The Informed Voter Coalition interviewed Republican candidates for Western District Commissioner: Brent Young, J. Michael White, Johnny Williams and Brian Garrison. Sheila Michaels is the only Democrat in that race. Garrison and Young did not respond to our invitation to participate, and due to a scheduling conflict, Michaels was unable to be interviewed.
The coalition also interviewed Republican candidates for Eastern Christian County Commissioner: Bradley Alan Jackson and Jess Hodges. Rick Parham dropped out of the race, but his name will still appear on the ballot. David Krewson is the only Democrat, and he did not respond to requests for an interview.
The Informed Voter Coalition is made up of these nonprofit organizations: Be Civil, Be Heard ; Drury University’s L.E. Meador Center for Politics & Citizenship; Junior League of Springfield; KSMU Ozarks Public Radio; Leadership Springfield; League of Women Voters of Southwest Missouri; Missouri State University’s Office of Public Affairs; NAACP Springfield; Rosie; Show Me Christian County; Springfield Business Journal; Springfield-Greene County Library District; and the Springfield News-Leader.
You can hear the interviews recorded at KSMU by clicking on the "listen" button above or watch videos of the interviews recorded by Nathan Papes of the Springfield News-Leader.
Candidates were interviewed individually and asked the same questions. They had one minute to introduce themselves and two minutes to respond to each question. Questions were submitted by Informed Voter Coalition partner organizations and were not provided to the candidates in advance. The order of the candidate interviews was determined by a random drawing.
Western Christian County Commission
J. Michael White
Let's begin by having you introduce yourself and tell us why you decided to run for this position.
"Absolutely. I'm, my name is J. Michael White, and my nickname is Mike White. And I'm running as J. Michael White for Western District Commissioner. A little background, my wife and I chose to move our family to Christian County in 1996 because we truly believe that was a great place to raise our two sons, and we were right. You know, Christian County is a great place. It's got a lot of natural beauty. It's got a little municipality to it, but it's home. It's not too big, it's not too small, so that's why I'm choosing to run for Western District Commissioner. I believe with my background as a land surveyor from since 1994, I understand land use, land needs, land planning, infrastructure improvements, so that's why I think I'm qualified to run for this office.
With only three commissioners serving a county of 94,000 residents, each commissioner's vote carries significant weight. If elected, tell us about your decision making process when evaluating an agenda item that comes before the commission for a vote.
"Sure. I believe that any decision made on any topic needs to be what's best for the county. I know so many times people want to vote down one partisan line, and I don't think that's possible in a situation like a county commissioner. If I'm western, you have to also consider what's best for the eastern, so you can't ignore one to to help the other, so it could be a difficult choice, I agree. But at the same time, if you truly want what's best for the entire county then you're going to look at the whole county as a whole. So that's why I think you've got to look what's black and white, what's right or wrong."
What support, if any, has your campaign received from community groups, organizations or political action committees, and why should that support matter to voters?
"As far as financial support? Zero. I am self-funding my campaign. I have had individuals back me in enthusiasm and, you know, promises to help me, you know, get out there and get my name shown and noticed and get votes. But as far as any other groups, no, I have not. I'm approaching the people. I'm not approaching the corporations or the businesses. I believe that if I'm going to be a commissioner for the people, I need to be with the people."
The Christian County Highway Department is under the purview of the Christian County Commission. The highway department and its 30 employees are responsible for nearly 1200 lane miles of roadway, 35 bridges, as well as road culverts, low water crossings and roadway signs. How would you prioritize road repairs and improvements?
"Great question. I get that asked a lot when I'm out talking to people. We have roads right now that are substandard. Even where I live, between Billings and Clever, we have roads that are still one lane gravel. We need to emphasize, we have to have good roads in order to provide services, and by service, I mean emergency service, police, fire, ambulance. I think we prioritize on that basis. If we can't reach people to help them, then shame on us."
The commission is responsible for appointing people to serve on several boards and commissions throughout the county. What factors would you consider when making an appointment?
