Retrospective

A few things have changed since the first time I held the District 1 seat on the Board of Ada County Commissioners -- most dramatically, the Commission colleagues with whom I now have the pleasure of serving. Our trio works well together.

Let’s take a look at what has been accomplished:

* Cutting wasteful, unnecessary spending ~ The current year’s budget is $193 million. My colleagues and I have now cut about $21 million out of next year’s proposed budget. We didn’t do it alone. It has taken a coordinated effort from all Ada County elected officials and department heads.

* PIO ~ I have advocated for eliminating the county’s Public Information Officer position. My colleagues and I recently moved the very capable employee in this position to another vacant county post. The PIO position has now been eliminated, saving taxpayers $90,000 a year.

* Town Hall Meetings ~ I had promoted these meetings as a way to communicate directly and effectively with the public. Thus far, we have held two Town Hall Meetings, one in Meridian and one in Kuna. Hopefully, over the next six months, we can hold these public meetings more frequently.

* A blog ~ I have created this blog as another way to communicate directly with you, the public, rather than through the media.

* Promoting public health and safety ~ Although I firmly believe in cutting unnecessary spending, I supported adding another attorney to the Prosecutor’s office to facilitate better prosecution in DUI cases. I have also worked closely with our Ada County Paramedics Department and have been attending meetings of the Ada County Fire Chiefs Association to ensure a positive and cooperative working relationship between the various agencies. We have recently implemented joint training efforts.

* Emission Testing ~ I have long advocated making changes to the Emission Testing program, including exempting newer cars that don’t contribute to the air quality problem, and testing every other year instead of annually. Now, there is enough support to implement such changes. As a member of the Ada County Air Quality Board, I recently voted to implement these changes sooner, rather than later. Expect the changes to occur by January 2010.

* Les Bois Park, this time around ~ The issue of the Les Bois Park lease arose, yet again, after last year’s election. Although it has taken longer to get it dealt with than all of us hoped, I expect it to be resolved by this coming Tuesday.

It is an honor to again have the opportunity to serve as a member of the Board of Ada County Commissioners. Please do not hesitate to contact me. My direct dial phone number at work is 287-7001 and my home phone number is 362-0843.