Candidate Forum In Branson West
Sheds Light On The Issues
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August 2, 2018
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Isaac Estes-Jones
The Table Rock Area Chamber of Commerce held a Stone County candidate forum on Thursday, July 19, that included candidates for national, state and local positions that will be decided during next week’s Primary Election.
Both candidates for Stone County Presiding Commissioner spoke at the event, as did the three candidates for Missouri House of Representatives District 138, the seat being vacated by Don Phillips at the end of the year.
All candidates were asked the same questions, with each getting the opportunity to respond first to a question.
Stone County Presiding Commissioner
The Presiding Commissioner candidates, Robert Hazen and Mark Maples, were each asked about tourism spending by the chamber of commerce and the wages of law enforcement officers.
Both Hazen and Maples supported the TRL Chamber of Commerce acting as the “destination marketing resource” for Stone County. This means that the Chamber receives county funds to help manage state tourism marketing grants.
“We rely on tourism,” Hazen said. However, he did say that he would like to see more forms of revenue come into the county.
“If I become Commissioner, I would like to see more industry come in. We are relying quite a bit on entertainment and I believe we need to diversify a bit,” Hazen said.
Maples also supports the chamber of commerce continuing to act as the tourism destination marketing resource.
“When I came in in 2013, I had no idea what tourism does for the county as a whole,” Maples said.
He went on to talk about the benefit that tourism has on the budget for the county. “Our budget would not be what it is today without tourism,” he said. “We’re tickled to death whenever we see an out of state license plate in Stone County. That’s money in the bank... The chamber is doing a great job,” he added.
The second question presented to the commissioner candidates was, “What do you feel about the payment for law enforcement in Stone County?”
Mark Maples answered this question first.
“When I became a commissioner, there were some problems with our pay scale. In that amount of time, we have increased law enforcement pay probably a bit over $2 an hour,” he said.
“Is that enough?” Maples asked, then continued, saying, “Absolutely not. We live in a different world today than we lived in 10 or 15 years ago. They’re under attack every single day.
“In order to maintain and get quality employees, we have to have the pay. Would you want to do it for $14 an hour? They are risking their lives every single day. As a county, I think we can do better. As a state, I think we can do better and I think the Federal government can do better by helping the small counties out,” Maples said.
Robert Hazen agreed that law enforcement officers in Stone County should be paid more. “They definitely need more money for the work that they do and perform out in the field,” he said.
“Over the last several years, our budget has exponentially climbed up to where we can afford this. So, I’m hoping we can go ahead and look to get more money for law enforcement in the future,” Hazen concluded.
Missouri House of Representatives District 138
Brad Hudson, Marshall Works and Isaac Paul Howard Boyd answered questions about tourism, cooperative marketing and general issues they would take to Jefferson City as a member of the House of Representatives.
The District 138 House seat is being vacated by Don Phillips, who is prevented by term limits from seeking another term.
The candidates were first asked if they thought lawmakers in Jefferson City understood the importance of tourism in the state of Missouri as a whole.
Marshall Works answered this question first. Works said he thought the decision makers for the state understood “from the perspective of St. Louis and Kansas City.”
“I don’t think they know how much tourism here at Table Rock Lake contributes to the state’s outcomes,” Works said.
Boyd responded next, echoing some of what Works said. “I think they do when it comes to St. Louis, Kansas City and maybe Lake of the Ozarks. But, having lived in Branson, I’ve seen the boats on the lake get bigger and bigger,” he said.
“But, working in education, I have seen the turnover as a tourism town, where kids come and go with the tourism season. I would like to see the area promoted as a place for parents to see a long-lasting opportunity here,” he concluded.
Brad Hudson said, “I don’t think they [those at the state level] understand tourism like I want them to. There is something like a 4 to 1 return on investment for tourism, but the state will not look that way unless we stand up and say it. It is a sound business decision.”
The next question was whether the candidates supported the Stone County and Table Rock Area Chamber of Commerce coopeative marketing program. All three praised the program and the effect the organization has on the area.
Boyd was the first to respond. “I absolutely support the program and think it should continue,” he said. “Being a teacher in the district, I got to see a lot of different people from different socio-economic statuses, and it was amazing to see how many people I sat across from were connected by the work the chamber does.”
Hudson said, “Every one of us that lives in the 138th District benefit from the program. We draw visitors to this area, that money helps us operate. There is not an industry, there is not a job you can hold in this area that tourism does not benefit.”
