Jon on the Issues
- Public Safety, Crime Prevention & Treatment
- Growth & Economic Development
- County General Fund Budget
- Roads and Transportation
- Accountability & Restitution Center
- Environment
Public Safety, Crime Prevention & Treatment
Keeping the public safe is the paramount duty of the County Commissioners. This will be my top priority. I support drug and mental health court treatment strategies to help reduce jail poputlation and the cost of operating the jail.
Current estimates are the are that the General Fund will be $3.8 million short of what is needed to maintain current level services. I support the work of the Citizen Task Force currently reviewing budgets and service levels. I pledge to listen to what the people want to fund, study what the law requires the County to do and make the best common sense decision possible.
Maintaining safe county roads, outside City Limits, is one of the statutory responsibilites of the County. I support small capital projects which give us the most benefit for the least possible cost and that all parts of the rural County get their fair share of support.
Accountability and Restitution Center
We should take the long range view and make a smart decision about the building size we will need for the next 15-20 years. It is smarter to build the bricks and mortar capacity now, and pay for staffing it in phases over time, as the jail population grows. Trying to add building capacity later is too costly.
Environment
As a member for six years and current chair of the Thurston County Parks and Recreation Board, I strongly support using County Conservation future funds to partner with Land Trusts, The Nature Conservancy , and other organizations to purchase land or development rights in perpetuity to protect open space, habitat and prairie.