Carroll County Commissioner District 2 Choose 1
DUTIES: The County Commissioners are responsible for legislative and executive policy decisions affecting County government agencies. They are responsible for setting the tax levy and thereafter assuring that spending is limited to a set budget. They make appointments to the committees and commissions that report to them and exercise oversight over county programs. The Commissioners provide leadership, define policy, and enact programs to meet community needs.TERM LENGTH: 4 years; TERM LIMIT: Two consecutive termsSALARY: $49,998 per yearHOW ELECTED: One Commissioner is elected from each of the five County Commissioner Districts.WEBSITE: https://www.carrollcountymd.gov/government/commissioners/
Biographical Information
Campaign Website
http://www.kiler4commissioner.com
Campaign Phone
443-340-5667
Campaign Email
kiler4commissioner@gmail.com
Campaign Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/KennyKiler4carrollcountycommissioner/
Campaign Mailing Address
4758 Schalk Rd 1
Manchester, MD 21102
Manchester, MD 21102
COMMUNITY SERVICE: What does community service mean to you, and how would you put that into action as Commissioner?
In 2022 I retired because I wanted to treat Commissioner as a full time job. I founded Manchester Wrestling and was active in North Carroll Rec Council. During 44 years of being an officer of companies, I stayed active in the community. I served as Pres of NCRC and MJWL and on the Rec & Parks Board. I served on other Carroll County Advisory Boards. I spent four years as a BOE member and served as both V P and Pres. I will bring my love of Carroll and leadership skills to my second term.
BUDGET: What do you consider the top three priorities for the county budget? How would you protect these priorities in the event of a budget shortfall?
Priority one is the taxpayers. We have not raised the tax rate since 1997. Do we increase revenues or limit services? We should not increase the tax rate. We need public safety, great schools, our agriculture identity and quality of life. These control our operating budget. The capital budget, which is one time money, is important also. By law, we cannot exceed our budget. This creates an excess of one time money. We cannot mix ongoing and one time funds to help with ongoing expenses.
VISION: What is your vision for the future of Carroll County to balance the rural character of the county versus economic growth?
We have a great Agricultural Preservation Program. It will take consistent funding to keep it great. It is the best in the state. We need to combine that with controlled growth. We also have a great Department of Economic Development. We need to increase our commercial and industrial base. This includes analyzing zoning to create more areas of opportunity. Without this the burden of revenue is on the residents. We need to attract new businesses without forgetting our existing businesses.
JOB GROWTH: What steps should the county government take to promote growth in new jobs from entry-level to upper-level positions?
We need to increase our commercial and industrial businesses and maintain controlled growth. Carroll is a bedroom community. Our school system is the largest employer in the county. We have consistently exceeded maintenance of effort in their budget. We need to continue that. Blueprint and declining enrollment are making it hard for CCPS to give educators fair wages. Many of our businesses work with Career and Tech, the Community College and McDaniel to try to keep good employees here.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING: How would you propose to make housing more affordable?
We need to fight Annapolis and the State concerning their outrageous fees and taxes. They cannot be allowed to take our local control. We need to make sure our county fees for permits and plans are reasonable. And, we need to expedite the process. Time is money. All of these costs are passed to the homeowner. We need smaller lots wherever there is public water and sanitary sewer. Cluster developments are a good way to do that, but we need to allow even smaller lots in that process.
PUBLIC HEALTH: In what ways do you think the Board of Commissioners can support public health experts to address health concerns, such as epidemics, drug abuse, vaccine availability?
We developed a stronger relationship with both the County Health Dept and the State Health Dept. Communication is strong. We need to learn from the mistakes made during COVID. Many of our public health experts let politics rule over science and others were ignored. In Carroll, we opened schools ahead of the rest of the state. We made masks optional in our schools. We modified quarantine rules to keep kids in school. Our Health Dept rolled out vaccines better than anywhere in the state.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: What is your position on the need for additional public transportation options for Carroll County, both within the County and to population centers in neighboring jurisdictions?
Carroll has a great transit system. It furnishes both door to door and TrailBlazer routes for reasonable prices, within Carroll. We also have great Veterans’ shuttle that takes passengers to VA facilities out of Carroll. I have met with our Transit Advisory Council since I’ve been a Commissioner. They constantly get feedback and evaluate the system. The taxpayers fund this system. Should we spend more taxpayer dollars to increase the service and transport out of the county or maintain as is?