"An example, I was appointed several years ago to Planning and Zoning Commission. There has been some pushback in the past year or two where a certain political party is almost demanding seats on Planning and Zoning. That board, Planning and Zoning Commission, should be totally nonpartisan, so I'm going to look at that carefully. I will only appoint people who really want the appointment or deserve the appointment. A lot of people want to serve, but when it comes down to how much time is involved, then they start backing off their commitment, so you got to be careful of who you appoint to what position, and I would look at that very carefully."
With Christian County being one of the fastest growing counties in the state, how does the commission coordinate efforts with the county's Planning and Zoning Commission and the communities within the county to have adequate infrastructure in roads, power, water and other resources needed for growth?
"That's a big issue I think we're struggling with right now in Christian County. We are seeing an influx of people coming to the area, and I also believe we're seeing the influx of businesses. I serve as commissioner of — chairman — of Planning and Zoning right now. I've been on since 2017, so I see the influx of growth. I think it's important that the three commissioners, Eastern, Western and presiding, all agree that if we have appointed a board, a commission board, planning and zoning, that we need to uphold their decisions, because there's a group of seven people who volunteered their time to study these cases and really rule on what they believe is best and what meets the guidelines. So I think we need to back up our boards that we have. But I think there's also a time that maybe the commission might have to overrule that. There's been some talk in the past about the battery factory. I wasn't involved in that, so I don't know the details. The Senate bill 190, that didn't go to planning zoning, but that went to the commission. So I think there's times where the three commissioners have to step up and maybe do something unpopular to some for the good of the all."
Thank you very much for taking time to talk with us today.
"Thank you very much for having me."
Johnny Williams
Would you please introduce yourself and tell us why you decided to run for this position? You have one minute.
"Yes. My name is Johnny Williams. I grew up in Nixa, Missouri. I have lived in Christian County my entire life almost, and I've been a police officer there for 24 years in Nixa, so community service and public — working with the public has been something that I've done my entire adult life. I'm looking forward, had a lot of people contact me and letting me know that they thought this would be a good job for me. I've been involved in a lot of different, you know, things that we do in the community, so it was kind of an opportunity for me to expand into that and really give an opportunity to give back to the public in a different way than law enforcement."
With only three commissioners serving a county of 94,000 residents, each commissioner's vote carries significant weight. If elected, tell us about your decision making process when evaluating an agenda item that comes before the commission for a vote.
"Absolutely. I think first and foremost, you have to research every item that comes forward. I know they do a lot of planning and zoning and different things. Being involved in the community and being out there is an extremely important thing, and if you can't get the feedback — you know, as a commissioner, you're only a voice for the public. If you're not out in the public and you're not visiting with people and finding out what people want and the things we do, then we're failing them in that job. And I think that's something that's been lacking a little bit. So finding out, you know, detailed information and not being afraid to reach out to people and resources that are expertise in those fields and into those different things is so important before just making a decision. I don't want to show up that day and just read a paper and go, 'what are we talking about today?' And then just and shoot from the hip. I think it's important to research those things out and not to be afraid to take time and ask questions. And if we need more time to make that time, because we are making very big decisions for the county. And so it's more important to get it right than to just answer questions and just push something through."
What support, if any, has your campaign received from community groups, organizations or political action committees, and why should that support matter to voters?
"Yeah, so I've had two endorsements. The MRA endorsed me. I know there were several candidates that went, they've had several different times where we've came and spoke. The MRA come forward and said, 'hey, we would like to endorse you as a candidate.' That's the Missouri Republican Assembly. In that group, you know, I make it very clear to any group that wants to — and the way I look at endorsements is I go and speak and talk to people, and they look at me and they say, 'hey, we like your values. We like what you stand for and who you are.' And that speaks volumes for me, letting them know that, hey there, you know that they support me and think that I would do a great job in that. But I make it very clear I don't owe anybody anything. I can't be bought. It can't be, no matter who it who it would be, you know that I speak for myself, and I'm going to do whatever's best for the county, regardless of hurting anybody's feelings. I mean, you can get a group of Republicans together, a group of Democrats together. It really doesn't matter. Those people can still disagree on items. I'm going to do what's best for the county no matter what that is. The second group was the Nixa Vision 2040 group. They're big on supporting the growth of Nixa in that area, and they came forward knowing that I was from there. And I had meetings with them, and they thought that I would be a great candidate for that in supporting the county. So that was the only two groups that, you know, that come forward and endorsement."
