Perry County District 2 Associate Commissioner race: Five Republicans vying for seat

Perry County’s incumbent District 2 associate commissioner Keith Hoehn looks to keep his seat by becoming the Republican nominee during the Tuesday, Aug. 6, primary election.

Hoehn, a farm and heavy equipment mechanic, faces three challengers for the nomination, semi-retired construction worker and miner Damon Dillard, self-employed business owner and current Perryville Board of Alderman chairperson Douglas Martin and construction business owner Rocky Schumer.

The Southeast Missourian sent questionnaires to each candidate running in a contested race in order to inform voters on each candidate’s plans for office ahead of the Aug. 6 primary election. Candidates were asked to answer each question in 100 or fewer words. Any answer significantly longer than 100 words has been edited for brevity. Candidate responses are presented as written by the candidate and have only been edited for spelling and grammatical errors.

What makes you qualified for this position?

Dillard: My first qualification is that I have read and understand the Constitution of Missouri and the Missouri Republican Platform. How could anyone claim to represent the Republican Party as a candidate for Perry County commissioner, when they haven’t read or understand the tenants and values of the Missouri Republican Platform?

As to my experience, I have a masters in business administration and over the last 25 years of my career, I have focused on medicine, technology and heavy equipment. Since 2011, I have been involved in the earth moving and construction industry, and I have extensive training from Caterpillar as to road building and limestone quarries.

Hoehn: I am the only candidate that has experience at this job. I have worked in the public for 34-plus years, mostly as a farm and heavy equipment mechanic. These skills have benefited the county tax payers by saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in the road and bridge department alone.

Martin: I come to the table with 45 years of experience as a self-employed business owner. Being from Brazeau and having lived in Perryville since 1976, I have a heart for this community, and I’ve been a part of the city council as alderman of Ward 2 for 12 years. Since I was 12 years old, I took on any job a young boy from Frohna could take on. Things like bailing hay, mowing grass and working at the bowling alley. I have had a hard work ethic since I can remember and I take pride in my work.

Schumer: I have worked in construction since 1975, and started my own business, Rocky Schumer Construction, thirty-eight years ago. Reading blueprints, preparing estimates and lining up sub-contractors is part of my business and are skills tailor made for this position. I have road-building experience, using bulldozers, highlifts, road graders and dump trucks, which will help make me an effective commissioner. In my business I am constantly communicating with the customers in order to complete the project of their dreams yet stay within their budget. Communication skills are a must in my business and in the office of commissioner.

What would your top priority as commissioner be?

Dillard: My top priority is to make life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness our standard and our highest objective. The first and foremost, the responsibility of government is to secure the rights of the people. How can the government secure our rights if the people do not have control of their security? The people of Perry, should be in control Perry’s local security. My priorities are in this order: Security first, infrastructure second, leisure, parks and recreational facilities third.

Hoehn: I guess the main priority now is to get our 62,000-square -foot justice center open, so city police and the county sheriff’s department can be more efficient and under one roof.

Martin: If elected, I would like to see more transparency and better communication between the county and the community. In this day and age, with social media and messaging, word of mouth spreads rapidly and, unfortunately, it isn’t always the full truth. This can lead to confusion and tension. I believe it is important to make information accessible and in a timely manner.

Schumer: One of the biggest needs is better cellular and internet coverage. We have too many dead zones throughout the county. Missouri has allocated $261 million of its American Rescue Plan Act funding to expand broadband service to all residents of the state. Some of this money will be used for skills training. We need to make sure Perry County is not left out. Communication and transparency is another area of concern. Commissioners need to be available to the citizens, and address their needs in a timely fashion. I prefer to address issues before they become a problem.

What is the biggest issue the county faces, and what would you do to fix it?

Dillard: The biggest issue that Perry County currently faces is that the Leadership of the County is not putting Perry first. Several arrangements have been made, and contracts signed in recent years that have put the Perry County citizens in a compromised position.

The 911 arrangement that was made recently will require the elimination of 15 dispatch personnel in Perry, so that St. Francois County can hire eight new dispatchers to handle our local emergency response teams, and that the Perry Citizens will then be required to pay Alan Wells and the STF Call center $545,000 every year to do something that we are already competently doing ourselves. Does that make any sense?

Hoehn: Probably one of the biggest issues is lack of cell and internet service. Many companies have come in for meetings and they all focus on the center of town. I know that is the main population, but there are other areas of the county also.

