The successful management of people within organizations both public and private can be measured by the implementation of a "team" oriented philosophy. My belief is that you are only as strong as your weakest link and therefore must ensure that those weak links are strengthened.

Incorporating a team atmosphere will ensure that government, including commissioners, can perform multiple duties within departments and provide basic assistance to the public in situations where the responsibility would otherwise be handled by a specific employee. This should not be construed as a means of increasing workloads or responsibilities, but allows the interoperability of staff and management. I am confident that some government staff practices the role of multi-tasking and would encourage individuals to continue this effort. As county commissioner I would lead by example and practice what I preach!

Commissioners and department managers must allow staff to incorporate, and implement new strategies that can streamline a process and improve efficiency. The county commissioners should regularly implement scheduled department meetings and attend scheduled meetings with the public within their respective district as a minimum. This will improve communications and allow commissioners to be accountable to the public and accessible to government staff.

In order to further improve county organization, government should be centrally located under one roof while providing satellite office support to areas, such as Bailey, Hartsel, Guffey and Lake George. Commissioners would be expected to meet with satellite offices and further implement ideas benefiting the county as a whole. The implementation of an Intranet system (not Internet) would allow county staff to communicate and organize under one central location for access to databases, county forms, and interdepartmental communications, thus further supporting the public.

We need to develop ONE central web site with ONE overall theme that promotes Park County, local jurisdictions and specific organizations (Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Committee). It should also define the role of government responsibilities; provide access to government documents in a clear and concise manner, while providing links to surrounding communities.

The county can improve efficiency by creating a Public Works Division that includes the following departments: Health/Environment, Geographical Information System/CAD, Road and Bridge, Engineering, and Operations/Maintenance. Each of these departments would report directly to the Public Works Director. This will improve efficiency and allow the staff to manage day to day operations and review specific internal policies that would function in unison with other entities, such as, the Building Department, Parks/Recreation and Planning Department. The Public Works Department would also be responsible for publishing public notices of all bids and agreements with contractors and made available on the counties website.

The "team" philosophy will create a culture and environment that would minimize ethical issues, improve motivation through new ideas, develop individual accountability, and minimize contractor issues through accountability with the public. This benefits the community by providing better solutions through improved communications thereby improving government service. An organization is only as good as its worst employee and I believe that teamwork is the key to success!