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| Photo Source: http://www.facebook.com/KevinSellForCampbellCountyJudgeExecutive |
Campbell County Judge Executive Candidate, Kevin Sell, held a tele-town hall meeting last night with 750 county residents participating.
“I believe that a transparent,
connected approach to the county with respect for the taxpayer will work much
better than the approach of our current administration,” Sell
continued. “This represents the first step in that direction and I am looking forward
to hearing the questions and comments from our participants,” said Sell.
Sell, an Alexandria businessman, lost the 2010 Judge Executive election to Incumbent, Steve Pendery, by 169 votes.
The hour long conference call dealt with the main issues of taxation, transparency, jobs and the heroin problem affecting the area.
Taxation
Sell seemed to tackle taxation at the county level as the main issue during the call. The format of the tele-town hall led with a beginning summary of his positions, followed by a question and answer from listeners on the call. The majority of those questions dealt with this issue, specifically the rate hikes on SD1 (92% of callers opposed), the sales tax that Judge Exec. Pendery is proposing (79% opposed) and the 911 tax imposed on home owners.
The main takeaway was that Sell opposed all three of these tax hikes. “We have to get control of the tax structure that we have now,” said Sell. “We should not have non-elected appointees signing agreements with governments to raise rates. The elected officials should be the ones that are accountable to the voters.”
Transparency
Sell’s issue with taxation transitioned into his stance on transparency. When asked how long he would serve if elected, Sell said, “I am not going to serve more than 12 years. You can etch that in stone. I believe that you cannot have fresh ideas after that period of time. Our goal should be to cultivate young leaders so that they can take the lead.”
Pendery, in his 16th year as Judge Executive, is seeking his 5th term.
Jobs
Sell acknowledged that his stance on jobs creates some of the most dissension and the most praise. “We have to showcase what Campbell County has and become marketers. We can’t afford to sacrifice god jobs and businesses for the sake of ‘regionalism,'” said Sell. “The region is not going to succeed if Campbell County keeps taking a back seat. Ohio, Boone and Kenton counties are out competition.”
Sell detailed the large amount of space in Campbell County as an untapped resource.
“The use of space in the county is a shadow of its former self. We have the space and infrastructure for jobs. Our river, road and rail are ready to be redeveloped for growth. Good, well-paying jobs,” said Sell.
Sell also talked about the issue of transferring hospital beds for seniors out of the county, which he opposes. “I see this as another means for economic growth.” (81% of callers opposed the transfer of hospital beds out of Campbell County).
Heroin
Sell talked about the importance of dealing with the heroin epidemic, terming the issue a “day one priority.”
He talked about a multi-pronged approach, but the prevailing theme seemed to be enforcement on the dealers. “We have got to make Campbell County a very unfriendly place to bring heroin. We have to make it intolerable for the dealers.”
He also mentioned having awareness education in schools as a requirement, random enforcement inspections, total seizure of assets upon conviction, charging pushers for murder for accidental overdoses, having a narcotics unit within the county (there is a regional force currently) and to push for more support from the state to get a treatment center here.
