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| Issues |
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User-Friendly Government
I am pleased by what I have seen come out of the Knox County, One Question process. At the meetings I attended, I heard some excellent suggestions for making our local government more open and user-friendly, and many that I support wholeheartedly.
I believe government exists to serve the people, not itself. Public participation should be encouraged, government business should conducted in public, and elected officials should be accessible and accountable to their constituents.
Public participation can be encouraged in several ways. Commission meetings should be conducted in the evening, so that more citizens can attend. I also think that commission should meet more frequently; regular workshops would allow commissioners to discuss and deliberate in public, and to learn more about an issue before they are required to vote on it. Workshops would also create greater opportunities for citizens to address the commission. All county meetings should be broadcast live on Community television - and Knology should be required to adhere to its contract by providing a community channel on its network. Meetings should also be streamed live on the Knox County website.
Our county website could be more interactive, and should contain more information than it currently does. The Commission agenda should be available online before the Commission meets. Minutes of all government meetings should be posted online, along with regulations, ordinances, and the County Charter. Forms needed by citizens should be available online in downloadable form.
I would also like to see the county come up with a "one number" system, similar to the city's "311" system, to make it easier for those without computer access get the help and information they need.
We should have direct, easy access to all our government officials - after all, they work for us, the taxpayers. Government should use the most efficient and up-to-date means of record keeping and communicating. The current system of setting up a fax machine at each Commissioner's home, and then faxing them the emails that come into the Commission office, is a huge waste of time, money and resources. Commissioners should have computers, and they should know how to use them.
I am in favor of legislation that would eliminate conflicts of interest, prevent nepotism, and prohibit county employees from serving on Commission. County elections should be nonpartisan, with staggered terms. It also makes sense to have County Commission Districts and School Board Districts with the same geographical boundaries. I also think we need a better process for making appointments to the Metropolitan Planning Commission.
As Commissioner, I will continue to do what I have been doing - attending neighborhood meetings, events and activities all over the district, to stay abreast of what is going on in each neighborhood and in the district as a whole. If there is something going on in the Second District, I guarantee you will see me there. The best commissioners are not those who sit in an office and wait for their constituents to come to them; the best commissioners are those who go out into the community and engage the people where they are, seeing firsthand what their issues are, and how the decisions that commissioner makes affect her neighbors' daily lives.
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