Name: Jerry Couey
Office you're seeking: Santa Rosa County Commissioner District 3
Occupation: Left blank
Education: Left blank
August primary ballot is set. Nearly 100 have qualified to run for local elected offices
Why are you running for this office?
I have a great passion for the wonderful county I live in, and I want to do everything I can to protect our quality of life. With the tremendous growth we are 30 years behind in infrastructure and flooding is a growing problem. I welcome our new neighbors, but our single focus must be infrastructure. I am well known for pushing for open government and have been recognized nationally as a supporter of Florida's Sunshine law which forces transparency. I am part of "we the people" and it is my goal that "we the people" be first in line when it comes to how their county government works and how their taxes are spent.
What experience do you have that makes you qualified for this office?
I have been a citizen watchdog for over 30 years. I have worked with most departments in the county to make improvements. I was involved in defining our economic development system and currently our county is outperforming our neighboring counties. We have been so successful we need more industrial property because of job growth. I have been very careful with campaign donations, and "I AM NOT FOR SALE". My decisions will be based on what is best for all our citizens not special interests.
In your view, what is the role of county government?
The safety and protection of our citizens is the primary goal of a county commissioner. From maintaining proper levels of first responders, sheriff department, road capacity/safety and most importantly to be transparent with how we spend taxpayer money. As a commissioner my role is also to clearly understand that the citizens are my boss, and it will be my job to vote the will of the people not my personal opinion.
What do you believe should be changed about the county, and what specific steps you would take to implement those changes?
Our total focus must be infrastructure with the resources we have. We must partner with the FDOT to improve capacity on state roads, and we must invest in county roads to improve safety and capacity. My goal will be to focus the conversation on our much-needed infrastructure improvements.
What do you believe the county is doing right, and how would you improve it?
We have maintained a small, focused county staff that I think does a great job in providing services for our citizens. With the growth we must carefully balance the needs of our citizens and strive to seek out the best employees we can find. I am happy to see that county staff is communicating better with our citizens on projects, but I want to greatly expand on the information to our citizens. There are many projects in the works, and I want our citizens to have that information available. My goal is to inform and be as transparent as possible on how we spend the taxpayer's money.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Jerry Couey for Santa Rosa County Commissioner District 3 | Candidate Q&A
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