The Christian County Highway Department is under the purview of the Christian County Commission. The highway department and its 30 employees are responsible for nearly 1200 lane miles of roadway, 35 bridges, as well as road culverts, low water crossings and roadway signs. How would you prioritize road repairs and improvements?
"Absolutely. You know, getting in there and looking, I think in the Western and Eastern District, both sides of the county have about 50 miles of road that isn't paved in any way, shape or form. I know that's been a priority, is trying to get those roads finished out and doing. It's important to work, to talk once again as being involved in the community, be involved with these people and finding out, you know, things that they need, things that we can do better. I know one of the big topics has been the difference between asphalt and chip and seal, and I know chip and seal is about half the price of asphalt. You have different areas, you know, and those kind of things, as you move forward, you have to look at the volume of traffic on those roads, depending on which one you pick and how you do that. I know the road that I live on is chip and seal, and it's great, but there's only about six or seven houses down that road where you might have other areas that are really high volume that you need to spend the more money and do asphalt, because otherwise you're spending more money long term. So it's more about educating yourself on those things, being involved, meeting with them, going out and seeing these projects, meeting with the public that's wanting these things done and making sure that we're doing them properly so we're being good stewards of the taxpayers' money."
The commission is responsible for appointing people to serve on several boards and commissions throughout the county. What factors would you consider when making an appointment?
"Yeah, so we have nine different boards that we place people on, and the biggest factor has to be people's experience in those fields. You know, we have to be able to sit down with people and find out that they have knowledge beyond just wanting to do something in those fields, making sure that those people can be vetted and make sure that they're going to make the best decisions for the county. A lot, I think a lot of those boards and positions really should be voted on from the public, and those people can be vested in there. I know there's some hoops that you have to jump through in order to do that, but it really comes down to putting the right people in place with the right experience."
With Christian County being one of the fastest growing counties in the state, how does the commission coordinate efforts with the county's Planning and Zoning Commission and the communities within the county to have adequate infrastructure in roads, power, water and other resources needed for growth?
"Absolutely, and it is growing, you know, crazy fast. We were just talking about, you know, how many houses are going up everywhere, subdivisions and different things. And that's another thing is community involvement — showing up to meetings, being there, meeting the city administrators from every city and talking through those things because we are a big working, you know, well-oiled machine if you're working together and able to do that. And if we're not having those meetings and we're not being involved and knowing, hey, these things are going in, because if Nixon was to build something or Clever was to build something, if we don't know that in the county, you know, we don't know what kind of infrastructure and things need to go through that, so everything comes down to communication and involvement. We have to be, you know, showing up at the chamber meetings, showing up at the different things and being involved so we can see what they need."
Well, Johnny, that concludes our interview. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us.
"Thank you for having me. I appreciate it."
Eastern Christian County Commissioner
Bradley Alan Jackson
Would you please introduce yourself and tell us why you decided to run for this position?
"All right, well, I ran for this position in 2020, come up just a little bit short in a five-way race to who's now our presiding commissioner. During that time, I had some time on my hands, and I decided that, you know, I got four years until the seat comes up again. And so I ran for the mayor of the City of Ozark because there were some issues that needed to be addressed. During my second year of that term, the presiding commissioner race happened, and our Eastern Commissioner ran and won that race, which created a vacancy. The governor asked me if I would fill that vacancy, and so that's where I've been for the past year and a half, is in this seat that I'm currently running for. This seat has turned over seven times in the past 14 years. It's a four year term, but for some reason, no one's staying longer than two, and I would like to help create consistency on the east side of the county by fulfilling a full four-year term, plus the two that were given to me by the governor."
