Hockessin’s Republican primary candidates for New Castle County Council agree that the body they are hoping to join is too big and expensive.
But Mike Protack and Janet Kilpatrick, vying for the 3rd District seat that will be left by retiring Bill Tansey, would take different approaches to cutting expenses.
The two shared their plans at an Aug. 23 candidate forum sponsored by the Greater Hockessin Area Development Association and moderated by Community News Editor Jesse Chadderdon.
While both Protack and Kilpatrick said the size of council should be reduced, neither had a specific figure in mind for the ideal number of representatives.
“The more government grows, the more you choke the private sector,” Protack said.
Cutting council in half would cause each member to represent about 80,000 constituents, but Protack and Kilpatrick agreed that that number could be managed.
A smaller council would make it even more important to keep residents motivated to make positive change, Protack said, and he would keep an office in Hockessin to ensure he was always accessible.
Council needs to be at the top of a pyramid of civic groups and maintenance associations so information can be shared more easily in both directions, Kilpatrick said, especially if there are fewer representatives serving the county.
Reducing council’s size is Protack’s main cost-cutting plan, he said. When it comes to cutting costs further, Protack favors forming a special commission to examine county government and identify some of the more subtle cost-cutting measures, he said.
Adding one more committee, even one focused on cost reduction, probably won’t accomplish much, Kilpatrick said.
She suggested leasing out some county parkland and reducing the number of administrative assistants working for the county as potential cost-cutting measures.
“In this economy, we need to absolutely look at things that can be cut,” she said.
The winner of the Sept. 14 primary will face Democrat Renee Taschner in the Nov. 2 General Election.
