The View 38002 April 2014 | Page 18

38002.com theview theview Page 18 April 2014 2014 Election Coverage County Primaries ~ Tuesday, May 6 Meet Your Candidates: One of These Four will be the District 3 Shelby County Commissioner By Terry Louderback Last month, The View 38002 contacted the four candidates running for Shelby County Commission, District 3 (which includes Bartlett and most—but not all—of Lakeland) Because all four candidates are running as Republicans, and there are no Democratic candidates, whoever wins the May 6 Primary will be the new County Commissioner. (There are new Commissioner maps for 2014 and multi-Commissioner districts are a thing of the past. The new districts have only a single commissioner. Arlington residents (and basically those Lakeland residents living north of the Loosahatchie) are in District 1, which was handily won by Terry Roland when no one filed to run against him.) Each candidate was sent the same three questions and instructions (see box). The responses printed here are unedited, except for formatting that does not change the content or intent of the answer. The responses are grouped alphabetically by position and separated by municipality, as that is the way that they will appear on the ballot. For more information on the May 6 Primary and to see a sample ballot, go to ShelbyVote.com Naser Fazlullah City of Residence: Bartlett Occupation/career: Small Business Owner of L & S Fish and Hotwings Website: naserforshelby.com I am a small business owner /manager. I work with budgets, and have to make some tough decisions. I do my research to make sure all decisions are sound and just. I am responsible for making sure my employees are being treated fairly. Before I started my own business, I was a District manager and oversaw many employees and multiple stores within my district. I am not a career politician. I want to bring my working -class, small business owner, parent and family man experience to the position. Marginal job growth, education, poor infrastructure, crime and the appearance that the different legislative bodies in the county cannot get along and work together are the top issues I see we face in Shelby County. I know we can get all of these addressed, by rolling up our sleeves and remaining focused on the issues and not pass the blame. I am against consolidation of Memphis city and Shelby County government. Each has its place and responsibility. My responsibilities will lie with those I will be elected to serve. I believe it is important to seek the input of the Mayor and Board of Alderman on any county business that would affect, direct or indirectly, the Town of Lakeland. It is also important to make sure the Sheriff and Fire Department maintains excellent service levels within the community. I want to be a sounding board for the citizens of Lakeland on any county business Name: Kelly D. Price City of Residence: Bartlett Occupation/career: U.S. Army (ret) Facebook: Kelly D. Price for Shelby County Commissioner Website: focusedonwhatcounts.com I bring 21 years of experience of the army working with people from all different back grounds. This allows me to see thing from a different views. Economic development and funding schools Ensure we are fiscally responsible for a healthy financial future to help grow our community and make it In their responses, candidates were given a 250 word limit to answer the following three questions: Question 1: What experience do you have that makes you the best candidate for County Commissioner—District 3? Question 2: What do you see as the top issues facing Shelby County? Question 3: How will you work to represent the interests of the Lakeland area in regards to tax increases, county services, and funding of municipal schools? strong. To ensure we have a fair property tax rate for our citizens, and those dollars are being spent in the right place. I will fight to make sure the every school has the money it needs for education. Ed ucatio n being the cornerstone of any community Name: David Reaves City of Residence: Bartlett Occupation/career: Manager Disaster Recovery, FedEx Website: davidreaves.org I have served the people of North Shelby County the last 4 years on the Shelby County School Board. In that time we have cut close to 150 million dollars out of the school district to strike a balanced budget. I know where the opportunities exist to cut and share services in county government. I also understand the Shelby County Schools budget which gives me the experience needed to hold the line on requests for county funding increases freeing up more money for Lakeland to spend on its own school system. The top issues facing Shelby County are:  Lack of educated, trained