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Gazette hosts county candidates at Coffee Talk
McCOOK, Neb. — The three candidates running for the Red Willow County District 2 Commissioner position in May’s primary election seem to agree on almost everything except who should win.
The three joined over twenty others at the Gazette’s April 24 “Coffee Talk” at Sehnert’s Bakery and Biéroc Cafe’.
Randy Dean, Shane Messersmith, and John O’Dea are running for the District 2 spot. Each had an opportunity to share a little bit about themselves and then answer questions from the public.
Current Commissioner Dean highlighted his years of volunteer work and service to the community. He shared that the position has been wrongly described as part-time.
Dean said, “If you do your job, it’s 30-40 hours a week. I’m not talking just roads; I’m talking about all the other issues that go along with it. I’m on the phone all the time. I’m not on the phone and going to meetings, and I’m willing to continue to do that. I have the time, and I’ll continue to devote that time.”
O’Dea shared that he has been a lifelong resident of Red Willow County, having served on the Southwest School Board for 10 years.
“I take a lot of pride in what we’ve been able to do and accomplish there. We’ve kept our budget flat while adding technical programs and enhancing our agriculture program,” O’Dea said. Messersmith shared that politics, specifically the position of County Commissioner, is in his blood.
“My grandfather and uncle were county commissioners up in Hays County for a combined total of 48 years. So it’s a little bit in our blood,” Messersmith said.
Questions asked of the candidates included the plan after American Rescue Plan Act funds run out. Dean gave a brief history of what has been done with the funds and shared that the funds need to be contracted by the end of the year but doesn’t have to be spent in that time frame.
All three agreed that additional funding, like the ARPA funds, should be used on secondary items, not the regular budget.
The candidates were asked their opinions about alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind. The candidates agreed that they did not think they were right for the county. When pressed on the issue, the candidates were not open to discussing compromises that would enable progressive energy alternatives.
O’Dea stated, “I think Nebraska is one of the best public power systems there is.”Other questions were about nuisance abatement at the county level, tourism, and what each candidate felt needed more attention.
Messersmith spoke on the rising property costs and that more needs to be done on the local level to ensure younger people are able to farm in the future.
O’Dea shared the importance of agriculture on economic development, and Dean discussed the importance of Region 2.
In closing, the candidates each made statements, Messersmith said, “Vote for me, and you’re not going to have any smoke blown up where you don’t want it. I’m not in the business of supplying my family jobs for the county. I’m here to try to save the taxpayers money, period. We can do that by sharpening your pencil on your budget and deregulating a lot of things that the county can do. I’m Looking forward to it.”
O’Dea, who refers to himself as “Big John,” said, “I’m pro-agriculture, pro infrastructure. I’m approachable. I just want to do the best job I possibly can and have the opportunity to do the best job I can for it.”
Dean Said, “I’d say I’ve been in the trenches. I fought the fight and continue to fight tight to keep my tax list so I can cut spending. I think that’s pretty dang important. And we’ve made some really good improvements over the last three years since I’ve been in office.”
The discussion was live-streamed on the McCook Gazette Facebook page and can be watched there. “Coffee Talk” is on the fourth Wednesday of every month. Sen. Dave Murman will be the guest speaker in May.
If you have any suggestions for future guests, email Anna LaBay at news@mccookgazette.