I am in great need of your support in these final days of the election. I chose to affiliate myself with a party that doesn’t serve entrenched interests, so I don’t have a huge political organization backing my campaign to get the word out. I am instead relying on you to make up your own mind, show up and vote, and tell your friends that there is someone who still believes accountability is a priority. If you want to know more about my positions, see wernicke.com.
Many in our community have expressed the need for much greater transparency and accountability in local government. The lack of transparency and accountability has resulted, among other things, in local government:
- Violating IPRA by failing to provide public records on time
- Helping out-of-area developers extract more from our community than they give
- Abusing their control of building permits to prevent Unquarked from opening in Mari-Mac
- Ignoring the concerns of successful and community-minded businesses like Fleur de Lys
- Harming independent journalism by only advertising through specific media outlets
- Disregarding the results of democracy in the recreation bond
- Attempting to purchase
- Wasting public resources on projects such as the municipal building, Reel Deal & CB Fox purchase, nuisance code, golf course remodel, and 8-court tennis complex
Despite the above, there has been little measurable progress toward transparency and accountability. In fact, our Strategic Leadership Plan doesn’t even mention “transparency” or “accountability”, which were scrubbed from our priorities. Until we take transparency and accountability seriously, our government will be exploited as a tool to benefit a few at the cost of the many.
In this light, I suggest we take the following steps to improve transparency and accountability, which I will make a priority if elected:
- Hold public “office hours” to listen to anyone who walks in.
- Publish all public information online, on-demand, accessible to all, without any layer of bureaucracy standing in the way.
- End all closed sessions that do not involve personal privacy or legal strategy.
- Be resolute in holding government officials accountable to fulfill their duty or resign.
- Require licenses, inspections, and permits only when absolutely necessary, and retroactively where possible, allowing citizens to address urgent and benign construction without delay. Require permits to be provided within a reasonable timeframe, and require independent public appeals and audit processes.
- Conduct an independent assessment of the County’s transparency and report a Transparency Score so that citizens can understand how transparent their government is.
- Use the Open Town Hall forum and free, accessible video-on-demand solutions to make civic discussion more accessible to all.
If accountability is important to you, then please consider some areas where I stand on accountability:
- I am the only candidate that has answered every question I’ve been asked. I’ll be accountable to answer yours.
- I am offering to do this job, not for ego or personal advantage, but because I believe I have the time, knowledge, and confidence to be able to stand up for social, environmental, and economic responsibility.
- I’m the only candidate not beholden to a party agenda, will let you live your life in peace, and oppose threats like the nuisance code.
- I volunteer as a trail worker, a youth rugby coach, a youth STEAM mentor, and a bike patroller. I’ll be accountable to work hard to benefit others more than myself.
- I have an elementary and middle schooler. I’ll be accountable to help our schools and youth services succeed.
- I’m an insanely active outdoor enthusiast. I’ll be accountable to steward our outdoor spaces.
- I’m an entrepreneur who believes business can be used for good, not just profits. I’ll be accountable to businesses that positively impact our community.
- I’m a full-time wage earner who works alongside early career professionals. I’ll be accountable to make it easier for our workforce to live here.
- I have a family member who needs specialized medical care. I volunteer as a first responder and see first-hand the lack of basic medical care we have. I’ll be accountable to attract more healthcare professionals.
- My home is my only real estate asset and I am comfortable working for my income. I’ll be accountable to ensure other local citizens and businesses have fair opportunities to own property.
- I’ll be accountable to support progressive ideas and finding ways to make them work for everyone.
- I’ll be accountable to not just listen to people, but also have the humility to thoughtfully consider their concerns and ideas.
Again, I implore you not only to vote on or before November 8 but also to encourage your friends to do the same. We have had many recent candidates who were ready to stand up for the people, but the people did not stand up for them. We get the government we deserve.
Sincerely,
James Wernicke