Guest Commentary: Bergman wants another county term

Talk about it

I am announcing my candidacy for re-election as Fourth District Lake County Commissioner. We’ve accomplished a lot these last four years and some of the projects I have taken on need more time to be brought to completion. The following are a few examples.

We have implemented a county-wide broadband initiative. This will bring ultra-high speed internet, phone and television to every person on the electrical grid in Lake County. Broadband will bring speeds of 100 mbps to our homes and 1 gigabyte service to our schools, government centers, hospitals, libraries and businesses.

If we are going to grow as a community, improve public safety, and enhance our quality of life, we cannot depend on the copper lines to handle the capacity of growth in technology for the very near future.

I am working with Mayor Randy Bolen to promote Two Harbors as the designated site for the Northern Lights Express maintenance facility. We are in the process of working through land issues and site competition from other communities.

These two projects alone have the potential to bring more than 80 new, high-paying jobs to our community.

Another initiative begun this year has been regular meetings of all elected officials — cities, county, townships and schools — within Lake County to discuss common issues and gain understanding from each entity’s perspective. The main topic right now is discussing ways to reduce costs by working together.

Our county has a population of 11,269 citizens. If we look at our county as one big community, you have to ask yourself if three law enforcement centers with three administrative staffs is the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars. The same question can be asked about our public works and highway departments. It makes sense to me that we should be working toward a governmental redesign that would eliminate redundancy and lower costs without reducing services.

One of the things I am most pleased with is something we, as a board, did not do. In 2009, while I was board chairman, we did not raise your property taxes for 2010. We worked hard on a zero levy increase and held to it. The board will be working even harder this year on the 2011 budget.

When I campaigned for my first four-year term I ran on fiscal responsibility, economic development, public safety, and common sense. You have now invested four years of trust in me and I hope you see good benefits from that investment.

I ask you for four more years of trust to let me continue giving you an even better return on your investment. Please vote for Paul Bergman as the Lake County Commissioner in District Four.

The News-Chronicle welcomes one-time letters outlining a candidate’s political intentions. We will expect more as the filing period closes Tuesday.

Tags: two harbors, guest commentary, county board, paul bergman, election 2010, opinion