supervisors: 1 of 26

“We need MORE Bruce Rosses on the county board….”
- Tom Winker, current county supervisor

Any supervisor or candidate (including me) who tells you they are singularly responsible for county success is, well… not telling the truth. The reality is that each of the county’s 26 supervisors has a single vote—it requires majority of votes to ‘move the ball’. And the lion’s share of actual accomplishment is done by a very competent county staff.

But that doesn’t mean individual supervisors can’t make a difference. Leadership matters. That requires knowing the issues and making opportunities to build consensus. I am always well-prepared on issues, and have done the research outside and within county staff to be an effective advocate (or opponent.) My background in business operations and strategic military assignments means I also bring a long-term view to the deliberations.

My goal is to be a respected colleague whose perspective leads to the best solution. Usually, I’m successful in bringing clarity to an issue. I encourage you to ask other supervisors on that point.

My most active role is on the Natural Resources Committee (NRC). I selected this committee because it is where the county can make the biggest improvement in county resident’s satisfaction. And it aligns with my conservation experiences and my current position as leader of a non-profit conservation organization. And it allows me to bring both context and contacts to our issues for county benefit.

The NRC is an active committee—it oversees, parks, land and water issues, farming concerns, stewardship, the county’s two golf courses, the UW Extension system, the county’s land records and more.

The NRC has the smallest county budget, but it delivers an outsized punch. It can do this because of an aggressive grant-seeking approach—over 120 grants in the last 4 years, totaling nearly $8.5 million dollars. These funds supplement your tax dollars, or outright replaces them to do otherwise unaffordable projects that you can benefit from every day. For more details check out the other blog posts (better parks, retaining farmland).