Amy Manuel for Denton County Commissioner, Precinct 2 - Interview

Today, I’m speaking with Amy Manuel, a candidate for the position of Denton County Commissioner, Precinct 2. She resides in The Colony with her husband, David and her two sons. Active in her community, with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, HomeAid Dallas, and the Colony’s Cultural Arts Board (among others), she also shares her love of music as a teacher and songleader in her congregation, Adat Chaverim. She decided to run for Commissioner when the incumbent, Sandy Jacobs, announced her plans to retire. I’m delighted to be able to interview her for this forum.


Since many of our readers may not be aware of what the County Commissioner’s Court does, here’s a quick primer: http://dentoncounty.com/dept/main.asp?Dept=123

The quick version is this: The Court is the general governing body of Denton County, and consists of 4 Commissioners and a County Judge. Their major duties:

1. Set the tax rate and adopt the County budget;
   
2. Appoint County officials and hire personnel;
   
3. Fill elective and appointive vacancies;
   
4. Establish voting precincts, appoint precinct judges and call County bond elections;
   
5. Let contracts and authorize payment of all County bills;
   
6. Build and maintain County roads and bridges;
   
7. Build, maintain and improve County facilities, including jails;
   
8. Provide for veterans assistance;
   
9. Manage all County facilities; and
   
10. Provide for the data service and archival needs of the County.
    

Amy I have taken piano lessons, but the piano never took to me. I don’t really consider myself a guitar player. I just use it to accompany myself.

I have always loved music and even considered majoring in it in college. In high school and college, I performed in many choir concerts and musicals. This year, I will be singing with the choir at Adat Chaverim for High Holiday Services.

I spent a great deal of my time in the dance world. I studied ballet, tap, jazz and gymnastics from the time that I was four all the way through college. This is why I chose the Cultural Arts Board. The performing arts have played such a large roll in my life. For this reason, I wanted to be a driving force in bringing the arts to The Colony.

Amy: Many of the applications that I have supported and have developed along the way have direct or indirect connections to the office of county commissioner.

I spent several years as the sole support analyst for the records management department for Oxy, Inc. Because of this, I am intimately aware of the way records management operates for a large corporation. Records management is one of the responsibilities of the county commissioner. During the time that I supported the records department, I integrated four different records systems into one system. I also was the project manager for the upgrade and installation of a records system in 7 locations that were located on three different continents.

Other related applications related to the position of commissioner include accounts payable, online employee library, certificate of insurance and TCEQ reporting.

Supporting and/or designing an application requires an in depth knowledge of the subject matter.

An analyst also needs to be able to work well with people of different personality types, listen carefully to what the user needs, and be able to deliver the requirements in a timely fashion while staying within budget.

Amy: I have been a Democrat all of my life. My father was a precinct captain for President Johnson and my mother still refers to herself as a “yellow dog”. I am also distantly related to former DNC Chair Robert Strauss.

My religion plays a major role in political beliefs as well. I was raised a Reformed Jew in Southeast Texas. Reformed Jews tend to be liberal. We are encouraged from a very young age use logic and reason to understand what we believe and not just accept on faith. Jews also have an obligation to tikkun olam, which means to mend, heal and repair the world. This obligation implies an obligation to the environment, as well as, an obligation to care for and help those who are less fortunate. My religion is also grounded in science and education. I have always felt that the Democratic Party has a greater dedication to the environment, science, education and to helping the less fortunate than other political parties.

Amy: As a Democrat, I will be more concerned with the greater good for the greatest number of people. I will seek to protect the environment while also protecting those who cannot protect themselves.

Amy: Many decisions that the County Commissioners Court affect our environment. One that immediately comes to mind is the choice of electricity provider. Given the choice between a company that produces energy through coal firing plants and one that uses wind power, my choice would be the wind based energy provider. There is also a department dedicated to recycling. This department is also dependent on the Commissioners Court for funding.

There are many items on the budget, such as Child Protective Services, that help those who cannot help themselves. The Court also sets the budget for the County Health Department. Decisions on the amount of funds that these departments receive can have life or death impacts on those served.

Amy: The commissioners court has a place on the NCTCOG (North Central Texas Council of Governments) and makes appointments to the NTTA. I believe it is our obligation as representatives of this county to stand up for our citizens and stand against tolls.

Amy: As a computer analyst, I am very qualified to deal with systems that are not functioning correctly. As to incompetent employees, accusations of wrongdoing will be investigated accordingly on a case-by-case basis. The use of standard business practices in hiring will alleviate many of these issues.

Amy: That is certainly a part of it. In most large companies, when an opening is available, the position is posted in multiple locations in newspapers as well as on the internet. After reviewing the submitted applications and resumes, the list is narrowed to the top contenders. Then interviews and background checks are done on those. The end result should be that the best available candidate is chosen.

Amy: I would definitely support adjusting the method for appraisal. We recently considered selling our house. After doing some comparisons to similar houses in my neighborhood, the realtor showed us an estimate of what we could expect to sell the house for. He showed us in detail the formulas used to determine the value of our home.

As a computer analyst, it seems quite reasonable to me that a computer program could be written that with a few inputs, could output a reasonable estimate that fairly appraises property.

I believe that it is also important that there be audits that pay particular attention to those who ultimately set the appraised value. One way to do this is to have a board that consists of several appraisers from different companies who conduct random audits of the county appraisers.

Amy: I like the idea of lowering the cap. Counties have a habit of lowering the tax rate while raising appraisal rates. The net affect is higher taxes. However, the problem remains that property taxes are the main source of revenue for our public schools. This reduction may cause more fiscal problems for our already cash strapped schools.

Amy: At a minimum, paper ballots should be available to all voters. I prefer hand counts for ballots, as I am all too familiar with the ease at which computerized counting programs can be manipulated.

Amy: Many Republicans have indicated that they intend to vote for me. I am not a career politician. It is time for new blood. Our current commissioner for Precinct 2 has held this office for over 20 years and her possible GOP successor has been a Justice of the Peace for the last 14 years. We need someone with a business background like me.

The current court has four Republican commissioners and a Republican county judge. There are no Democrats to offer an opposing position. When elected, I will give the court a little bit of balance that it currently lacks.

Amy: Under-funded public libraries is the top priority for me. The County Commissioners Court recently cut the funding for our public libraries by more than 20%. The Colony Public Library cut back its hours drastically as a direct result of these cuts. This summer, The Colony Public Library did not open its doors until 1:00 PM.

During the hot summer months, the library provides a safe air-conditioned respite for children and an opportunity for them to continue learning while school is out.

Once on the Commissioners Court, I will work to return our libraries to its previous level of funding and encourage the other members of the court to add additional funds. That way, our libraries will be able to reach their full potential.

Amy: Go to my website: www.AmyManuel.com

There, you will be able to donate to the campaign, as well as sign up to volunteer. Many volunteer activities can be done from the comfort of your own home.