The personality of the County.
There is a concept I would like to present to you in this letter that I feel has been overlooked so far in this election cycle for the Presiding Commissioners office- the personality of the County.
Respect is not something I automatically hand out to individuals who hold impressive status or titles. Although I will yield to the title or position itself, the person holding that title has to earn the respect I have for that specific individual. I state this only to illustrate the story I wish to use to open this conversation.
One of the greatest headlines of 2009 was the announcement of McLane enterprises locating its new distribution center in my legislative district, creating many new jobs when other businesses are laying off workers. I received a call from the Governors office extending an invitation to ride in the Governors plane, with Governor Nixon, to the press conference in Republic. It is really unusual for a member of the opposite party to have such an extended audience with the Governor. For that, he earned some new respect. During that flight, the six people onboard had a very frank and open discussion with the Governor about the direction the State should head. One of the comments the Governor stated, stuck in my mind, and since that statement I have watched him apply his belief with great success and I feel it merits reproduction in other aspects of our elected officials.
The Governor stated that he felt a large part of his job was to be the “personality” of the State. He felt the overall image of the State was formed in the public eye by how he presented himself-the way he behaved, his comments, and his promotion of the many great aspects the State of Missouri has to offer. I agree. It is one of my goals to change the perception the residents of Greene County have toward their governing body. I would like to also combine a policy adopted by former Senator Doyle Childers when he became director of the Missouri DNR. Director Childers re-invented the DNR’s image by moving them away from an enforcement agency to that of a help agency. Slowly the “heavy-handed gorilla” image the MODNR had, transformed into the assistance oriented agency he had envisioned. Like him, I want to see a County Government that stands ready to assist landowners with the unforeseen issues that tend to creep up on landowners. For example, when a septic system fails in the unincorporated areas of the County I want a property owner to feel comfortable in approaching the County for information and assistance on how to properly replace the system without the fear of aggressive actions and demands from the County officials. The building inspectors will begin to educate veteran builders as to the adoption of new designs and codes, in contrast to demanding “after the fact” changes.
Calm, rational, steady handed leadership will guide my administration. And new user-friendly policies will welcome County residents when they access their County services and administration. The days of heavy-handed temper tantrums will be an echo of the past. Greene County will stand ready to assist landowners in making and improving our part of the Ozarks. I will increase accessibility to departments and change the policies that guide them to reflect this new direction.
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Republic, MO. 65738
Renee Viebrock, Treasurer