Experience counts, say county candidates
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
Republican candidate for Nodaway County sheriff Randy Strong addresses Thursday’s candidates forum at the Nodaway County Courthouse. In addition to citing decades of experience as a law enforcement officer, Strong pledged to increase the level of cooperation between the Sheriff’s Office and local, state, and federal agencies. Incumbent Sheriff Darren White, running for a third four-year term, sits at right. During his remarks, White noted his commitment to community outreach, efficient jail administration, and 24-hour deputy patrols.
Local political hopefuls for the two contested Nodaway County offices on the ballot in next week’s general election addressed a relative handful of voters Thursday during a candidates forum hosted by the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce and Maryville Citizens for Community Action.
About 60 people attended the event at the Nodaway County Courthouse, including a number of officeholders and officials either not on the ballot Nov. 8 or running unopposed.
In addition to Chris Burns and Merlin Atkins, the respective Republican and Democratic candidates for North District county commissioner, and Randy Strong and Darren White, the Republican challenger and Democratic incumbent standing for sheriff, speakers included Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel, who gave a brief presentation on the municipal “bed tax” proposal.
If approved by a simple majority, the levy would add around $4 a night to local hotel bills, money that would be used to help finance a mammoth indoor athletic and special events facility at Northwest Missouri State University in addition to providing funds for local tourism and economic development efforts.
But the main event consisted of the candidate presentations, which for the most part lacked much drama or conflict as all four men limited themselves to setting forth personal qualifications for office and listing some of the things they hope to accomplish if elected. There were no personal attacks or direct criticism directed by one candidate toward his rival.
Chris Burns, like Atkins a first-time candidate, kicked off the commission portion of the evening by emphasizing his experience as a local businessman with lifelong ties to Nodaway County and a record of community service, which includes more than a decade as a member of the Maryville Planning & Zoning Commission.
In addition to owning a bar, Burny’s Upper Deck, in downtown Maryville and Motors & Cycles Sales on North Main Street, Burns has traveled extensively as a major-claims adjuster for Zurich Insurance Group, and said his budgeting and management background will allow him to make sure there are “no wasted tax dollars” in the county budget.
Burns said he would make transportation a priority if elected to the commission, noting that Nodaway is geographically the fifth-largest county in the state and has more bridges and miles of gravel road than nearly any other similar political subdivision in Missouri.
Finding the dollars to keep those roads and bridges in good repair, he said, makes “looking at the budget and learning the budget one of the most important things a commissioner can do.
For his part, Atkins, who grew up on a farm in Holt County then farmed in Nodaway County for 40 years before retiring and moving to Maryville, emphasized his long record of community service.
That record includes playing a leadership role in establishing both the Nodaway County Community Building — a youth livestock arena west of Maryville — and the Nodaway County Ministry Center, a charity pantry with a donations-driven budget of $150,000 a year that provides foodstuffs to well over 200 families in need each month.
“Nothing is better than seeing a child smile who was hungry,” Atkins said. “We have a lot of families in Nodaway County where one or both parents are working for $8 an hour. Why is that even allowed in the State of Missouri?”
As a farmer, Atkins said he was very much aware of the need for adequate rural roads and bridges, and said he could remember helping a township equipment operator repair a motor grader “when it was 10 degrees below zero.”
Neither candidate addressed the fact that in Nodaway County it is township boards, and not the commission, that bear primary responsibility for road maintenance, with the county’s main contribution being bridge construction and annual township subsidies for road gravel.
Nevertheless, Atkins seemed to indicate the commission should play a role in making sure townships, which collect their own taxes, are properly equipped.
“If you were living (near) Elmo, and your wife was pregnant, wouldn’t you want a motor grader closer than Maryville?” he said.
As for the sheriff candidates, incumbent Darren White said he was running on his record — and so did his Republican opponent Randy Strong.
Before becoming sheriff eight years ago, White long served as either a medical first responder or a peace officer, and Strong has spent nearly 40 years in law enforcement, most of them as a Maryville Public Safety policeman and detective.
White, who spoke first, told the forum audience he has kept the promises he made when first running for office, including implementation of 24-hour deputy patrols. He added that he has worked to make the Sheriff’s Office responsive and has insisted that deputies treat all citizens with respect and fairness.
However, White emphasized that much of the sheriff’s job is to administer functions the public never sees, such as serving court documents, providing courtroom security, and housing and feeding prisoners at the Nodaway County jail.
Running the jail, White said, is perhaps “the biggest task that comes with the job,” even though most people are probably more aware of the office’s law-enforcement function.
White said he has sought to balance these responsibilities and has dedicated as many resources as possible to fielding an adequate law-enforcement presence across the county’s 900 square miles.
“We do it every day, we do it with a smile, and we’re happy that we’re able to do it,” he said.
During his remarks, Strong concentrated on his experience as an investigator and administrator with a proven track record in cracking high-profile criminal cases, including the 2004 Bobbie Jo Stinnett murder and kidnapping case, which earned the Maryville detective personal congratulations from President George W. Bush.
If elected sheriff, Strong said he would promote cooperation between the Sheriff’s Office and local, state, and federal enforcement agencies in order to bring more resources to bear in solving major crimes related to illegal drugs, theft rings, and homicides.
As he did earlier in the campaign, Strong voiced a pledge to reinstitute the Northwest Missouri Major Case Squad, which he claimed posted a cleared-case rate of more than 90 percent.
He also said a Strong-administered Sheriff’s Office would afford “respect and dignity” to all citizens regardless of race, age, social and economic standing, and sexual orientation.
Strong added that he wanted to increase the county’s level of community policing by requiring deputies to visit schools and businesses. He also proposed implementing local training opportunities for deputies in concert with Maryville Public Safety and the Northwest Missouri State University Police Department.
Turning to a recurring, and sometimes contentious, issue for local law enforcement, Strong said he would revisit the possibility of creating a shared police/sheriff 911 dispatch facility.
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
North District County Commission candidate Merlin Atkins speaks during the recent Chamber of Commerce candidates forum. Atkins has based his campaign on a record of community service and success as a professional farmer. Seated at right is Atkins’ Republican opponent, Chris Burns, who says his business experience and budget savvy qualifies him to sit on the county’s three-member governing board.
