Approximately 65 individuals attended the Clinton County Council District 4 political forum between incumbent and current Clinton County Council president Alan Dunn and challenger Bechel “Frankie” Crew at the Michigantown Gymnasium Tuesday night.
Both candidates felt as though they got their points across to those in attendance.
“I think I conveyed my point fairly well,” said Crew. “There is a little bit more I wish I would have said. But I think I got the majority of my point across.”
Dunn felt likewise.
“It was a great event with great questions and a tremendous crowd,” said Dunn. “I felt like I got everything said that I wanted to say.”
Crew, a 2006 graduate of Clinton Central High School, says he tries to be extremely optimistic in a lot of his views. He said that comes from a lot of loss and tragedy in his life from losing his fellow brothers in combat to losing his father just a little over a year ago.
“I’m willing to work as a team,” he said. “I’m just one voice and there are six other members of the council. I feel like I can do that because I did that in the Army. There has to be communications between us (County Council) and the Commissioners. I learned to work with people from all walks of life from all over the world. We have to work as a team.”
Dunn felt Crew did a great job during the forum.
“I thought Frankie did a great job being in a tough position as a person coming in that doesn’t have access to the experience I have having served for a long time,” said Dunn.
Dunn said he thinks the county council is on the right path.
“I think we’ve made great strides,” said Dunn. “Right now, I think our county leadership team is as strong as its ever been in the 12 years I’ve been involved in local government. But, there is no doubt we’ve got some tough hurdles ahead of us.”
Dunn specifically brought up the property tax caps, which he says limits the ability to raise revenue.
“When you have limits on your revenue, you have limits on what you can do in terms of services for the community,” said Dunn. “The dreams I have may be a little greater than we have the ability to fund right now. I certainly think we’re going in the right direction. The working relationship we have right now with the city has given us a real synergy that we’ve been able to take advantage of.”
Both candidates agreed that economic growth in the area is needed to Interstate 65. They both said they would not offer abatements to any wind farm organization wanting to come to the area.
“Wind farms is one of the major issues in our county,” said Crew. “A majority of individuals do not want them and we haven’t been able to make a final decision.”
Dunn said the eastern side of the county is at a disadvantage when it comes to economic development.
“It’s hard to get economic development to this side of I-65,” said Dunn, who added there has been a lot of investment in Kirklin.
This was the first of three forums dealing with county politics sponsored by the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce. The next forum will feature the four sheriff candidates — Mark Mitchell, Jerrad Blacker, Rich Kelly and Matt Myers — at the Clinton Prairie High School auditorium at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, while the final forum will be the District 3 Commissioners forum between incumbent Scott Shoemaker and challenger Richelle Lutz to be held at the Ironblock Building in downtown Frankfort at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10.
The primary election will be held Tuesday, May 8.