Letter: Gebert best to handle complicated county government

To the Editor-

We have an election for county executive coming up. I have had the opportunity to hear all three candidates express their views at two different candidate forums. Each of the candidates brings qualities, credentials and ideas to the table worth noting.

My conclusion is that Jami Gebert is the best fit for this office.

From what I have learned about county government over the last few decades, and from our most recent experiences with our first two executives, this is an incredibly complicated and multifaceted job, with a daunting cross-section of overlapping missions, responsibilities and programs to manage. These programs run the gamut from social services to emergency services to highways and more.

Jami has been in the thick of things over the past eight years. While Patty Dreier was the county executive, Jami has been intimately involved with the legwork involved in daily operations, budgeting and helping to keep all the cogs turning.

I know that the county executive and county board have not always seen eye-to-eye over every issue, but I think that is a actually a good thing, a healthy give and take in our system of checks and balances. Some say that the executive should just carry out policy as put forth by the county supervisors. But the county executive has the statutory responsibility to prepare and propose a budget to the board for review, amendment and/or approval. Thus the budget is, in fact, a policy document, which the board has the authority to revise or approve. It is a joint responsibility of both branches of our county government.

Chris Holmen is also highly-qualified and presents himself as a fresh start, open to re-thinking the governance structure and is a passionate advocate for emergency services. But it’s clear to me that we need someone with Jami’s solid experience in this position, if you’ve ever had the opportunity to hear her speak about some of our very-complicated county issues, her knowledge and depth of understanding is astounding.

Matt Jacowski really speaks to his longtime faith in his fellow citizens, neighbors and fellow board members to come through with the right answers to these tough questions. And has some good ideas worth pursuing. But, once again, Jami is ready to hit the ground running. We don’t have the luxury of a longer learning curve for the new county executive to tackle some of the most immediate issues, such as the future of our health care center.

So please join me in voting for Jami Gebert for county executive. But, if she is not your first choice please come out and vote in the primary on Feb. 20 and vote for the candidate of your choice.

The county executive is elected by all of us and we will all be the better for it.

Tom Brown
Stevens Point