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Kevin Ross
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Published: July 1, 2009
Occupation: Retired Coast Guard captain (retired July 2008 after 30-year active duty career)
Education: B.S. in management, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 1978
M.S. in operations research, Naval Postgraduate School, 1983
Further studies in Systems Dynamics Modeling
What are the biggest issues facing your constituency?
1. Balanced and sustainable economic environment throughout the city that benefits all the citizens of Statesville.
2. Operational readiness (proper staffing, equipment, training, work-life balance, compensation) for public safety services (firefighters, police officers, etc.), especially with the future opening of a new fire station and potential growth of the city.
3. Traffic network in certain locations of the city and surrounding area.
Of those issues, which is the most important?
A balanced and sustainable economic environment, now and into the future, is critical to ensuring that the city remains attractive to both businesses and individuals. The Statesville-Mooresville area has been ranked as the No. 1 micropolitan area and this recognition is highly deserved. With this recognition individuals and businesses will be looking to relocate to Statesville. We have to be prepared to manage the growth that is coming. For a sound economic future this growth must be balanced throughout the city to ensure consistent investments by the private sector and favorable future revenue streams. A proactive approach to make sure that every individual has the opportunity for jobs and individual growth is necessary for the City of Statesville to experience both residential and industrial growth.
What, if any, prior experience do you have that will help you if you're elected?
My training and experiences over the last 30 years in the Coast Guard have prepared me to plan (and accomplish) doing more with less and this is the precise economic future we are facing. After 9-11, I was a senior-level resource manager and planner in the Coast Guard, and was involved with international, national and local resource and policy issues. Despite a time of large mission growth in the Coast Guard, with limited resource growth, I was directly involved with ensuring that missions were accomplished and future infrastructure and assets were acquired.
I have also dealt with a wide variety of complex issues faced by a diverse community of people, which Statesville now is. I have experience discussing issues with a variety of different groups and individuals, including: Congressional/OMB/GAO staffers, federal/state/local government officials, local providers of housing and medical services, industry officials and local waterway users. As a proven leader and dependable decision maker, I know how to communicate and work with people to identify innovative solutions.
What is one thing you think the incumbent is doing right? What is one thing you think the incumbent is doing wrong?
The incumbent's performance is best evaluated by the voters but, I am able to give you my view of the role of a City Council member in interfacing with the public and city staff.
First and foremost, a City Council member is accountable to the people of the city and must have the willingness to communicate and listen to them in an honest and open manner, then be able to translate the insight gleaned from these discussions into a vision that can serve to guide the City Manager and staff. The City Council member must allow the professionals on the city staff to do their work without unnecessary micro-management by understanding how to provide proper oversight and ask the right questions. The member then must be able to weigh all options prior to making a final decision, and, once made, be willing to explain it to the people of the city.
During my career in the Coast Guard, I have had to translate strategic guidance from headquarters into operational objectives and policies for local units to execute missions; and, based on feedback from these units, justify their requirements back to headquarters to ensure that they had the resources to conduct operation.
What specifically would you do if elected in response to the area's growth?
As I discussed earlier, the City of Statesville will see future growth and it is important that we have a proactive approach in managing this growth to ensure a strong balance and sustainable economic environment. To accomplish this, we must develop a comprehensive vision and master blueprint that identifies the important relationships and variables that will influence our future economy. The City of statesville has various exciting assets, for example: the airport, historic downtown, Fort Dobbs, Mitchell Community College and a historic culture; which are powerful attractions to people and businesses looking to relocate. This master plan would identify key economic strengths and benefits that each of these assets (both individually and collectively) potentially contribute to enhancing the economic strength of the city. This will enable us to develop a sound methodology for future budget and investment decisions based on risk-management concepts and an integrated planning philosophy versus piecemeal project-by-project.
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