Linda Little for County Board 2022

This is a write up of an interview conducted by Reed Sutman. You can listen on Youtube. All quotes are of Linda Little, unless otherwise noted. Quotes may be edited for readability, such as removing filler words or shortening some statements with a [paraphrase] or adding [context].

What does the County Board Do?

Linda says the County Board oversees offices that serve the entire county, including the Sheriff, Macon County Jail, County Treasurer, County Recorder, Circuit Clerk, and the courts. She adds that the courts are "governed by state and federal as well." She says the responsibility of the board is the "fiscally responsible spending of taxpayer money."

Why are you running for office this year?

"I am running for re-election because I enjoy serving on the board. I think we're headed in the right direction financially. [I think] we're doing very well, and everyone on the board is very concerned about staying in the black and being responsible for the services that we need to provide to the county."

What are your three biggest priorities for the county board?

"Well I don't have any particular projects in mind; I think just continuing to be responsible. I think we're doing a great job. I've been on the board long enough that I can remember being 3 (three) million dollars in debt, and we got out of that. Since then, we've been very, very good at really paying attention."

What are the Voter's Priorities?

Reed: "What do you think are the three biggest priorities for voters on the political right?"
Linda: "Three biggest priorities for voters?"
Reed: "Mhmm. On the political right"

Linda: "I'm not sure how to answer that question. I run my campaign based on what I think is important for the job and if people agree with me, they'll vote for me. I'm not sure what you want from, [sic] what kind of answer you want for that, particularly at the county level. In my years of being on the County Board, I haven't seen a whole lot of 'left' and 'right'. I've seen a whole lot of 'here's what we need to do for the citizens of Macon County.'"
Reed: "Right. Some people I've interviewed have answered kind of in a more national sense, uh"
Linda: "I'm not answering in a national sense because I'm not running for a national office."
Reed: "And then like, Greg Mattingley I interviewed yesterday and one of his from the political right was 'community safety' and another was 'fiscal responsibility'."
Linda: "And I don't see that as a 'right' or 'left' issue. I see that as a 'county' issue. I haven't found anybody on the left or the right that would disagree with either one of those."

Reed: "Are there any concerns from the political left that you're aware of that are county wide?"
Linda: "Nope. I believe people in the County are concerned about their tax money and they're concerned about safety. I do not like addressing one or the other as 'left' or 'right'."

Note: Gregory Mattingley (R) gave these three priorities for the political left: marijuana dispensary, women's equality, and abortion rights. He gave these two for the political right: community safety and fiscal responsibility. Elijah England (D) gave three priorities for voters on the right: Good job opportunities, a desire for a trustworthy person in government, and Republican representation. Elijah gave three priorities for voters on the left: workers' rights (equal pay, safety), county finances, and Democratic representation due to the county redistricting.

Policy Proposals / Legislation

Reed: "What policy proposals or legislation have you written or are planning to write?"
Linda: "Well as far as sitting down with a pen and paper and writing legislation, no. [sic] In committees, we vote on resolutions and they go to the full board. We've supported legislation to ... Well, I mean just read every resolution we've ever voted on that's been approved by the board. As far as, I don't have any raw paper at home with, yaknow, pencil marks on it as to how I want to word a resolution."

Reed: "What existing county policies or legislation would you like to change or overturn?"
Linda: "None particularly come to mind right now. I'm not running for office to be vindictive or to, to fix anything. I want to continue to serve the citizens of Macon County with the responsibility of their tax dollars."

Is there anything else you'd like to add regarding your political platform?

"Nope, I don't think so. I'm experienced. I think I have a good track record with the county and I'm hoping people will recognize that and give me another term."

Previous Experience on the County Board

Reed: "I know you're on the County Board right now. What other offices have you held in the past?"
Linda: "Elected offices? In the past I have been precinct committeeman years ago, but as far as elected offices, that's it."

Note: Precinct Committee[people] serve the political parties, not the community at large and are elected during primaries or appointed by party leadership when vacancies exist.

Reed: "Did you serve on the County Board in the past too?"
Linda: "Yes, I was first elected to the board in '94"

Reed: "Did you just serve the one term then, or did you serve multiple terms?"
Linda: "Let's see. In '94, I served for one term, I think. Then I served as the assistant to the Board Chair, which was a position that got done away with several years later. Then I got back on the board. And then, let's see. I'm old, I forget all this stuff. I got back on the board after my term as assistant to the board chair. And then I lost an election in 2002, maybe. Got back on the board in [2004]. Then I lost again in '16 and got back on the board in '18, is that right? That's the best I can remember, so if I'm wrong I apologize, but I've been on the board for the better part of the last 25 years."