With only three commissioners serving a county of 94,000 residents, each commissioner's vote carries significant weight. If elected, tell us about your decision making process when evaluating an agenda item that comes before the commission for a vote.
"Well, I think everything takes a lot of background research into a topic. You know, you've got to know exactly what you're looking at. Emotions can't really always play into your decision making. You've got to base everything off facts, so doing a lot of research, doing a lot of background investigation into whatever that topic may be. A lot of people think that the the commissioner's job is a simple little come in for an hour a week job, and it's not. We do a lot of research on the topics because we do handle a very hefty budget. We are the leaders of the elected, you know, in the county. I mean, we oversee not necessarily the functions of every single office in the county, but they rely on us to help make decisions. They rely on us to enter into contracts on their behalf, and if we're going to put our names on a contract, we want to know exactly what it is, even though it's been vetted by the other elected office, our name is the one that goes on those contracts. So it's just a lot of research, a lot of thoughts been put into it before we render that decision. A lot of times, you know, your emotions may dictate that you're going to go this way, but the facts reveal that maybe you shouldn't go that way, maybe you should go back the other direction. And ultimately, it's what's in the best interest of the citizens. You know, we could have a multi-million-dollar-a-year company wanting to come into Christian County, but if it's bad for our citizens, then it's bad for our citizens. And our citizens come first. We had that issue come up this past year, and it was it an easy decision to turn away a company wanting to come in and invest money in our community? No, but the facts were not there to substantiate that. It was a good move for our community, and our citizens were not receptive to it, and that's the decision that we had to make."
What support, if any, has your campaign received from community groups, organizations or political action committees, and why should that support matter to voters?
"Well, I think that, you know, we have a lot of different organizations that have supported me. Some will openly support me, some individual members support me. I've received a lot of encouragement from a lot of the grassroots organizations such as We the People. I have been endorsed by the Republican Assembly of Christian County, the Missouri Republican Assembly of Christian County, which carries the endorsement of the entire state. That means a lot to me because I am a Republican, and they understand that I lead from a Republican standpoint, that my views mirror the party's platform, and I'll always lead in such a way. My moral compass is set with the Republican Party. I've received endorsement from U.S. Congressman Eric Burlison, which to me is a great thing because he's been a huge advocate in our community, serving in our State House, serving in our State Senate and now serving in the Congress. And, you know, that means a lot to me that these grassroots groups and organizations have stood behind me and pledged their their support, not necessarily monetary, you know, but they've pledged their support to endorse me and help me pursue reelection, if you will."
The CC Highway Department is under the purview of the Christian County Commission. The highway department and its 30 employees are responsible for nearly 1200 lane miles of roadway, 35 bridges, as well as road culverts, low water crossings and roadway signs. How would you prioritize road repairs and improvements?
"Well, I think infrastructure is one of the main focuses that our government should have, right? Government should not be here to run your life. They should be here to provide you the things that you can't provide for yourself, infrastructure being one of those key points. We've utilized over this past year, ARPA funds to address a lot of stormwater issues that are in the county. You know, when you develop in the county, you're not held to the same restrictions that you are inside the city. So if you go in in the city and you build a lot of impervious surfaces, you're going to be required to put in water detention, water retention. In the county, not so much, you know? If you build out a subdivision of three acre lots, there's really not going to be, unless it's drastically necessary, water detention. But you're putting in rooftops, driveways and streets. That causes some issues down the road. So we have used those ARPA funds to address some of those low water issues. Since I've been in office, it's been a huge priority of mine to try to take care of as many roads as we possibly can. I'm currently working on what will end up being a private-public partnership on a road in eastern Christian County that, if we fix the road out in front of this driveway, it won't do a bit of good if the property owner doesn't fix his driveway. So we're collaborating together at the same time to pull off a project that will be beneficial to, not only them, but everyone else that lives on that road. Infrastructure is hugely important to me. From my time as the mayor of the City of Ozark, we've always focused on infrastructure improvements, making sure that we spend money wisely. Wants and needs are a huge thing, right? And needs are quality transportation for people to get from their properties to their places of employment and back. So it's a huge priority for me. Long, long story short, it's a huge priority for me that we take care of our roadways."
