4TH DISTRICT: Wind farm opponent challenges Dallke
Two candidates will vie in the Republican primary for a spot on the Nov. 5 election ballot in commissioner district 3, which represents Liberty, East Branch, Catlin, Peabody, Summit, and Milton townships.
Randy Dallke, a commissioner for 20 years, is registered for another term.
His opponent is rural Peabody resident Clark Dirks.
Dirks, who makes his living as a handyman, said he was inspired to run to make a difference.
“I just feel like I can’t complain about government if I won’t step up and do anything,” Dirks said.
He also thinks he could bring a fresh perspective to the commission.
He wants to see more transparency in government, more involvement from the public, and accountability for government officials and employees in the decisions they make.
He doesn’t pretend to know everything that needs changed, but says he plans to look at everything and see where changes are needed.
“Everybody complains about the roads,” he said. “I’ve been in Marion County 10 years. I’ve driven all over the country and seen a lot of these roads. Obviously, what we’re doing with county roads is not making a difference. I’d like to look at alternative ways to do it. They put down limestone gravel, and that breaks down quickly. There are always better ways of doing things.”
Taxes should be lowered, he said.
“If you look at county tax revenue since 2020, our taxes have gone up $2.55 million,” he said.
If it were necessary to cut 10% of the county budget, he’d look everywhere to see where the money should come from.
“I’d probably start with the commissioners’ salary,” he said.
When he decided to run, he did not know commissioner was a paid position, he said. He thinks it should be a public service position.
“I think the county can be a lot more efficient in spending taxpayer dollars,” he said.
If the county got a 10% windfall, the first thing he’d want to do is reduce property taxes.
“Windfalls should not be used as a slush fund,” he said. “They should be used to benefit the people.”
He’s not happy with having both a five-member commission and a county administrator.
In an advisory election, county residents opposed a county administrator being hired.
“To me, that is a breach of the public’s confidence,” Dirks said.
He’s not sure whether he wants the commission reduced back to three commissioners.
“With three commissioners, if they’re not listening to the constituents, they’re no better than no commissioners,” he said. “If you’re a paid county official, you’re never ‘off’ county time. While I have a life of my own and a business of my own, I will take time to listen to anyone throughout the county.
“I’m opposed to any future wind farm development in Marion County. They’re not sustainable. They’re not good for the county. A few individuals may benefit economically, but the county as a whole does not.”
He notes a lot of social change in the county since he moved here.
“Personally, I think values are the change,” he said. “We don’t have any today. The change is not for the better.”
Commissioners have spent much time debating whether a resolution opposing the federal government program called 30x30.
“I am disturbed by the current administration’s effort to take more control of private land,” he said.
Voluntary conservatorships are fine with him, but he doesn’t want conservatorship to expand.
He said Peabody needed more ambulances, and the county should work with the town to resolve problems in staffing ambulances there.
“The problem with rural communities, it’s hard to fund and staff,” he said.
Dallke, a commissioner for 20 years, said that when the board of commissioners expanded from three to five members, it brought a few more perspectives to the table and reduced the amount of research each commissioner needed to do.
Having a county administrator also reduces research time because the administrator does a lot of research.
However, that doesn’t relieve commissioners from doing their homework, he said.
“I think it’s still the job of the commissioners to investigate and fine out how things are going,” he said.
The commission could be reduced to three members, Dallke said.
When the commission was three people, things were set up so the county’s three areas worked together.
Commissioners should be responsive to the entire county, not just to those who live in their area, he said.
“I want to know what the public thinks,” he said.
When someone has a problem with operation of the county, they first should go through the system as it is set up, but if that doesn’t resolve the issue, they should come to him, he said.
A county administrator needs good work skills, and he believes administrator Tina Spencer has them.
Whether hiring an administrator was a good decision is still a matter of judgment and should be reviewed in two years, Dallke said.
‘I’ve seen the good ones, and I’ve seen the bad ones,” he said.
If the county had to reduce its budget by 10%, the first thing Dallke would do is evaluate staff.
Some positions are required by the state in order to get grants. Other officers have expanded the number of positions.
“They always say it’s the workload, but is it?” Dallke asked.
Sometimes people don’t like it when cuts are made, but it has to be done, he said.
If the county bought its own fuel tank instead of buying fuel from contractors, that would save a lot of money, but a lot of regulations would have to be obeyed, he said.
Ambulance woes in the county might have been avoided when locations for ambulance stations were decided.
“We’re not really an east / west county; we’re a north / south county,” Dallke said.
Residents at the county lake require law enforcement and road service. He thinks there are enough residents there that they could incorporate.
“That county lake was not meant to be a town,” Dallke said. “The county lake is just one issue by itself.”
He said commissioners needed to ask themselves whether they are really addressing needs of the county.
“I can’t impose something for today that, five commissions later, they’re still going to be addressing,” Dallke said.
As Orsted’s Sunflower Wind farm looks to expand, Dallke thinks the company should be keeping commissioners up to date on plans. Instead, they’ve heard nothing from the energy company.
Last modified Aug. 1, 2024