Gasconade County Republican

Voter’s will choose from three Republican candidates for Presiding commissioner of Franklin County in next Tuesday’s primary election.

Current Presiding Commissioner Ed Hillhouse has chosen not to seek re-election.

It is expected that AmerenUE will ask county officials in the near future to allow them to build a landfill in the floodplain along the Missouri River near Labadie. The landfill would be located on property that AmerenUE already owns. A citizen’s group called Labadie Environmental Organization opposes that plan. The Franklin County Planning & Zoning board is in the process of re-writing their landfill  regulations.

All three of the candidates were asked for the views on the issue.

Ron Keeven is one of the candidates who hope to replace Hillhouse.

Keeven says we need a landfill, “We have to have something, but there has to be a better deposit place than in a flood plain.”

He would like the Planning and Zoning to recommend to the County Commission that an ad hoc committee be appointed with representatives from both sides.

His larger concern is with the “openness of that verbage” in the proposed landfill regulation.

Keeven opposed the push for charter government.

“Charter government is big government and more government than a county of 100,000 people can afford to have,” he reasons.  He does believe that somewhere in the future, after the county experiences much growth, it could be needed.

Keeven is against adding an economic developer to the county’s payroll as some have suggested. He feels that job should fall to the commissioners.

“We are currently growing government faster than our economy,” he worries.

If elected he would insist that the county keep tax dollars local by purchasing within the county.  He wants to return to politics by the people, for the people.

When asked what he feels the county’s most pressing concern will be in the next two years, he was ready with an answer,“Coming up with the funds to pay off the county’s loan indebtedness.” According to Keeven the county now spends about $1 million a year making payments on loans for the new government buildings and remodeling the courthouse. By his projections that number will escalate to $1.75 million by 2013.

“We can barely make the payments now,” Keeven says, “where are we going to find another quarter-of-a-million dollars each year?”

Keeven also wants to make the county government more open. He would start with holding some of the commission meetings in the evening so that those who work could attend. He would also make sure that the meetings are video taped and posted so that the public could access them.

“The present commission is municipality based,” Keeven points out. “In this race, you have a two out three chance of electing someone from the rural county.”

Keeven is from the Lyon area and has owned a heating and cooling business.

“I would much rather spend time with my grandchildren,” he adds, “but there is a job that needs doing here and I think I can do it well.”

John Griesheimer is a familiar name in county politics. He has served for the last eight years in the state senate, this being his last year due to term limits. The ten years prior to that he served as a state representative.

He lives in Washington.

Griesheimer is clear on his top priority. He wants to hire an economic developer if he were to be elected.

“We have to get people back to work before we lose our tax base,” Griesheimer says. An economic developer could help find grants to fund projects that would get people back to work. Any towns within the county who do not employ their own, could use the county’s economic developer.

The commission does not have time to coordinate economic development.

“I want no parochialism, I want to take down barriers and work with everyone,” he continues.

Griesheimer believes sales-tax revenue in the county is starting to come up and hopes that’s an indication of a trend that will continue.

“We must be frugal with our money,” he cautions.

He also feels that some Planning & Zoning Changes are needed. “Some regulations are too restrictive, they need to be loosened,” he notes.

As to the landfill issue, Griesheimer says he wants everyone to sit down and work it out.  He feels Franklin County is “blessed” to have one of the largest power plants in the state. “I want to keep it here,” he adds. He says he would oppose transporting waste to the AmerenUE property in the county. He prefers that the proposed landfill be located out of the floodplain.

If elected, Griesheimer says he would turn the commission meetings into “traveling road shows”, taking the meetings to various locations throughout the county. He would also like to vary the meeting times. “If there is not attendance, then we pull the plug and go back to the way it is now,” he says.

Griesheimer supported the charter government proposal, but says he now believes it won’t happen in his lifetime. He says if elected he won’t bring it up during his administration.

“The people voted loudly and I heard them,” he said.

Jerry Landing lives in rural southeastern Franklin County, between St. Clair and Lonedell.

Addressing the landfill issue, Landing says that he would support the landfill. He is a strong believer in property rights.

“As long as they abide by the rules - and there are a lot of rules - then today I would vote yes,” he stated.

Landing says he tries to keep a positive attitude, with no doom and gloom. He has confidence in the county leaders today. The only reason he is running is because Hillhouse has chosen not to run, creating an opening.

Landing believes that charter government is big government and very expensive. He believes in less control over people and property.

He would like to see the repeal of the certification of contractors who work in the county. He feels it lessens competition and drives up prices. Certification, rather than registration is the way he would prefer to go.

“We have got to cut spending,” Landing declares. He suggests meeting with each department head and finding ways to cut.

“It will mean a few jobs,” he admits. He also plans to sell anything that is not “producing” for the next few years, until the budget crisis is over. “If equipment is parked, it’s sold,” he says.

Landing also believes strongly in hiring and buying within the county. “If a bid from someone within the county comes within 10 percent of another we should hire the contractor from our county,” he explains.

Landing built his trucking and excavating businesses into multi million dollar entities.

His experience in the construction business would be a big asset to him as presiding commissioner he feels.

He says he has used his own money to finance his campaign and is not tied into any special interest group.

“I want this job for four years and four years only,” he emphasizes, “I have nobody to bow down to.”

The winner of the Republican primary will face democratic challenger Gary W. Getman. Getman is running unopposed in the Tuesday, Aug. 3 primary.

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