Month: March 2015

Candidate questionnaire: Chris McCord
Board of Public Utilities, Member At-Large District, Position 3

Age: 58

Occupation: Real Estate Appraiser

Owner: McCord Appraisal

Education: Washington High School
Kansas State University – Bachelor of Science

Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong:
Hillcrest Transitional Housing of Kansas, Current Board Chairman
Kansas City, Kansas Downtown Rotary, Past President
Piper Optimist, Past President
Hands to Hearts – Volunteer

Reasons for running:
The primary reason that I have chosen to seek the position of Board of Public Utilities Member-at-large, Position 3, is that I feel it is very important that we keep local control of OUR public utility. The primary mission of the BPU should be to provide reliable and affordable utility services to its customers while improving the overall quality of life in our community. I believe that we need to make customer service our number one priority, increase our reliance on renewable energy, work to maintain the long term needs of our growing community and to keep our good jobs in Kansas City, Kan.

What is your top campaign issue?
Improving customer service and keeping OUR good jobs in Kansas City, Kan.

There may be budget constraints facing local governments and schools. If you had to make cuts, what would be at the top of the list to cut?
The amount of outside contractors performing duties that can be completed by employees.

If you are an incumbent, list your top accomplishments in office. If you are not an incumbent, what would you change?

Improve customer service and increase our reliance on Renewable Energy

What is the difference, on the issues, between you and the other candidates running for this office?
I do not believe that the Public Utility should be sold or privatized.

Have you run for elected office previously? When, results?
Piper School District 2001-2003

Norm Scott said he was in favor of keeping the BPU as a public utility.

“We definitely do not want to sell this facility, this is a great facility,” he said at the Armourdale candidate forum.

Scott is a lifelong union member and retired as a business agent for the operating engineers, Local 101, union, and has been endorsed by an electricians union, including electrician workers that represent the BPU, and the Heavy Constructors Association.

Scott is the chairman of the Wyandotte County Democratic Party.

Scott graduated from Wyandotte High School and attended Kansas City Kansas Community College. Since retirement, he has been a volunteer in his neighborhood association, his church and at Cross-Lines.

“I’m a strong supporter of labor and I know they have contributed to BPU’s success,” he said at the Democratic breakfast.

Keeping rates as low as possible and delivering customer service as best as possible are two of his goals, he said at the meeting.

He said he is interested in representing the citizens and he has asked some questions of the board. “I need to know why our rates are high,” Scott said at the Armourdale forum.

“I need to know why we can’t address some (more) alternative energies,” he said. He said he knows that some business facilities today are totally self-sufficient, with a zero environmental footprint.

On the topic of customer service, “When you call and all you can get is a machine, that tells me we need to get a little closer to the table,” Scott said at the Armourdale forum. He said he wanted to understand the reasoning behind all the decisions made at the BPU.