Martin: I believe we need to regain the confidence of the public. Interpersonal relationships are vitally important. Being on the city council for 12 years now has given me ample opportunity to grow this skill. There have been many times where I needed to have difficult conversations explaining some of the tougher decisions I’ve had to make over the years. I believe it’s important to talk face to face with people with honesty and sincerity and to remember that we’re all neighbors looking for ways to improve and grow our community. Not every community member will agree on every point, but it’s important to always respect each other.

Schumer: People are upset about the lack of communication and transparency. We have to restore their trust. I have promised to do my best to respond to the residents in a timely manner, and to be honest with them.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

Dillard: I have had the opportunity to meet all of the candidates that are running for Perry County commissioner, and my thoughts are that they are all good men, and while I don’t know these men personally, I have come to understand that none of these candidates are likely to fight for Perry like I will.

I enjoy confrontation, especially when it comes to confronting the bullies that are trying to take advantage of the people of Perry County. If you wanna try to bully the people of Perry County, you’re gonna have to deal with me first, and damn straight — isn’t that the duty of commissioner, to protect our homeland?

Hoehn: I believe my knowledge in a wide variety of areas sets me apart. Being the current District 2 commissioner, I have the experience that others do not have. I have developed a great working relationship with our county department heads and other leaders in the area.

Martin: I have been a business owner for 45 years. I have started three businesses and am still operating two of them. It is my belief that the government should be run more like a business with more efficiency. I also have experience in government, as I am the current chairman of the board of aldermen of Perrville, serving in my 12th year. I believe that I have the business, government, and leadership skills needed to run a successful county.

Schumer: My skill sets. My communication skills. I wouldn't have the business I have if I weren't effective at communication. My ability to look at a situation and know what steps need to be taken to keep things moving. Estimating jobs, and trying to keep them within their budget. The fact that I do have a background building roads and running the necessary equipment.

Road maintenance is an often-cited concern. How would you assess the county’s road budget and road department’s operation/plan for the future?

Dillard: Road maintenance is a very common concern amongst the people of Perry. But It’s more than just roads, it’s keeping the roadways, bridges and waterways sound and functioning, and thereby providing the utmost opportunity for safety and efficiency to the users of Perry’s roads.

A road might be smooth, but if there are overgrown trees that obscure or inhibit traveling upon that road, that situation is unacceptable and we must make sure that that situation is corrected. But that takes money. We can easily resolve road quality issues by prioritizing our spending based on these three principles: Security, infrastructure and leisure.

Hoehn: Everyone has the busiest, high-traffic road in the county, right? We have recently had a road analysis done by an outside source to determine road priority. They go out and do road counts and several other things to determine the priority. It is a great tool to use for determining hard surfacing.

Martin: There is a budget for this department that can only be used on roads and bridges. The economy in the near future will determine what we can and cannot do. From my experience as an alderman, I know of other avenues of state funding and will pursue all possible avenues for our community. I do believe the upcoming state and federal elections will also be important in determining what kind of funding will be available.

Schumer: While traveling the county roads, I have found many to have drainage issues. Of course everyone wants their road asphalted, and that is something we need to continue to work towards. There are also bridges that need attention and/or replacement. Preventative maintenance should be a priority. It would be great if we could increase the road budget, but we have to be careful. We don't want to increase that budget at the detriment of another program.

How will you ensure transparency in county government operations so the public is aware of what its elected leaders are doing in their name?

Dillard: Transparency of government is our God-given right, such that the governed must be allowed to know and understand the actions that are being taken on behalf of the governed; pretty simple concept. It has been made evident to me, that the current Perry County leadership wishes to follow “national trends” in order to be on the “cutting edge” and leading the way. So, why don’t we just simply follow the examples of the Cape Girardeau City Council’s method of recording their meetings and posting to YouTube and Facebook? Perry County citizens should be able to access and review each and every meeting at a time that is most convenient for them.

Hoehn: All of our open session minutes are available online once approved. Perry County is rapidly growing and there are many meetings that we have to go into closed session to discuss contractual or personnel.

Martin: I will attend meetings and community events in order to make myself available. Knowing that many people use social media for their news acquisition and communication, I will make use of these platforms, as well. Because of my experience, I find that I am able to understand political issues and explain them in clear and concise ways. I have been using this skill as an alderman, and will continue to use this skill in my new role.

Schumer: We need to be aware of the needs of the whole county, not just what is happening in Perryville. We need to communicate to the public in various media formats. Not everyone is able to receive information on phones or computers. I suggest holding informational meetings with the public before an issue is decided. Include representatives from all parties involved in the decision-making process.