Works thanked Don Phillips for being a proponent of tourism. “Before I go any further, I want to thank Don Phillips for elevating tourism as an industry in Jefferson City.”
Works continued, saying, “Anything we can do to promote tourism, we can and should do.”
The final question posed to the candidates was more general. “What are some of the issues you would like to bring to Jefferson City to help those you represent in Stone and Taney Counties?” they were asked by the moderator.
Brad Hudson responded first. “Tourism would definitely be on the list. I believe in passing a balanced budget without raising taxes. I’ve seen through my job with the county how there are ways we can cut spending and at the same time increase the services that we offer our constituents. Also, I love this area and I want to represent the interests of this area,” he said before concluding with a promise that constituents will be able to contact him with “an open door policy.”
Marshall Works responded next, addressing education, senior supports and infrastructure. “First is continued support of public schools. In a rural area like we are in, our public schools are vital to the life of the community, and we need to support them as much as we can. Secondly, now that I am one, senior issues have risen to the top of my to-do list. The third thing is infrastructure improvement. By infrastructure, I’m talking about Highway 13. Because if we’re going to educate our kids for the jobs of the future, with the hopes of bringing some decent jobs to the area, we need to be able to bring people to and from this area. Our lifeline is Highway 13,” he said.
Finally Isaac Boyd briefly addressed education, law enforcement and roads, before speaking about how he wants to be the best representative possible.
“Education is big on my list, being a teacher,” Boyd said. “Law enforcement is big on my list, seeing what they have to do when I worked at 911 as a dispatcher. Also, I also have been talking to people up and down and the first thing they bring up is roads.
“Look, I’m not a career politician. I want to listen to the constituents to see exactly what it is that they want done most. So I can be the representative that I can be. My heart is in it,” Boyd concluded.
Other speakers at the event included three people on the United States Senate ticket against Claire McCaskill, three vying to replace Billy Long, along with candidates for State Auditor and those running unopposed in Stone County, including Mechelee Lebow for Circuit Clerk, Alan Mark Blankenship for Associate Circuit Judge and Matt Selby for Prosecuting Attorney.
The Primary Election is Tuesday, August 7. Be sure to get out and vote.
The Table Rock Area Chamber of Commerce held a Stone County candidate forum on Thursday, July 19, that included candidates for national, state and local positions that will be decided during next week’s Primary Election.
Both candidates for Stone County Presiding Commissioner spoke at the event, as did the three candidates for Missouri House of Representatives District 138, the seat being vacated by Don Phillips at the end of the year.
All candidates were asked the same questions, with each getting the opportunity to respond first to a question.
Stone County Presiding Commissioner
The Presiding Commissioner candidates, Robert Hazen and Mark Maples, were each asked about tourism spending by the chamber of commerce and the wages of law enforcement officers.
Both Hazen and Maples supported the TRL Chamber of Commerce acting as the “destination marketing resource” for Stone County. This means that the Chamber receives county funds to help manage state tourism marketing grants.
“We rely on tourism,” Hazen said. However, he did say that he would like to see more forms of revenue come into the county.
“If I become Commissioner, I would like to see more industry come in. We are relying quite a bit on entertainment and I believe we need to diversify a bit,” Hazen said.
Maples also supports the chamber of commerce continuing to act as the tourism destination marketing resource.
“When I came in in 2013, I had no idea what tourism does for the county as a whole,” Maples said.
He went on to talk about the benefit that tourism has on the budget for the county. “Our budget would not be what it is today without tourism,” he said. “We’re tickled to death whenever we see an out of state license plate in Stone County. That’s money in the bank... The chamber is doing a great job,” he added.
The second question presented to the commissioner candidates was, “What do you feel about the payment for law enforcement in Stone County?”
Mark Maples answered this question first.
“When I became a commissioner, there were some problems with our pay scale. In that amount of time, we have increased law enforcement pay probably a bit over $2 an hour,” he said.
“Is that enough?” Maples asked, then continued, saying, “Absolutely not. We live in a different world today than we lived in 10 or 15 years ago. They’re under attack every single day.
“In order to maintain and get quality employees, we have to have the pay. Would you want to do it for $14 an hour? They are risking their lives every single day. As a county, I think we can do better. As a state, I think we can do better and I think the Federal government can do better by helping the small counties out,” Maples said.
