Dinges says voters need more information on Hadley expansion
By KALEY LYON
On Aug. 5, Jason Dinges, a District 2 Democrat, will face longtime Ellis County Commission incumbent Dennis Pfannenstiel in the primary election.
While this is Dinges' first run for public office, he said he believes voters need a choice in the upcoming election.
"I am running for county commission because I believe the Democrats in our county deserve a choice," he said. "The current District 2 commissioner has always had my respect. In fact, I voted for him twice.
"The reason I'm running against him is that I do not believe in a policy of 'I will do it my way, no matter what the constituents think,' " Dinges said. "And I believe the commissioners should put all the facts on the table and allow the people to vote for the $5 million courthouse expansion."
Dinges is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and is employed as vice president of VJI Natural Resources.
HDN: What is your stance on the proposed Ellis County wind farm projects? What benefits or concerns do you foresee?
JD: "I have no problem with wind farms in Ellis County. I also truly believe that, had they laid all the facts on the table regarding countywide zoning, we would not have all this hatred between families going on right now in Ellis County.
"Had everyone understood from day one that the only way we could get large wind farms was to pass countywide zoning, I believe the people would have rallied behind it and all issues would be long behind us. But, instead, the entire issue has been belabored with accusations of conflict and bias.
"I still believe we need a zoning committee that's fair and impartial. It should be comprised of 50 percent for the wind farms and 50 percent against the wind farms.
"And I believe that's the only way we can protect both sides in this issue."
HDN: What are your thoughts on the current countywide zoning process?
JD: "I believe it can work, but we have to have zoning boards that are impartial. Both sides need to be protected when it comes to wind farms. The people certainly have the right to have the wind farms on their property.
"It's their property and they can do with it what they want, but since we have zoning in place, we need to protect the people that will be harmed.
"I've toured the area west of Hays where the number one proposal is.
"There's no doubt in my mind there's plenty of room to make the project work without intruding on people's property."
HDN: What are your thoughts on space needs issues, and of the proposed Hadley Center relocation?
JD: "In regard to the Hadley addition to the courthouse, I believe the public has not been given enough data.
"Personally, I cannot understand why the additional property is needed at this point, or the additional space is needed at this point.
"I adamantly feel that, whether it gets bonding or doesn't get bonding, that the issue needs to be voted on no matter what. It's a large enough project that everyone should have a voice in the decision. I believe there are alternatives that have not been researched thoroughly."
HDN: How do you view relations between Ellis County and the communities within? Do you believe anything could be done to improve city/county relations?
JD: "I have no real long-term vision in mind. We have a great fire department, sheriff's department, health department and our current courthouse staff is top of the line. I do believe we need to concentrate more on road maintenance and that budget. We need to work on the basics and get away from spending our money on new buildings ... And I do believe that our city works well with the other cities in the area. It seems that our cities get along well. And personally, I've not heard of any problems between the smaller cities and the city of Hays. Or the county and the cities."
HDN: With taxes on the rise from last year to this year, and local property values also increasing, how does this affect the local budget? What are your thoughts about the current finance formula?
JD: "Regarding the local budget, I've not seen the numbers. One would assume, with the dramatic increase in oil prices, and the fact that a large percentage of our revenue comes from oil taxes, that there should be adequate funds to deal with the rising costs regarding county maintenance and such."
Editor's note: This is the second of a nine-part series portraying candidates in the Aug. 5 primary election.