Legislative candidates speak out

HAYES CENTER -- Candidates seeking to represent the 44th district in the Nebraska Legislature spoke about several issues at a forum Tuesday night at Hayes Center.

Moderated by Derek Beck and broadcast live on U.S. 93.9 FM, the forum was sponsored by the Chase, Dundy, Hayes, Hitchcock and Perkins County Farm Bureaus.

Candidates attending the forum were Bill Weaver and Kathy Wilmot from Beaver City, Mark Christensen of Imperial, Bernie Wood from Cambridge and Angus Garey, Frank Shoemaker and Jeff Tidyman from McCook.

In his opening statement, Christiansen said the two most pressing issues facing Southwest Nebraska today are water and economic development. Water must be reliable and stable, he said, with agriculture as the backbone of the survival of main street businesses. Christensen grew up in Arapahoe, graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in agro business, and owns a business in Imperial.

Tidyman said he has learned he has the "ability to make difficult decisions in an imperfect world" based on his recent experience of leading a squad of Marines in Iraq. Tidyman said he loves to serve, and that the 44th District needs a strong and independent voice who will protect individual freedoms.

Owner of a tax preparation service, Wood said his main priority would be children and how we are protecting them. His decision- making policy is based on what he does at his business, he said, where "I have to make decisions today to make sure I'm in business tomorrow."

Wilmot has worked as a teacher in rural schools and in administration in a correctional facility. She also served on the State Board of Education for eight years. Wilmot said she is pro-life, believes in the right to bear arms and in local control of education. She is in favor of preserving and protecting water rights, and will work to revitalize rural communities through ethanol and other incentives. Strengthening criminal codes and law enforcement and cracking down on crime and meth labs were additional priorities she mentioned.

A quality system of healthcare and education, as well as fair taxation, were topics Shoemaker addressed in his opening statements. We are going through a time period of consolidation, he said, in the fields of education, healthcare and other programs, that needs to be resisted. "Where will Southwest Nebraska be in 50 years?" he asked.

Garey said he has had opportunities all his life to see what is needed in the 44th District, and has been helped along by various mentors.

Raising cattle and farming, Weaver works as a substitute teacher in the winter. With a masters in Education, he has served 16 years on the local school board and was elected to Rep. Tom Osborne's Ag Advisory Council. A governing body needs common sense and an open mind, he said, and he believes that Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA should be about service rather than regulation. Increase and retaining the 20-40 year-old population would come from enlarging career opportunities, he said.

In response to the question, "What measures would you support to reduce property taxes?" Tidyman answered that he is in favor of reducing property taxes and that the correlation of property taxes with education would have to be addressed. Economic development helps to reduce property taxes, he said, and cited the ethanol plant in Hitchcock county as an example.

Reducing the budgets would require to look at what is being spent and to prioritize, Wilmot said, and then decide on what needs to be cut.

Shoemaker stated that 75 percent of property taxes goes toward education, and that 75 percent of that is in educational salaries. Reducing property taxes would require broadening the tax base and reinstating state funded public education, he said.

Weaver agreed that broadening the tax base would help, and said that a tax on food would affect everyone equally.

The average teacher salary in Nebraska ranks 39th in the nation, Beck asked

the candidates. He asked what would they do to retain and attract qualified teachers in the area, and Christensen responded that by eliminating waste out from the government, higher salaries could be paid. He stated that a $40,000 salary in Nebraska was better than a salary than twice that in California as the amenities in Nebraska make the difference. "Where do we rank in what we get to keep?" he asked.

Nebraska salaries, whether for a teacher or a mechanic, are lower compared to those in urban states, Tidyman said, but added that the salaries of Nebraska‚s teachers outranked those from the other plains states. In addition, Nebraska students consistently ranked in the top five percent of ACT score. "Our teacher are obviously doing a great job," he said.

Numbers aren't everything, Garey said. People choose to live here not because of the money but because they enjoy the quality of life. "Money isn't everything to everyone," he said.

Wilmot echoed that sentiment. Many benefits of teaching in Nebraska are not in the paycheck, she said, such as class sizes and the quality of students.

In response to how farmers and communities have been represented in complex water issue, Shoemaker said the best way to deal with it is to allow the Natural Resource District to do their job. Those elected to these boards have the best interests of southwest Nebraska, he said, as well as the knowledge of the best way to use natural resources.

