A Vision for the County Tackling Sprawl Healthcare for All Efficiency in Government True Economic Development Read about Mark's experience HERE

Committee to Elect Mark Stoops
4425 N Old St Rd 37
Bloomington, IN 47408

(812) 333 6328

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 11, 2008

STOOPS ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR MONROE COUNTY COMMISSIONER

Mark Stoops, two-term County Council member and past president of the Monroe County Council, has announced his intention to run for the Monroe County Commissioner District 2 Seat in the Democratic Primary. The three-member board of commissioners is the legislative and executive head of county government. The Commissioners are also responsible for managing county government operations and properties.

Stoops said he is excited to have the opportunity to accomplish many of the goals he has worked toward over the years and that his experience with community issues and the operation of local government will give him an excellent advantage, allowing him to achieve results. "I have worked with every department in the county. I know the many, complicated ways in which local government is financed, who is responsible for making decisions, and the methods and procedures necessary to accomplish our objectives."

Stoops believes that long-term goals should guide the commissioners' decision-making process. "The County Commissioners are in a constant state of crisis management. As a result, decisions are invariably reactive instead of proactive. Decisions at the executive level of county government must be made with an eye to the future. Currently there is no long term vision for Monroe County."

A few of the issues on which Stoops plans to focus include urban sprawl, health care, locally focused economic development, and city-county cooperation.

"Urban sprawl is a serious threat to Monroe County. We must act now to incorporate a natural resource inventory into our Comprehensive Land Use Plan in order to protect a permanently preserved network of green space and environmentally sensitive areas from development. Also, if we really intend to guarantee clean drinking water well into the future, we need to get serious about protecting Lake Monroe." Stoops says lax development standards around the lake and spotty to non-existent environmental enforcement are rapidly degrading our one and only fresh water source.

Stoops, who has been highly critical of the plan to extend Interstate 69 through southwest Indiana, feels that local elected officials can work together to lobby against the new terrain proposal. "Monroe County and the City of Bloomington must present a unified front opposing the construction of I-69. The state cannot afford to provide the money to fix the roads and highways we currently have. Our local bridges are in a dangerous state of disrepair. The Governor's proposal to spend billions of dollars on a new interstate is fiscal mismanagement and pork barrel spending of the worst kind. We must convince the state to give us our share. We can show them that fixing the infrastructure we have and providing alternative transportation options makes economic sense for Monroe County and all of southern Indiana."

Stoops also believes that a local, single payer health network for Monroe County is a real possibility. "County Government, the City of Bloomington, IU, MCCSC and Richland Bean Blossom Schools, the Library, Ivy Tech, and Bloomington Hospital are examples of local government or not-for-profit units that have separate health insurance groups and plans." Stoops says that by combining these groups into one pool and working with state and federal insurance plans, Medicaid, local providers and the Bloomington Hospital, "we have the components of a broader self-funded health care network that can be expanded to everyone in Monroe County in need of low cost quality health care."

When it comes to economic development, there is no bigger bang for the buck than investing in small business start-ups and expansion, Stoops maintains. "All job growth in our county in the last 15 years has come from small business. Monroe County must focus its economic development dollars to help local small businesses succeed."

Based on inefficiencies he has seen during his years on the County Council, Stoops says there are many other opportunities for cost savings through expanded cooperation between Monroe County and the City of Bloomington. "Most of the visitors to County Parks are from Bloomington city, and certainly many county residents use the parks in Bloomington. A countywide parks system makes economic and administrative sense. Our Joint Emergency 911 Dispatch Center is also inefficient. Employees and resources are being provided from both the county and the city, rather than a separately funded and distinct unit."

Stoops also sees problem areas of county government that need to be addressed. He says that a significant amount of money can be saved by implementing the highest possible fuel efficiency standards for new vehicle purchases and conducting a comprehensive review of vehicle use by county employees. "It doesn't make fiscal sense, for instance, that the Sheriff's department has 45 vehicles when there are only two or three deputies on the road at any given time."

Mark Stoops, 48, is a graphic artist and restores historic properties. He is married and a father of three children. "I have a history and reputation for making informed decisions. With the continued support of the people of Bloomington and Monroe County, I believe we can achieve our vision of a future for Monroe County; a future in which we can maintain and improve our quality of life with cleaner air and water, permanently preserved green space, access to quality health care, and a balanced economy."

For more information, Stoops has a web site: www.ElectMarkStoops.com