The opponent (Abbigale Thompson) for Incumbent, Dist. 3 Pottawatomie County Commissioner, Eddie Stackhouse did not attend the Pottawatomie County Advocates for Voters Education forum held Thursday, Oct. 27. However, that did not stop constituents from asking the hard questions.
PAVE member Ronnye Sharp gave Stackhouse three minutes for his opening statement and then dove in with the audience questions. Stackhouse said he is 52 years old and has lived in the southeast part of the county for 51 of those years. He is a 1989 graduate of Maud High School. He also began working for the county in Dist. 3 in 1989.
Eddie married his wife Casey in 2008 and in 2012 he ran for Dist. 3 and and won. He has completed his county commission certification and his Road Scholar Program.
Below are a few of the Q&As. To see the forum in its entirety, please use this link - https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=8KiHbEiuMjA&t=1872 or visit the City of Shawnee YouTube and click on the PAVE forum 10/27/2022.
Q: When provided with evidenced of financial impropriety by the former DAs Office, why did the county commissioners fail to request a forensic audit of the DAs Office finances?
A: I’m just one of three. I had no clue. It wasn’t brought to me, I don’t think.
Q: It’s been said that the county commissioners had the legal authority to move the former DA from office as recommended be done by the grand jury indictment. Why did you and the other Commissioners fail to remove him as recommended by the grand jury?
A: I did not think we had the power to remove him.
Q: Why was the public comment portion of the commissioners meeting removed from the meetings and will you commit to have public comments reinstated during the meetings?
A: It was a board decision. And yes, I think the public has a right to voice their opinion. I think the public comments needs to added back to our agenda. We did comment during the meeting a constituent or anyone that live in the county that needs to be on the agenda, we would put them on the agenda. I think I have done that and shown that. My onion, I am just one of three again, I think public comments needs to be back on our agenda to have the people speak their concerns.
Q: Having the county cleanup days have been helpful, and I’m thankful for that to help control the other trash dumping in rural areas. Could it be possible to have some dumpster available on a more frequent basis?
A: Yes. We have two county cleanups a year. One in the spring and one in the fall. We could actually have dumpsters set at each year….not household trash but items like couches, recliners, mattresses, refrigerators, and washers.
Q: What experience do you have in building roads and bridges?
A: I have 33 years of experience on roads and bridges. I worked 23 years before I was elected.
Q: What steps will you take to ensure you will be available in an emergency situation such as a tornado or flood?
A: We do have satellite phone. The Emergency Manager has these for the three commissioners. Once we are in a Code Red, our Emergency Manager issues us those phones. So, when the cell towers go down, we still have communication.
In closing, Stackhouse said, “I have 33 years experienced with this job, on the road and in the office. I think experience matters. Let’s keep this ball rolling. Let’s keep making Dist. 3 great.