Robert Hazen agreed that law enforcement officers in Stone County should be paid more. “They definitely need more money for the work that they do and perform out in the field,” he said.
“Over the last several years, our budget has exponentially climbed up to where we can afford this. So, I’m hoping we can go ahead and look to get more money for law enforcement in the future,” Hazen concluded.
Missouri House of Representatives District 138
Brad Hudson, Marshall Works and Isaac Paul Howard Boyd answered questions about tourism, cooperative marketing and general issues they would take to Jefferson City as a member of the House of Representatives.
The District 138 House seat is being vacated by Don Phillips, who is prevented by term limits from seeking another term.
The candidates were first asked if they thought lawmakers in Jefferson City understood the importance of tourism in the state of Missouri as a whole.
Marshall Works answered this question first. Works said he thought the decision makers for the state understood “from the perspective of St. Louis and Kansas City.”
“I don’t think they know how much tourism here at Table Rock Lake contributes to the state’s outcomes,” Works said.
Boyd responded next, echoing some of what Works said. “I think they do when it comes to St. Louis, Kansas City and maybe Lake of the Ozarks. But, having lived in Branson, I’ve seen the boats on the lake get bigger and bigger,” he said.
“But, working in education, I have seen the turnover as a tourism town, where kids come and go with the tourism season. I would like to see the area promoted as a place for parents to see a long-lasting opportunity here,” he concluded.
Brad Hudson said, “I don’t think they [those at the state level] understand tourism like I want them to. There is something like a 4 to 1 return on investment for tourism, but the state will not look that way unless we stand up and say it. It is a sound business decision.”
The next question was whether the candidates supported the Stone County and Table Rock Area Chamber of Commerce coopeative marketing program. All three praised the program and the effect the organization has on the area.
Boyd was the first to respond. “I absolutely support the program and think it should continue,” he said. “Being a teacher in the district, I got to see a lot of different people from different socio-economic statuses, and it was amazing to see how many people I sat across from were connected by the work the chamber does.”
Hudson said, “Every one of us that lives in the 138th District benefit from the program. We draw visitors to this area, that money helps us operate. There is not an industry, there is not a job you can hold in this area that tourism does not benefit.”
Works thanked Don Phillips for being a proponent of tourism. “Before I go any further, I want to thank Don Phillips for elevating tourism as an industry in Jefferson City.”
Works continued, saying, “Anything we can do to promote tourism, we can and should do.”
The final question posed to the candidates was more general. “What are some of the issues you would like to bring to Jefferson City to help those you represent in Stone and Taney Counties?” they were asked by the moderator.
Brad Hudson responded first. “Tourism would definitely be on the list. I believe in passing a balanced budget without raising taxes. I’ve seen through my job with the county how there are ways we can cut spending and at the same time increase the services that we offer our constituents. Also, I love this area and I want to represent the interests of this area,” he said before concluding with a promise that constituents will be able to contact him with “an open door policy.”
Marshall Works responded next, addressing education, senior supports and infrastructure. “First is continued support of public schools. In a rural area like we are in, our public schools are vital to the life of the community, and we need to support them as much as we can. Secondly, now that I am one, senior issues have risen to the top of my to-do list. The third thing is infrastructure improvement. By infrastructure, I’m talking about Highway 13. Because if we’re going to educate our kids for the jobs of the future, with the hopes of bringing some decent jobs to the area, we need to be able to bring people to and from this area. Our lifeline is Highway 13,” he said.
Finally Isaac Boyd briefly addressed education, law enforcement and roads, before speaking about how he wants to be the best representative possible.
“Education is big on my list, being a teacher,” Boyd said. “Law enforcement is big on my list, seeing what they have to do when I worked at 911 as a dispatcher. Also, I also have been talking to people up and down and the first thing they bring up is roads.
“Look, I’m not a career politician. I want to listen to the constituents to see exactly what it is that they want done most. So I can be the representative that I can be. My heart is in it,” Boyd concluded.
Other speakers at the event included three people on the United States Senate ticket against Claire McCaskill, three vying to replace Billy Long, along with candidates for State Auditor and those running unopposed in Stone County, including Mechelee Lebow for Circuit Clerk, Alan Mark Blankenship for Associate Circuit Judge and Matt Selby for Prosecuting Attorney.
The Primary Election is Tuesday, August 7. Be sure to get out and vote.