Property taxes, jail construction: GOP candidates for county commissioner answer questions

Editor's note: This is part of a series of articles about the primary election.

Two Republicans are running for county commissioner, hoping to break the stronghold the Democratic Party has in Monroe County.

Joe VanDeventer and Paul White Sr. are seeking the Republican Party nomination for Monroe County Commissioner in District 3.

That seat is being held by Democrat Penny Githens, who is facing a three-way primary election on the Democratic Party side — with challengers Jody Madeira and Steve Volan. The winner of that primary will take on VanDeventer or White Sr.

While the GOP candidates are running for the District 3 seat, all Monroe County voters — whether they live in District 3 or not — will get to choose between VanDeventer and White Sr., so long as they choose the Republican Party ballot in the primary, which will be on May 7. Early voting has begun.

Competitive election:2 Monroe County commissioners to be tested in primary

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

• Name: Joe VanDeventer
• Date of birth: 5/15/1966
• Family (marital status/children): Married with 4 grown children.
• How long have you lived in Monroe County: 58 years.
• Occupation: Assistant Public Works Director/Director of Street Operations
• Education: Graduate of Bloomington North High School

Question 1: Why are you running for commissioner? What would you bring to the job that your opponent wouldn’t?

VanDeventer: I'm running for commissioner because my family has lived here for 7 generations, and Monor County is our home. I've been in civil service for 38 years and feel like I bring a wealth of knowledge to the commissioner's position. I have had 12 years of budgeting and project management at my current position and feel like I could bring that knowledge and common-sense problem solving to the board.

Q2: Property tax bills, home prices and rents have been rising sharply in the last few years. For what concrete policies would you advocate to address these challenges in the short term?

VanDeventer: Obviously, this is due to in large part the last two MCCSC referendums. It is frustrating to taxpayers to see their taxes go up and their property rights go down! I feel we should not burden the Monroe Co citizens with more taxes.

Q3: If you were faced with a decision to allow home construction on the city’s fringe, how would you balance the interest of existing homeowners, developers, and future residents?

VanDeventer: Current building in the fringe is tied to city regulations. I think once the annexation is solved, better communication and planning between the city and county can take place. Certain areas will need infrastructure extensions.

Q4: The community has long been discussing replacing the current jail. Do you think it should be built in the city or outside of it? Why?

VanDeventer: The jail is not a problem that just popped up overnight. We have known about this for several years. I feel the jail should remain centralized. Most of these citizens need services they cannot get elsewhere. They often need transportation, food and other services that need to be available to them.

Q5. An annexation-related trial is scheduled to begin at the end of April. Do you think areas 1A and 1B, on the city’s west side, should be annexed? Why or why not?

VanDeventer: 1A and 1B make sense, there are current "donuts" that would be beneficial to both the county and the city. Large scale annexation does not benefit either side at this time.

• Name: Paul White Sr.
• Date of birth: 1954
• Family (marital status/children): Married to Kathy; two sons and one daughter; five grandchildren.
• How long have you lived in Monroe County: At least 30 years.
• Occupation: Bus driver for Area 10 Agency on Aging / Rural Transit
• Education: College in North Dakota, graduating in 1976, vocational schools in Montana.

Question 1: Why are you running for commissioner? What would you bring to the job that your opponent wouldn’t?

White Sr.: All the people of Monroe County deserve to have representation. Whether or not a person is of any particular political, economic, religious, ethnic origin, or any other persuasion, does not mean that our government officials can just shrug them off. Differences of people may at times be difficult to navigate, however it can be done. I believe that I am a person that can deliver just that. Having been raised in a family of differing political opinions, I have been able to see the good and bad of both sides. I believe in our 2 party system of government. Each party has some oversight of the other that helps to control the abuses and actions of the other. We need this in County Government and we do not have it.

My opponent and I both have similar and different life experiences. We both bring that to the table.

Q2: Property tax bills, home prices and rents have been rising sharply in the last few years. For what concrete policies would you advocate to address these challenges in the short term?

White Sr.: Property taxes keep rising because the assessment value of property is continually being increased by the Assessors’ office. Because of the property tax caps, the properties cannot go above a certain tax rate, so the increase in value is put into play, the tax rate remains the same and now the tax can be increased. This causes increased rents for landlords, and higher prices for builders to make a profit.

I have advocated for years, that the county entities that control zoning, regulation, and assessment, do their jobs and create a healthy environment that will attract small and large businesses into our county. By having more businesses, we have a bigger tax base, there are more jobs, and the tax revenue collected from just that will offset the need for increasing taxes.

In the short term, halting any increase of valuation, and removing inequities during the assessment process would help.

Q3: If you were faced with a decision to allow home construction on the city’s fringe, how would you balance the interest of existing homeowners, developers, and future residents?

White Sr.: I believe people that purchase property, do not purchase said property just to have someone else tell them what they can do with it. This boundary was placed in order for a government entity, the Bloomington Mayor’s Office in this instance, to usurp the authority of the Monroe County Commissioners. Any proposed construction most likely would be tied up with legal issues and arbitration of any concerns could be required. As I keep repeating when questioned, it works best if we keep our lines of communication open, finding common ground for good results for all concerned, without the need of trials if possible.

Q4: The community has long been discussing replacing the current jail. Do you think it should be built in the city or outside of it? Why?

White Sr.: Unfortunately, this is a decision that will have extreme issues either way. I like where our jail is currently. Placement of a new facility would most likely be determined by design, anticipated population, and even staff and court needs. If this is going to take place, which is probably the case, those affected should be consulted and many conversations should take place. I favor out of populous conditions, where minimal impact would be made to the county’s citizens, yet easy access for our law enforcement and judicial systems.

Q5. An annexation-related trial is scheduled to begin at the end of April. Do you think areas 1A and 1B, on the city’s west side, should be annexed? Why or why not?

White Sr.: Not only should these areas not be annexed, the entire case should have never happened. Involuntary annexation is government overreach. The voices of those affected are not allowed to be heard at a ballot box, which results in the entire process being taxation without representation. I recall from history in grade school, an event called “The Boston Tea Party.” The ultimate end culminated in what is now the U.S.A. which is a Constitutional Republic in which our preamble partially reads: “We the people…in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY,…..and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves, AND OUR POSTERITY……….. (that happens to be us).

In short, I believe this to be theft of tranquility and a violation of our United States Constitution, which elected officials swear to uphold.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.