Pursell to challenge Shaw in primary

Dave Pursell, 63, has announced his intention to challenge incumbent Arlie Shaw in the May 27 Republican primary election for the District 1 County Commissioner's seat.

"I want to bring some fresh ideas and innovative solutions to issues facing the county," he said.

Pursell, whose career in law enforcement began in 1971 and included 30 years with the Mountain Home Police Department, retired in August 2006 as captain and operations officer for the department.

A Navy veteran of Vietnam, he has been a member of the American Legion for 25 years, a member of the Elk's Lodge, where he is treasurer, for 14 years, and has served on the board of directors of Pioneer Federal Credit Union for nine years.

"Ever since I started in public service (as a law enforcement officer), whenever anything came up in the county, it wound up being passed on to the commissioners. I wanted to be the person to make those decisions."

Pursell said that since his retirement he has "the time and energy to realize that goal.

"I would be very honored to be able to be a part of the commission, to help solve those issues that come before it."

Pursell said he had no ax to grind, and no issues with Shaw, but said "I think I can do a good job.

"What I've always gone by is I don't talk as much as I listen. I like to listen to all points of view on an issue. In police work you learn that everything has more than one side to it."

He said the issues facing the county "are not that much different from other counties in the state -- environment, economics, and personnel."

Pursell said the county should be an environmental leader in upgrading equipment, buildings and looking at alternate energy resources, as well as encouraging conservation and recycling. "We need to look at alternate energy sources for the county that will keep costs down and help the environment," he said.

He sees water issues as the main constraints on growth in the area. "This is going to be a major problem in the future," he said. "We need to plan programs of conservation" and "look closely before approving any new subdivisions or sub-towns in the county." Some of the super-subdivisions planned near the Ada-Elmore line will not only impact water supplies, but also have major impacts on services such as the ambulance, law enforcement and roads.

He also noted that his experience as a supervisor with the police department and his service on the board of directors of the credit union have given him a solid understanding of budgets.

"We need to make sure that every dollar spent is a dollar well spent," he said, adding that the county needs to look at programs that will ensure that it is operating at full efficiency "and that we have what we need to operate efficiently."

He said county personnel need to be supported with the proper training opportunities and the proper tools to do their job well and efficiently. In addition, "I'm sensitive to listening to them. You want to have happy employees. That's important because it shows when they deal with the citizens.

"It's important to be able, as a commission, to work with the other employees and elected officials."

Pursell said the ambulance service issue "needs to be looked at very closely.

"I thought it was well run before and wasn't costing the county that much" before the county elected to contract for the service with Northwest Paramedics. Under the old system, he noted, "the people who worked there knew the county.

"We need to look at how much it would cost the county to run it, as opposed to what it costs to subsidize NPA."

Pursell said he also is sensitive to the issues of rising taxes. "I not only have a home in Mountain Home, but I also have a place in Featherville," an area where tax assessments have skyrocketed in recent years. "So I know the tax issues. I'm not just a Mountain Home person. I'm aware of issues throughout the county."