friends to run when it appeared, he said, that Dallke might not seek re-election.
“He wasn’t too far behind me,” Rose said.
Rose, who wasn’t deterred, staying in the race because he felt it was time for a change.
“We’ve got to be proactive instead of reactive to where everything will start running smoothly,” he said.
Roads and EMS would be areas Rose would emphasize.
“Everybody has roads No. 1, but how do you do it with the funds that we have?” he said. “There’s been some progress with EMS, and I want to improve on it.”
Rose didn’t suggest ideas for EMS, saying he would need to study it more; however, he did know how he would prioritize addressing gravel and dirt road issues.
“These guys know who is living out here in rural areas,” he said. “If they remove snow from a road, we should take care of those roads.”
The erosion problem on 190th Rd. should be fixed, Rose said, because it’s a paved road many people use and it serves as an additional route in emergencies.
Rose saw merit in having a county administrator, but stopped short of fully endorsing the idea.
“The board would be able to focus on the major stuff and let them handle other aspects,” he said.
Rose said he would limit annual employee pay raises to actual cost-of-living increases, and favors “across the board” raises as opposed to giving less to low performing employees.
“That’s the manager’s fault for not working with that guy; you don’t play favoritism,” he said.
Departments will have to learn to live within their means when the property tax cap goes into effect, Rose said, and equipment will have to “last a little bit longer.” Essential building improvements and land purchases are items he would consider asking voters for increases beyond the cap.
Rose would tout friendly small-towns, availability of space, potential employees, and proximity to cities as reasons for businesses to locate in the county. Businesses could find and retain employees if they treat them well, he said.
A quality technician with Johnson Controls of Wichita, where he has worked