Q&A: Nancy Remakel

Talk about it

The Bulletin asked legislative candidates the following questions.

Q: Why are you running for a seat on the Washington County Board of Commissioners?

A: I love living in Woodbury and contributing to the quality of life we enjoy here. I have served the citizens and taxpayers of Woodbury in a variety of positions, while working full time. Today, I am retired and am eager to dedicate more time to serving our community. I have the skills, experience, work ethic, and common sense to help lead Washington County. The county must develop a strategic plan to guide us in the future as our county faces several challenges due to growth of and diversity of communities within our county.

Q: What are the most pertinent issues the county is facing today and how do you plan to tackle them?

A: Increasing and evolving transportation needs, increased population including changing demographics, demand on human resources, and keeping pace with technology are the most pertinent issues our county is facing. A strategic plan focusing on these issues and on economic development to promote and support job creation is needed. Washington County must work with their cities and communities, business owners, and developers to promote and support the attraction of jobs to our county. That means, development and implementation of sound technology and transit/transportation plans, and partnering with colleges and schools in our county.

Q: What is the best option, in your opinion, for solving projected traffic problems along the Gateway Corridor?

A: The “best” option for the Gateway Corridor is not yet fully defined. What is clear, is that there is a problem on the horizon and that we need to focus on designing a transportation system that is dependable with high quality service to encourage economic development around it. Input from the citizens and the business community will help identify the best option, as will analyses of ridership, potential routes, construction costs and operational costs, and environmental impacts.

Q: Woodbury is a growing community. What will you do as a board member to manage growth in a fiscally responsible manner?

A: The city of Woodbury already has a growth management plan that limits housing starts to 600 units per year. As a County Commissioner, I will work with Woodbury, surrounding communities, and County personnel and elected officials to ensure Woodbury has adequate storm water facilities and county roads to support their growth. New, large multiuse development in Woodbury will require extensive coordination between the City, County, and surrounding communities. Fiscally, a County strategic plan and strong coordination with communities should support Woodbury growth without additional taxes.

Q: What do you consider to be the county’s core services and how would you preserve them – by raising the levy, cutting other services or a combination of the two?

A: County core services include: corrections, community services, property records and taxpayer services, public health and the environment, public works, sheriff’s office, and the county attorney. Additionally, (though not mandated by the state) the county provides parks, environmental center, license center, and library services. As your County Commissioner, I will diligently work to maintain the current breadth and level of County services within our current levy basis. This can be accomplished with strategic planning, coordination of services amongst county communities, coordination of service amongst surrounding counties and the state, and an emphasis on economic development to increase our tax base.

Tags: news, elections