There are elections for four of the county’s seven County Council seats. This year, the odd-numbered districts will elect a new representative for a four-year term; the even-numbered districts will elect in two years.
In three of the four districts, a primary election is needed to decide a candidate for the general election on Nov. 4.
In District 1, Republicans Don Bickowski of Eureka, the incumbent, and Jack E. Davis of High Ridge will face off, with the winner to face Democrat Danny Tuggle of Eureka.
Terms for County Council are for four years, and the salary for a County Council member in 2015 will be $10,710.
Bickowski, 47, lives at 3275 Fox Run in Eureka. He and his wife, Susan, have two stepchildren and two grandchildren. He is a senior network engineer for Innovative Technology. He is a high school graduate who has attended college. He is running for his second four-year term as District 1 representative on the County Council.
Davis,2722 Wild Ridge Drive in High Ridge, did not return a Leader questionnaire.
What does a County Council member do? What experiences have equipped you for the job?
Bickowski: A County Council member is the legislative representative for the people. Members have a lot of work to do as almost all decisions fall under the council’s purview. It’s not as simple as going to two or three council meetings a month. The time required to fully understand the items on an agenda can easily be 6-10 hours if you read and verify all of the documentation. Council meetings and work Session run about 3-4 hours. P and Z issues can require an extensive amount of research time depending on the requirements of the project. Another 10-plus meetings and forums a month are required to stay informed on issues that affect the residents you represent. Throw in events and constituent communications and you start to get an idea of what an effective council member has to do to properly represent their constituents.
Should County Council seats and the county executive job be nonpartisan positions? Why or why not?
Bickowski: In my opinion, no. This was discussed in depth by the Charter Commission and they made the determination to not go nonpartisan. It is too early to be second guessing that decision. Like everything else, the devil would be in the details. A single election with all candidates, a nonpartisan primary with a runoff of the top two candidates or some other method would require amending the charter. A charter amendment requires two-thirds of all council votes to place it on the ballot and a four-sevenths vote of the people to approve it. Regardless of the system in place, you would still have the political parties trying to game the system with their candidates, which would only make it harder for regular citizens to figure out who’s who. I would hope that people would vet the candidates but unfortunately this is not always true.
How do you rate the performance of the current County Council and what would you do to improve it?
Bickowski: I would rate the current council an 8.5 on a 1 to 10 scale.
Standing up a new charter government in the first two years is a great accomplishment.
The charter required things like a merit system, long-range plan and redistricting be complete shortly after taking office. All of the charter requirements were completed on time. For a completely new elected body to accomplish this required a tremendous amount of work and cooperation from both the council and the executive. At times, building consensus can be almost impossible. Despite the various disagreements within the council, we have worked through the issues to create a stable county government the residents can be proud of. In the future, the current code of ordinances needs to be streamlined to minimize the steps required for developers to get projects approved and under construction.
What specific needs exist in your County Council district, and how would you address them?
Bickowski: Our local government’s primary role should be to protect the public health, safety and welfare of its citizens. police, fire, ambulance along with roads, bridges and other public infrastructure are some of the main items that need to be addressed but across all council districts. Specific needs must be addressed as they arise but they need to be addressed as the county and not necessarily from a district perspective, otherwise we wind up in a quid pro quo situation. Currently the renewal of the county’s half-cent road and bridges sales tax is imperative. General infrastructure like water and sewer need priority along with roads and bridges as they are critical to the success and vitality of the county. Trust, respect, leadership and consensus building are the only way to get things done. I already have this relationship with other council members, which is not easily earned.
Why should voters choose you?
Bickowski: Since I was elected, District 1 has finally gotten the attention that was lacking. Improvements to Hwy. 30, Hwy. W and Hwy. FF, numerous business expansions along with finally bringing the High Ridge Commons project to construction are just a few of the accomplishments under my leadership. There are more than 200 new permanent jobs that have been brought to District 1. Attending meetings starting eight months before being elected provided me insight from the previous elected officials.
I spent countless hours with members of the Charter Commission to understand their vision and intent, culminating in the council’s Rules of Procedure, which controls how the business of the county and council is conducted. I continue to spend a vast amount of time understanding all aspects of issues brought before the Council. I have upheld my “principles not politics” commitment and my pledge to be a servant of the people.