Commission Candidates Debate As Election Draws Near

Attorney Mike Edney, a Republican, and urologist Dr. Scott Donaldson, an independent, are both on the ballot vying for the District 1 seat currently held by Bill Moyer. Edney narrowly defeated Moyer in the May primary, while Donaldson collected 3,000 signatures to get his name on the November ballot.

At a debate sponsored by the Henderson County Tea Party and the Henderson County 9/12 group, the two candidates shared their views on jobs, Pardee Hospital, and the county’s capital improvement projects with a small crowd at Bay Breeze restaurant.

Edney, a former county commissioner, opened the debate by sharing that his family’s roots in Henderson County date back to the 1780s. After earning his law degree in 1985, Edney returned to Henderson County to start practicing law, primarily criminal defense work.

“I was asked a couple of weeks ago by some folks to label myself, and I don’t like doing that,” he said. “I told them basically what I would call myself is a constitutional conservative. I think the Constitution means what it says and says what it means. When it comes to local government, it means the smaller the government the better.”

Edney said he chose to run for commissioner again because he felt local government has become too impersonal. “Everybody was being treated as a number or in a lot of cases as bank accounts. I wanted government to get back to the people,” he said.

As a father, Edney wants to see the county create better job opportunities so that young people will be more willing to stay here after school. Edney wants to focus on developing small businesses and the jobs they can provide. “These small businesses can get more jobs to the people quicker than these big industries,” he said.

Donaldson, who moved to Henderson County nine years ago, spoke of how the economy may be “stuck” right now, but Henderson Country has to start working now to set itself apart when better times return. “When people who have money and have businesses they want to relocate, we want them to choose us over everybody else,” he said. “This economy will become unstuck, and when that time comes, I want them to choose our place first.”

Donaldson said the county needs to focus on three things to set itself apart: Health, personal responsibility and financial responsibility. Donaldson said the physical health of people in a community is something businesses look at when deciding where to locate. He wants more physical activity and intramurals in schools, and he fully supports the rails to trails project.

On the issue of personal responsibility, Donaldson said he supports random drug testing of students involved in extra-curricular activities. “The policy needs to be implemented so the kids begin to feel the impact of poor decisions,” he said.

Speaking on financial responsibility, Donaldson thinks the county’s capital improvement plan needs a second look. He wants the county to consider delaying construction of a new office for the Sheriff’s Department. “The sheriff has done a bang up job in a very poor office situation. They need a new facility. There’s no question about that,” he said. “I’d simply ask that we see if we couldn’t delay it for a couple of years until we get on a little more firm financial setting.”

The candidates disagreed on the future of Pardee Hospital. Donaldson would like to see the county-owned Pardee sever its present relationship with the county. “Let me tell you how we sever it. Pardee purchases its freedom from Henderson County. It’s not free,” Donaldson said. “It’s a mutually agreed upon price. This price could actually fund some of these capital improvements.”

Edney disagreed with Donaldson’s vision for the hospital. He said the hospital’s relationship with the county has been a good one since the hospital was founded back in the 1950s. He said he does not support selling the hospital.

“Pardee Hospital was created by the citizens of Henderson County for the citizens of Henderson County,” Edney said. “It has been a people-owned hospital ever since. If you elect me to be your county commissioner, it will remain a people-owned hospital forever. The only way you can assure accountability to the people is through the county commissioners appointing the board of trustees to oversee the professional management of the hospital.”

 

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