Hargenrader for County Commissioner - 2012
Party: Libertarian
Political Principles: Civil Libertarian, Fiscal Conservative, Federalist
Occupation: Electrical Engineer, Business Owner
Age: 52 years
Family: Married 31 years, 9 children. Youngest 4 living at home and attending College, High School and Grade School.
Resident: Since 1992, Brighton Township, Homeowner. Two adult children who own homes in Brighton Township
County Budget
I advocate reduction of operating budgets for all county entities to match an even revenue balance, with the general consensus of the Board of Commissioners on fixed reduction targets department by department. I would push for the abolition of DDA’s within the county, and return taxing authority solely to local elected officials. DDA’s create duplicate government overhead, with taxing authority given to unelected political cronies. This will improve the financial health of cities within the County and reduce reliance on local units for County fiscal backing of bond debt. I would end Health Care Coverage for County Commissioners.
I am in favor of reducing the operating budget for county jail operations, to force revisions in sentencing for non-violent crimes to reduce short term incarceration rates. I believe that far too much emphasis is placed on minor traffic enforcement, which inhibits the right to freedom of movement, and clogs up disproportionate hours of court time, burdens the poorest of the poor, and decreases societies trust in our sense of fairness. All too often, traffic enforcement is used as blackmail to balance local and state budgets. This motivation is not rational; it is punitive to normal law abiding citizens and has the opposite effect of decreasing public trust.
I would advocate creating a County Executive position, and decreasing the number of Commissioners from nine, to five. Livingston County is now a mixed use area. It has more urban, suburban and industrial areas than it did a generation ago. A full time county executive could add great benefit to oversight of county operations. It would allow operations like Economic Development to be done within the County Executives office eliminating outside NGO's like SPARK and improving performance. A County Executive could also work directly with Township Supervisors and City Mayors withing the county, to coordinate public policy.
Schools and Services
I advocate consolidation of Public School Corporations, to be unified under a single County School District. This makes all aspects of county government more efficient, through elimination of duplicate personnel, benefits, building and asset maintenance, and administrative costs. I advocate consolidation of local fire departments in the county, into a single well coordinated organization to address the growing need for larger response teams and more specialized training. This can be done most efficiently in a county run Fire Department modeled after the combined Fire Authority created for Brighton City, Genoa Township and Brighton Township.
Townships and Bonds
There is a valid reason some local government units can’t finance public works projects via bonds without backing from the county; they are a credit risk in the eyes of investment entities that purchase government bonds. Backing these bonds puts all county residents at risk for a limited part of the county, without their consent. The county should protect its credit rating against fiscal mismanagement that is beyond its control. Local Bonds for infrastructure such as sewer, water, and other essentials are funded by property tax assessments, which should be made on all properties, regardless of public, private or charitable usage.
County Road Commission Board of Directors Debacle
Many people have asked about my outspoken critique of the recent selection of a new Livingston County Road Commission Board member. When an opening occurred on this public body, which oversees our county road maintainance, the County Commissioners had preselected a candidate to fill the position without advertising it. I complained that a process of submission of resumes by those of interest is the proper format. This position was never formally advertised, nor a list of qualifications established. By word of mouth, the commissioners had 6 candidates apply. Private interviews were set up for each candidate. I objected that this violated the Open Public Meetings Act, and the interviews were cancelled. After scheduling public interviews at a normal meeting, the County Commissioners selected an unqualified candidate with no Engineering Degree, without any Professional Credentials in Roadway or Highway design.
There was one candidate who had a degree in Civil Engineering from University of Michigan, and worked in Highway Construction for a major firm. This candidate is from a local family and grew up in Brighton Township. Obviously, public bodies are filled in Livingston County by GOP cronyism and not credentials. This incompetence on behalf of the County Commissioners, and how the candidate I knew was treated, ignited my interest in running for this office. Honest, Open and Objective public oversight comes from making decisions in the best interest of taxpayers, on rational metrics. As an engineer, I have the critical thinking skills needed to seperate fact from fiction, and to prioritize with reason to effect best practices in public policy.
