By SCOTT NILES Courier staff writer
May 07, 2008 10:56 pm
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Editor’s note: Between now and June 3, the Courier will profile candidates in contested area county and statewide races.
ALBIA — Seven candidates will compete in next month’s primary election for two Democratic spots in order to move onto to the general election against Republican candidates Michael Beary and Ronald Leshen for the two open seats on the Monroe County Board of Supervisors.
Deb Ballatak
Deb Ballatak hopes to offer some fresh new ideas to the job and some changes to the office to help her community.
“I want to welcome businesses large and small to the community and watch our town grow,” she said.
She would also like to explore possibility of alternative surfacing.
“We have several paved roads that don’t go anywhere and something needs to be done with them,” Ballatak said.
“I believe I can do a good job for Monroe County because I can listen to the people and try to find the best idea and solution. I am persistent on getting the job done and have a family history of job service,” she said.
Patrick Eastlick
Patrick Eastlick said his top priority, if elected, is the county roads.
“They need to be updated,” he said. “We need to improve on our road superstructure after they were destroyed last winter.”
He said some stipulations in zoning laws discourage small businesses from starting up in the county.
“The idea of the county is to grow and progress on. It would help the economics,” he said.
Eastlick has previously served in other areas of county government.
“I was a maintainer and road grader operator for four years so I have a lot of knowledge in the way the roads should be,” he said.
“I would just like to see the county progress and prosper in the future.”
John Hughes
John Hughes has lived in the Monroe County his entire life and he said he knows a lot about the area.
“I have worked with the public my whole life and ran a small business here and am very active in the community and people know me. Everything I have been involved in, I have given 150 percent,” he said.
Hughes said if elected he would also like to take a look at the county road situation and work with the other supervisors to solve the problem in a responsible and fiscal way. The second thing he would like to accomplish would be to attract a larger population to the county through both residents and businesses.
“I would work with the city and the county both to have people come to our community so we can grow,” he said.
Tim Judge
Tim Judge wants to make a difference in Monroe County.
“I’ve run my own business farming for 20 some years and been in trucking business since I was 21 years old,” he said. “I have also done concrete work when I was younger and have some knowledge of the county workers and their job duties.”
One of his priorities — make improvements to the county while keeping spending as low as possible.
He also sees the secondary roads and zoning as the top issues now.
Judge also thinks there needs to be an examination into how the county’s funds are spent.
“We would need to do some better budgeting,” he said.
Joseph Pistek
Joseph Pistek has several issues that he would like to tackle if elected to the position of county supervisor.
The top two — county roads and zoning.
“I think [zoning issues need] to be re-addressed and tweaked a little to be more fair to all the county residents,” he said.
Pistek believes Monroe County property owners who live outside the state or county should pay more taxes for the timber forest reserve land they own.
He said he will try and work with other entities to making things possible for the county.
“Everyone has to try and get along,” Pistek said. “I would like to try and help my community and feel this is a good way to pay them back for all the things they have done for me.”
Ron Reed
If elected supervisor, Ron Reed concedes it won’t be an easy job.
“If I am elected, I will work hard to encourage state and federal governments to find more money to help the county and small towns in our area to take better care for our roads, streets, other infrastructure and services,” he said.
Reed has lived in Monroe County all his life and graduated from Albia High School. He worked at the Albia Hy-Vee for 12 years and started his farming operation during that time. He also served six years in the Iowa National Guard in an Engineering Company. During that time he received hands-on experience building roads and bridges.
“I have farmed for 43 years and owned a dump truck business for 33 years. During that time I have worked on every road in the county hauling rock or ag lime, so I know every road by heart,” he said.
Marv Wirtjes
Marv Wirtjes said change is needed in county government.
“Just talking with other people, there are some people that want change from the way things are going. Some people are unhappy with the way their tax dollars are being spent,” he said.
Wirtjes said he wants to find better ways to spend tax dollars on the county roads.
He has lived in the county since 1990 and is currently president of the Chariton Valley RC&D board.
“I have worked with budgets and trying to find money for those budgets through grants. And I have also been in construction and project management for the last couple years for a big company,” he said.
“I am able to find solutions to problems in the county when faced with an issue.”
Scott Niles can be reached at (641) 683-5360 or via e-mail at sjniles@mchsi.com.
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