Reed: "Regarding being the assistant to the board chair, was that during your 1994 term, or was that after that term?"
Linda: "I resigned my seat to take the position as assistant to the Board Chair"

Reed: "Was the assistant normally an elected position?"
Linda: "No, the assistant to the board chair was appointed by the board with the consent of the full board and basically served in a very similar capacity as our new County Administrator."

Note: Herald & Review wrote about the County Administrator position, filled by Tammy Wilcox in July 2022.

Ambitions

Reed: "Do you plan to run for office again in the future?"
Linda: "A different office?"
Reed: "Same office or a different office"
Linda: "I don't know. I do one campaign at a time."

What other relevant experience do you have that you'd like to share?

Linda: "Just my experience on the board is my best resume builder for this position. I serve on the Mental Health Board as well. I served on different boards, yaknow, appointed through the county and uh, i think all those experiences have [sic], I've been on the DMCOC board which I am back on now. The Mental Health Board, um well others I can't really remember. Those are the two most important [that I think] really keep me up on areas that aren't necessarily [my expertise]. I don't work in the medical field. I don't work in social services, so it really keeps me involved in what is going on and what the needs are and that sort of thing."

Voter Submitted Questions

How will you protect voting rights?

"I personally don't know that I, I mean I think everyone should be able to vote. Every U.S. Citizen should be able to vote and they should be able to vote once. I don't know. I don't think we're doing that bad of a job. I realize the publicity and all of what you hear, but I don't really believe that people are being denied the right to vote at the volume that we're hearing. We've made it so easy to vote now, there's just no excuse."

Note: After the 2020 election fraud allegations, some states have proposed or enacted more restrictive voting laws. The Brennan Center For Justice writes "Many citizens find it difficult to obtain government photo IDs because the necessary documentation, such as a birth certificate, is often difficult or expensive to acquire."

Note: Regarding lawsuits alleging 2020 election fraud, Republican Macon County Clerk Josh Tanner says "It's my understanding that none of those [legal] objections were upheld and so Joe Biden's the President of the United States." Tanner also says it is "safe and secure to vote by mail."

Note: A Fox News Opinion Piece cites the Census Bureau's 2020 election survey as evidence that voter suppression does not exist, however the report shows that since 2004, between 4.4% and 7.2% of surveyed non-voters reported "Registration problems" as their reason for not voting. Some other respondents reported "inconvenient polling places" and "transportation problems".

Note: Ballotpedia reports that "6.1 million felons did not have the right to vote in the United States in 2016".

Reed's Opinion: While many people do have good access to voting, there are also people who do not have access to voting. Just because the system is working very well for a large majority of Americans doesn't mean that there isn't harm being done to other Americans. Additionally, Democrats have alleged that the 2021 redistricting disenfranchised black voters in Macon County.

What are your budget goals?

Linda: "To stay in budget. I will not vote for a property tax hike. For the county general fund, I will not vote for an increase."

Reed: "Do you have any other goals regarding taxes?"
Linda says "Just to make sure that we're spending them appropriately" and providing services "we're obligated to", and to "hopefully [continue to provide] some services that aren't statutorily required."

How will you address crime?

Linda: "To continue to support our law enforcement. I think staying fully staffed is huge, but staff without proper training is useless. So, I think that training is very important, the personnell is very important."

Reed: "Is there anything specific you can do to make that happen in your position on the county board?"
Linda: "Well, when the Sheriff or the courts or recommendations come down, we examine them and see if we can [approve them]. Once in awhile it's not feasible, but for the most part, our courts and our sheriff are very good at ... before they bring [a recommendation to the board], they've done their homework and they know it will or will not benefit the county and we need to support them because they are the experts in that area, not me."

What goals do you have regarding cannabis dispensaries?

Linda: "I have no goals. I will continue to support the legislation that we currently have."
Reed: "Would you support cannabis dispensaries in the unincorporated areas of Macon County?"
Linda: "No"

Reed: "I know you don't have jurisdiction over the city of Decatur or Mt. Zion, but would you support cannabis dispensaries through advocacy in the incorporated areas?"
Linda: "I would not advocate either way inside municipalities, on either side of that, because that is a municipality's governing body's decision."

From what sources do you get most of your news?

Linda: "Uhh, radio, Herald & Review, i don't know. I don't have a set schedule that I get up and watch or listen to anything in particular."
Reed: "So just kind of depends on what's on that day?"
Linda: "Well, yeah, but that makes it sound like I don't pay much attention"
Reed: "I didn't mean to frame it like that"
Laughter from both

Do you have anything else you wanna add?

"Nope, I just encourage you and everyone that goes to your website to do their civic duty and vote, vote once, and vote in the right place."