The commission is responsible for appointing people to serve on several boards and commissions throughout the county. What factors would you consider when making an appointment?
"So I think that we have to look at everything, and the cat's out of the bag, right? So when I took office, I made it a a major priority of mine that if the commission is responsible for selecting the board members of an organization that's using taxpayer funds, the board, or pardon me, the commission needs to be highly involved and not just rubber stamp the decision that's made by that board. So the most prevalent of that is the Library Board of Trustees in Christian County. They traditionally have just sent up a name. The county commission's always signed off on that name, and that person's been on their board. But what we've come to find out is there's a lot of questionable materials inside of our library, especially in the youth section, borderline pornography. And, yes, it's protected by the American Library Association as literature. Some of this is questionable literature, in my opinion, and no children should be subjected to that in a place like a library. That should be a safe space. You ought to be able to take your kids into the library and know that, if they're milling around in the children's section, that they're picking up books like The Mouse and the Motorcycle or a Choose Your Own Adventure book, or maybe Clifford the Big Red Dog, not necessarily a book that is pornographic in nature or visually descriptive or illustrated visually descriptive. And the Library Board of Trustees was not taking a good stance with regards to these books to protect these kids that are unknowingly stumbling across these books. And so I was not going to be party to that. I'm going to vet these candidates. Last year we vetted a group, a great group of people. We selected two individuals to serve on that board. They've done a fantastic job. This year, we've selected another person to come in. I want to know that if the decisions of the Library Board of Trustees is going to affect me because my name is standing behind their name, that they're doing things the way I would want them done and the way my constituency has expressed they want things done."
With Christian County being one of the fastest growing counties in the state, how does the commission coordinate efforts with the county's Planning and Zoning Commission and the communities within the county to have adequate infrastructure and roads, power, water and other resources needed for growth?
"Well, I think growth is one of the most important things that we have in Christian County. For over 30 years, you know, we've been one of the fastest growing counties. You know, I'm from Ozark, and I used to tell a story about growing up in a small town of a couple thousand people. And, you know, things have changed in that small town. And then usually halfway through my story, I let it out that I'm from Ozark, right? And Ozark had about 4,000 people in 1991. They have 24,000 plus now, and so we've grown a lot. And we've outstretched some of our abilities to provide adequate infrastructure, so there's been a lot of conversation about slowing down our growth, to manage our growth a little bit better. But so many people want to come live in our community. They want to share our values of our community. They want to share the serenity and the scenery of our community. And I can't blame them, I love it. I, you know, in 1991, I left for the Army. I couldn't wait to come home and put myself right back in Christian County, so it doesn't bother me that they want to come live in our community, but we've got to work with our neighboring cities, especially Ozark and Nixa, as the two fastest growing inside the county, that we're taking care of all of our residents, not just our future residents, but our current residents so that the impact of the new residents doesn't disenfranchise the current residents. It's a lot of planning and coordination. Thank goodness we've got great groups like our Chamber of Commerce, Show Me Christian County being one of those other groups, that can focus on those efforts to make sure that we're taking care of everybody and everything that's needed so that we continue to be one of the greatest places in the State of Missouri in the United States, as a matter of fact, to raise a family. And there's a lot of people that come here that are not interested in raising a family. They want to retire here and be with their children who are raising that family. So, it's just something we're going to have to continue to work on, continue to collaborate and make sure that we're all singing from the same hymnal, if you will, and that we take care of all of our citizens and all the needs."
Thank you so much for being here with us.
"Thank you for having me, I appreciate it."
Jess Hodges
Thank you very much for joining us.
"Well, it's a pleasure to be here, guys. Sorry, If I stutter or if I'm nervous. This is the first time being interviewed in probably 20 years. So a little bit about me, I grew up in Christian County, born and raised, 4-H, FFA, grew up on a farm. To me this is just a pleasure to give back to my community. That's what this is all about. It's, there was one of those uhs, but it's just about giving back to my community and the people that literally raised my family over the years."
