In a few days, I hope to send a questionnaire to the NorCo Council and Exec candidates. It will be limited to county issues to the extent that is possible.
I will be asking whether it is time to do some long-range planning for Gracedale, the county-owned nursing home. How can we make it sustainable 50 years from now? How can we make it sustainable two years from now when 70-80% of the nursing staff comes from outside agencies? Will we even need nursing homes?
What is their attitude on public handouts in the form of tax breaks for private development? A divided Council supported a tax break for an industrial development in Upper Mount Bethel even though it could result in more warehouses to an economically depressed area. But a $29 million tax break to develop the old Dixie factory in Wilson Borough for luxury apartments remains on hold. Where do the candidates stand on this issue?
What can the candidates do to address overworked corrections officers and emergency dispatchers, who are often mandated to work overtime? Are the salaries really competitive when even Monroe County, a smaller county, pays many of its workers a higher salary?
What is their attitude on attending committee meetings. Will they miss most of them, like Ken Kraft does, or will they attend?
What will they do to resolve the acrimony between Council members, and between Council and the Executive branch?
What is their attitude on toothless resolutions addressing national issue like abortion, trans rights, Israel's invasion of Gaza or whatever the national flavor of the day might be? Is there a place for these matters on a county stage?
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