Political Principles: Civil Libertarian, Fiscal Conservative, Federalist
Occupation: Electrical Engineer, Business Owner
Age: 52 years
Family: Married 31 years, 9 children. Youngest 4 living at home and attending College, High School and Grade School.
Resident: Since 1992, Brighton Township, Homeowner. Two adult children who own homes in Brighton Township
County Budget
I advocate reduction of operating budgets for all county entities to match an even revenue balance, with the general consensus of the Board of Commissioners on fixed reduction targets department by department. I would push for the abolition of DDA’s within the county, and return taxing authority solely to local elected officials. DDA’s create duplicate government overhead, with taxing authority given to unelected political cronies. This will improve the financial health of cities within the County and reduce reliance on local units for County fiscal backing of bond debt. I would end Health Care Coverage for County Commissioners.
I am in favor of reducing the operating budget for county jail operations, to force revisions in sentencing for non-violent crimes to reduce short term incarceration rates. I believe that far too much emphasis is placed on minor traffic enforcement, which inhibits the right to freedom of movement, and clogs up disproportionate hours of court time, burdens the poorest of the poor, and decreases societies trust in our sense of fairness. All too often, traffic enforcement is used as blackmail to balance local and state budgets. This motivation is not rational; it is punitive to normal law abiding citizens and has the opposite effect of decreasing public trust.
I would advocate creating a County Executive position, and decreasing the number of Commissioners from nine, to five. Livingston County is now a mixed use area. It has more urban, suburban and industrial areas than it did a generation ago. A full time county executive could add great benefit to oversight of county operations. It would allow operations like Economic Development to be done within the County Executives office eliminating outside NGO's like SPARK and improving performance. A County Executive could also work directly with Township Supervisors and City Mayors withing the county, to coordinate public policy.
Schools and Services
I advocate consolidation of Public School Corporations, to be unified under a single County School District. This makes all aspects of county government more efficient, through elimination of duplicate personnel, benefits, building and asset maintenance, and administrative costs. I advocate consolidation of local fire departments in the county, into a single well coordinated organization to address the growing need for larger response teams and more specialized training. This can be done most efficiently in a county run Fire Department modeled after the combined Fire Authority created for Brighton City, Genoa Township and Brighton Township.
Townships and Bonds
There is a valid reason some local government units can’t finance public works projects via bonds without backing from the county; they are a credit risk in the eyes of investment entities that purchase government bonds. Backing these bonds puts all county residents at risk for a limited part of the county, without their consent. The county should protect its credit rating against fiscal mismanagement that is beyond its control. Local Bonds for infrastructure such as sewer, water, and other essentials are funded by property tax assessments, which should be made on all properties, regardless of public, private or charitable usage.
County Road Commission Board of Directors Debacle
Many people have asked about my outspoken critique of the recent selection of a new Livingston County Road Commission Board member. When an opening occurred on this public body, which oversees our county road maintainance, the County Commissioners had preselected a candidate to fill the position without advertising it. I complained that a process of submission of resumes by those of interest is the proper format. This position was never formally advertised, nor a list of qualifications established. By word of mouth, the commissioners had 6 candidates apply. Private interviews were set up for each candidate. I objected that this violated the Open Public Meetings Act, and the interviews were cancelled. After scheduling public interviews at a normal meeting, the County Commissioners selected an unqualified candidate with no Engineering Degree, without any Professional Credentials in Roadway or Highway design.
There was one candidate who had a degree in Civil Engineering from University of Michigan, and worked in Highway Construction for a major firm. This candidate is from a local family and grew up in Brighton Township. Obviously, public bodies are filled in Livingston County by GOP cronyism and not credentials. This incompetence on behalf of the County Commissioners, and how the candidate I knew was treated, ignited my interest in running for this office. Honest, Open and Objective public oversight comes from making decisions in the best interest of taxpayers, on rational metrics. As an engineer, I have the critical thinking skills needed to seperate fact from fiction, and to prioritize with reason to effect best practices in public policy.
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