I attended the Jasper County Supervisor’s Forum at the Peanut Pub on Oct. 14. Thanks to Holly Talsma for organizing and co-hosting the event. I appreciate that Mike, Pam, Brandon and Jerry gave up a Sunday evening to help inform residents of their views and opinions.
I’m disappointed that Denny Carpenter was a no-show. If he had a personal conflict, that should have been explained that evening, but with no explanation, we had to assume he didn’t think it was that important.
Thanks to the candidates who did attend for their professional conduct. The supervisor race is probably one of the most hotly contested political races in recent years because people are fed up with the current board and their inability to work together. I was very impressed with Brandon’s candor in admitting that while he has no political experience, he is willing to take on the position so that the concerns of the rural residents are at least heard. Everyone agrees we can’t afford more paved roads, but we definitely need to maintain current roads — something that is not being done.
Brandon also showed that he is listening to ALL citizens, not just rural residents. For example, when the topic of bike trails came up, he admitted it was not something he had given a lot of thought to until he had a conversation with a concerned citizen and business owner. He said they had a good discussion and he now has a different perspective on the issue. I personally appreciate someone who says “I don’t know — but I will look into it.”
I would also like to echo something that I heard from a younger voter that attended the meeting on Sunday evening. He said he never thought about local elections being that important and he assumed that if no one was rocking the boat, it must be smooth sailing and why not re-elect incumbents.
PLEASE — if you didn’t attend the Sunday night forum, at least read the question and answer segments that the Newton Daily News is publishing before the upcoming election and make an informed decision. Let’s make sure that the best candidates are elected in November.
The event also gave Jasper County residents the opportunity to visit the Peanut Pub; GREAT addition to our community! If you haven’t been there, please check it out. We need to support new business ventures.
Susan Fortune
Newton