Supervisor candidates debate in Ainsworth

    The three Republican county supervisor candidates for Washington County?s third district squared off in a debate at the Highland Elementary School gymnasium in Ainsworth Wednesday evening. Washington County Supervisor Steve Davis and challengers Bill Walker and John Hahn answered questions from the audience and from the moderator, Jeff Johnston.

    The issue of wind farms in the county was a topic that drew much attention from the candidates and from the audience. Walker was asked if he would support the proposed windmill farms in the county, and he said he needs to research the issue more thoroughly before making up his mind. However, he did state that he has reservations about wind farms.

    ?The other concern I have is that outside Adair, Iowa [in west central Iowa], they?ve got wind farms everywhere,? said Walker. ?You?re going to find out there are a lot of medical concerns out there with wind farms. When you have that strobe light flashing all night long ? there are some breeding concerns out there. You can Google that and find those. It?s messing up livestock cycles. When you?re looking at a windmill farm, we have to look at more than just the revenue. What is it going to do to the land in Washington County??

    Davis expressed a positive impression of the wind farms when he was asked the same question.  

    ?I believe the revenue [from windmill farms] is going to help Washington County,? said Davis. ?It?s going to create jobs. They?re going to have to pour the concrete, buy the steel and have people run them. It?s a way to go green and use the natural energy that we?ve got there. Hopefully, when it?s online ? and it?s probably three to five years down the line ? it will keep our energy costs the same. I think it would be a good thing for Washington County.?

    Hahn remarked, ?I think it will be a good thing. Anything to reduce our dependence on other sources of fuel, such as oil and coal, is good ? although they are doing some good things with coal. I?m not opposed to any use of wind.?

    Washington County Supervisor Jim Rosien was not part of the debate but addressed the candidates as a member of the audience. Rosien said that windmills may be easy on the eyes for some people but not others.  

    ?We traveled in Kansas, and we saw some really ugly oil wells,? said Rosien. ?But those people really liked those oil wells. Windmills are going to be ugly to some people and other people are going to look at them and smile.?

For the full story, see the May 27 edition of The Washington Evening Journal