Candidates in presiding commissioner race differ in their views on roads
In a political season when many voters decry the lack of choice between candidates who appear to be similar in style and substance, the incumbent and challenger in the race for Boone County presiding commissioner clearly stand apart.
Republican incumbent Keith Schnarre is a farmer; Democrat Ken Pearson is a retired state government administrator. What they have in common is that they are both 61 and both attended the University of Missouri.
Their paths diverge most directly when it comes to roads.
During Schnarre’s first term, the county has focused on allocating resources to maintain its 900 miles of roadway, including 500 miles of roads that are covered with gravel.
“Something we have talked about for the last three years is how we spend our money,” Schnarre said. “You have to spend money on what (roads) you have over extension. If you don’t take care of what you have, you lose it.”
Schnarre said the county has concentrated on upkeep and improvements along the gravel roads, including building crowns, clearing ditches, building culverts, improving drainage and cutting back brush. The county is “at a turning point now in what direction we go,” he said. “We are working through a lot of schools of thought.”
Asked what he has heard from constituents about roads in rural areas, Schnarre said: “I’ve heard a lot of comments about how much better the roads are. We are doing all we can.”
Asked the same question, Pearson said, “People ask why some projects get done and others don’t. (There are) issues of criteria used to determine which roads are maintained and paved.”
Pearson, who worked for 27 years in the Missouri Department of Revenue as an administrator and manager, has a different approach to road policy and he is careful in how he explains it. The public has a lot of questions about how road improvement projects are selected by the county, Pearson said.
“These kinds of things become a management issue,” he said. “I’m not trying to micromanage, but I want to look to look at how (the road) department is managed and provide the leadership to develop better (selection) criteria.”
More input from the public and from county workers is needed, Pearson said.
“By talking with first-line employees more, you can get more information,” Pearson said. “You can do a better job and save money.”
The exchange of information and communication is also a key in cooperation between the city and the county, Pearson said.
“What I’ve found is if a person is willing to come and listen to people and learn from people, you can work together,” Pearson said. “The key is getting people to work together. It is one of things that is needed in this county.”
Pearson said things have changed in communications between officials from Boone County and Columbia.
“When I filed in February, there was very little cooperation between city and county,” he said. “It has recently improved. With my background and experience, I think we can work together. And it’s not just Columbia; it’s all the cities in the county. Different cities and towns have different ideas about what they like to do. It’s about working with the cities and being open-minded.”
To Schnarre, there is already a good level of cooperation between county and city governments.
“Cooperation is doing well if you look at the whole,” Schnarre said. “We meet with the city manager and staff every month to discuss issues. We’re swapping with them as is fair and as needed.”
City and county road department personnel meet on an as-needed basis to review plans. “They look at plans in the future so they can coordinate,” he said.
The city and county also share some duties in road maintenance and in snow removal.
“It doesn’t make any sense to have snow trucks from two political entities on the same road,” Schnarre said. Then he cut to the heart of the matter.
“Money is a big issue,” Schnarre said. We would all get along real well if we had all the money we needed. Some things we can do; some things we can’t. The main thing is that we’re talking.”