Weaver said that farmers know they have to conserve water, but what has been forgotten in this issue is how businesses have been affected. The solution is through economic development, he said, as a lack of farmers means a lack of main street business.

The accurate accounting of water usage is needed, Christensen said, and the numbers have been misrepresented. Kansas doesn't really need our water, he said, but it's the money they want, and by transferring the water from the Platte Basin to the Republican Basin would give Nebraska one way to meet the Kansas/Nebraska water compact.

The federal, state and local levels have all be involved in this issue, Tidyman said, such as the CREP programs and the state legislature helping out with short term solutions. Water conservation efforts on the local level have been phenomenal so far, he said, with irrigators using only 8.78 inches per acre.

Many of the legislatures in the Eastern part of the state don't know the reality of what southwest Nebraska is facing, Wilmot said. A team player is needed who is willing to stand up and not forget who it is they are working, she said.

This is an issue that does not lend itself to an easy, pat answer, Garey said. The U.S. Supreme Court will have the final decision, he said, and we must be prepared for some changes. Investment is more desirable than compensation, he said.

No one is actually working against us, Wood responded, but there is only so much water and it's going to take time to replenish it. A comprehensive water plan must be put into place at some point, he said.

In response to a question about ethanol programs, Garey said he uses E-85 fuel and believes that ethanol is good for Nebraska. But it would do no good to mandate the usage if the supply isn't there, he said. Get the supply in place first and go from there.

Weaver believes more research needs to be done and wants to see increase production and incentives put in place to keep the industry strong.

We need to encourage people to use ethanol, Christensen said, but to mandate it would discourage price competitiveness.

Tidyman said the prospect of increased ethanol usage is exciting for Nebraska. Nebraska needs to harvest energy as well as food, and he is in favor of alternative sources of energy as well.

The future is in ethanol, Wood said, and we need to aggressively explore alternate fuel choices such as wind generation.

Education about ethanol and how it can help communities also needs to be addressed, Wilmot said. Shoemaker said we need to foster the incentives the legislature have effected, continue with technical research and look at alternative fuel sources.

Candidates were asked where they stood on moral issues, such as abortion and stem cell research, with Shoemaker responding that he is against abortion and supports limited stem cell research. Garey said he has been pro-life all his life, and Weaver answered that he is against abortion and believes limited stem cell research can be used to help find cures for some diseases.

Christensen believes that marriage should be protected and that abortion is wrong, and supports stem cell research if it's done from the umbilical cord. "We can't give the abortion any leeway on this issue," he said.

Tidyman said that when Roe vs. Wade is overturned, we must be ready to support single mothers and be willing to adopt children that may have physical problems and come from a minority background.

Wood asked about the protection of children right now. Someone needs to stand up for the abuse of children that is taking place right now, he said. If we don't stand up for these children now, what will they be doing in their future, he said.

Marriage is between a man and a woman, Wilmot said, and is strongly pro life and against assisted suicide. She supports the death penalty as "there is a penalty for your actions," she said.

In their closing remarks, Weaver said it wasn't so much what the next senator was going to do, but what the voters are going to do. Christensen said it was time to start working for positive solutions and that a progressive water policy is needed in this state.

Tidyman said he is excited about the future of Nebraska, and envisions a strong economy that will draw kids eager to come back.

"I can do every little myself, but together we can make the good life even better," he said.

Wood would like to see a safe environment for children, and that Nebraska is about giving everyone an opportunity to grow and thrive.

A strong voice and a leader with a proven voting record is needed, Wilmot said. Together, we can find solutions that will work, she said. "We can't work hard enough for our future," she said.

Healthy regional policies and broadband in all rural areas is what Shoemaker would like to see in Nebraska, he said. Issues that were not addressed at the forum that he believed are priorities are children in foster care and methanphetemine addiction.

State senators play a critical role in bringing economic development, Garey said, and cited the new manufacturing company in Beaver City that Sen. Tom Baker helped to bring about. "I have experience and experience counts," he said.

The forum began at 7:30 p.m., and lasted until 9 p.m. Questions were written by audience members and e-mailed to US 93.9, Beck said.