county and never by eminent domain.

5. Transportation infrastructure
Continue discussion and progress on transit center, park and ride lots, etc. We have a definite transportion problem in parts of the County. We must continue to find solutions, perferably via the involvement of private enterprise.

6. County personnel training
Increase quality of service commitment. As mentioned above, the County Manager will have administrative responsibilities and thus they will deal with many of the personnel issues. That said, the Council controls the purse strings. Working with the County Manager I would support the continued training of County personnel so as to better serve the citizens.

7. County volunteer programs
Broaden awareness and participation. I have been very impressed when I have attended public meeting of the various volunteer boards involved with County functionality. The individuals took their responsiblities seriously and yet were able to function effectively and amicably. We need to continue and broaden these boards where appropriate.