Candidate Forum

Springfield Kiwanis Candidate Forum Robertson County

On Tuesday several Robertson County political candidates spoke at a Kiwanis event in Springfield. I was not able to attend in person, but the speeches from the candidates were live streamed and available after the event on Facebook. Here is the link to part 2 on Facebook. In this article I will only be writing about District 2 County Commissioner. All of these races are important to Robertson County. However, my focus has been White House and District 2 will represent White House at the county level.

There are four candidates running for these positions. We, the voters, can elect two in each district. On the Republican ticket, Kirt Brinkley and Megan Suttle are running. On the Independent ticket you will find Keith Hoover and Paula Melton. Only three of the four candidates spoke on Tuesday. The following write up is in order of their speeches.

Kirt Brinkley- Brinkley started with his brief history. He is fifth generation on his family’s farm and was born and raised on Union Road in White House. After college he was EMS, a volunteer firefighter, and fire chief of Millersville. He has worked with both TEMA and Homeland Security in hazardous materials. He states that White House is growing. This growth needs to be controlled and the county needs to be proactive on the growth. The traffic on both 76 and 31W is awful. White House has annexed so much property and is building so many houses they have added to the traffic. In his opinion, the city has not worked with the county very well. There are still more houses coming in. His daughter just graduated from Heritage HS, and the traffic there is already an issue as is the school. The school is busting at the seams. The county needs to work with the city to ease traffic. EMS is struggling as well. The call volumes have increased. He wants to be your commissioner to help the county, specifically the White House area be better prepared for the future.

Keith Hoover- Not in attendance

Paula Melton- Melton is running as an independent. She is a life resident of Robertson County, specifically White House. She has been an engineer, a teacher, and now a real estate agent. She sat on the city commission for 14 years. In those years she relied on community input and did her due diligence on projects to make decisions. Melton studied the environmental impacts of the projects she came across and looked at the consequences to the adjacent areas. She would like to “continue my efforts to safe guard my community for future generations.” The growth needs to be managed and the character of the community needs to be preserved. Melton will strive to preserve what makes Robertson County a unique place. In addition she will support local jobs so that her children want to say here. In addition, she wants to ensure that the necessary upgrades for growth are made in a timely fashion. She will keep an eye on the budget and keep things easy for farmers to keep what they already have. Agriculture doesn’t get the support it needs. She wants to make sure that there is room in Robertson County for rural land use.

Megan Suttle- Suttle started her speech reminding the audience that she is not a politician. She describes herself as a God fearing, Christian, soccer mom to three boys. She has been in White House her entire life only recently moving to Robertson County. She would also like to preserve her community and country for her children. She is looking at school choice options at the local level if possible, for families in the county. Suttle is watching the out of control growth in the area and wants to work at the county level to get a handle on it. She will not vote for any new growth without the infrastructure in place. She also wants to make sure the county is preserving green space. Along with growth, Suttle is concerned with taxes. She will fight to keep them low and not vote for new taxes. Her goal is to support law enforcement and firefighters while being a voice for her constituents.

*My take from the things I know*

Keith Hoover is currently on the commission. Personally, I have never met or spoken to the man. However, the freedom fighters over in Cedar Hill consider him an ally. Hoover voted against that large subdivision in Cedar Hill that the county is now being sued over. That is a man I can stand beside. Kirt Brinkley is a farmer. He’s unhappy about what is going on around him as well. He’s about to get an RV park on his street. Not the kind of thing you want by your farm. I believe he will vote with the citizens of Robertson County. Megan Suttle is a mom to small kids. She is also unhappy with the growth in the city. She is sincere and will listen to the voters. Paula Melton is part of the problem. While she spouts “rural preservation,” her family farm is under options from the economic development board for future industrial use. She was on the comprehensive plan team for the city of WH and also sat on the planning board. She watched and approved as they placed 1100 homes behind Heritage HS and 1000 homes in half a mile on Calista. To now say she is for “responsible growth,” is reprehensible. District two, you include White House. You are choosing people that will represent you on that board. Your choices are a man siding with the people, a farmer, a mom, and a real estate agent. Choose wisely. We are counting on you.

If you appreciate these articles you can show your appreciation through Venmo. @Nicole-Taylor-262