With only three commissioners serving a county of 94,000 residents, each commissioner's vote carries significant weight. If elected, tell us about your decision making process when evaluating an agenda item that comes before the commission for a vote.
"Well, I think that every commissioner, not just the presiding or the West Commissioner or the Eastern Commissioner, I think we need to be guided by our morals, our knowledge about the issues. We are representing the voice of eastern Christian County. So as Eastern Commissioner, I want to hear what my people have to say. And when I say my people, I consider myself one of those people. So I want to know what...Chadwick has to say, Bruner has to say. Sparta has to say. Ozark has to say, you know, we even go up to Fremont Hills, and we go way over to Cheyenne Road. So I want to hear, and I think we need to reflect the people's voice, and I think we need to make the best decisions based on our morals and our knowledge that we have at the time."
What support, if any, has your campaign received from community groups, organizations or political action committees, and why should that support matter to voters?
"Well, you know, I'm glad you asked that question because I don't get any support. This is me. I am doing this because I think that someone needs to step up and say, 'hey, we're, we want to do our community' — actually, it's kind of great. I sat in a meeting the other day, and there is six candidates in Christian County that are running that have never run before. So I am not political. I don't know anything about politics. I am doing this — first off, so I am not backed. I am not, I can't think of the word right now. I don't have any political groups backing me. I have no one to answer to. So if I say something wrong, you know I have to answer to my people. I don't have to answer to no political groups. And I think that's the way to go. I am running as a Republican and I am conservative, so my conservative beliefs and my morals is going to guide me."
The Christian County Highway Department is under the purview of the Christian County Commission. The highway department and its 30 employees are responsible for nearly 1200 lane miles of roadway, 35 bridges, as well as road culverts, low water crossings and roadway signs. How would you prioritize road repairs and improvements?
"Well, that's a great question because we're not road commissioners anymore. Being a Class I county, a lot of those have to — and, now, I don't know all the ins and outs because I am new — that is better suited for a commissioner that has been in there. But the way I understand it and the way I read it, everything has to go through the engineers. We have to approve it. We do need to prioritize safety overall. And when I say that there is some roads out there that are pretty rough that people need to be able to navigate for your ambulance and your fire districts and all that, so I think safety would be the most important thing to look at first."
The commission is responsible for appointing people to serve on several boards and commissions throughout the county. What factors would you consider when making an appointment?
"So there's big, two big factors. I've been asked that question before, but it really comes down to morals and the ability to do the job. So 1.) they have to be a good person, and 2.) they have to have the background and the job. So it's just one of them deals where I'm not going to hire somebody just because they're a great guy. They need to be a great guy, and they need to know how to do their job. And that is really what I'll be looking for is people that is suited for that situation."
With Christian County being one of the fastest growing counties in the state, how does the commission coordinate efforts with the county's Planning and Zoning Commission and the communities within the county to have adequate infrastructure and roads, power, water and other resources needed for growth?
"That is a great question, and that is actually one that's not been presented to me yet. But when we, we got to look at our infrastructure and it's all going to be — and I'm kind of segwaying — because it's all going to be through economic development. If we want our revenues to grow, we're going to have to do it through economic development. You know, we're bringing in $74 million in revenues, but I think our projected budget is $96 million. And that's approximate because I don't have the numbers in front of me. You can go to our christiancounty.gov website and go to transparency portal and see all the numbers for yourself. It's a fantastic portal, but that going back, is we do need to grow our county, but we need to do it in a form that is through economic development and not raising taxes. And that being said, I don't know the best way until I get in there and see what we've already done. So we go in, and you start talking about infrastructure, and I'm assuming you're talking about gas, electric, water, sewer, all that, so that is not my strong suit. I'll be the first to tell you, but I'm a quick learner. And we'll go in there and figure it out, and we'll get it done together."
Thank you so much for talking with us today.
"Thanks for having me, guys, I appreciate it."