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Candidate Sandi Harpring Questionnaire

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    • Name: Sandi Harpring

    Age: 41

    Party: Republican

    Contact Info: (772) 713-9042 or Harpring2012@gmail.com or website: www.SandiHarpring.com

    How long living in Indian River County: 30 years

    Place of Birth: Naval Air Base Millington Tennessee

    Occupation: Professional Management

    Family: Married to Jim Harpring, General Counsel for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office; four children.

    Please list Civic and Volunteer Leadership Experience including title & position and Organization including dates and locations.

    What issues motivated you to run for this office and what do you hope to accomplish during your term?

    I am running for Supervisor of Elections for a number of reasons. First, I believe it is every citizen’s civic duty to be as involved as possible in our political process. I also believe in the voters will and think it is important that the people have the opportunity to elect their Supervisor of Elections. Finally, I have a vested interest in this community.

    My desire to serve as your Supervisor of Elections is not self serving. I have a strong record of service in our community that speaks for itself.

    This election is about changing the way our government works. It’s the difference between elected officials who want to spend more and electing someone who understands public service and who is willing to do more while saving taxpayer dollars.

    I will work to engage the public. This is by far the best way to save you dollars and build voter confidence. We need someone who is proactive and working year round to communicate with the community and build collaborations with local businesses, non profits and other organizations to get out the vote. I will be accessible and accountable not just when it is election time or time to run for public office but year round.

    I will provide transparency in the budgeting process. I will present tight realistic budgets and back those figures up. I will ensure that the fiscal budget submitted and approved by the BOCC (Board of County Commissioners) is available and accessible online.

    As the elections supervisor I would engage the public and community in a way that has never been done before in the elections office. One of my first acts in office would be to establish and implement a community advisory board.

    This all volunteer board would be made up of leaders from the local Republican Party, Democratic Party, Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters, Taxpayers Association, Progressive Civic League, Senior Resource Association and other organizations in the community who could come together and work to communicate with constituents on important election issues.

    I will work to save taxpayer dollars by reviewing office operations and salaries from top to bottom. I would consider reduced staffing in off elections years and make better use of temporary help, interns and volunteers for general office duties. I will eliminate wasteful spending such as non-required advertising, printing costs and postage by developing resources and utilizing technology to save tax dollars and build voter confidence.

    Why do you feel qualified to lead the Supervisor of Elections Office?

    This office requires someone who can follow the law and be a good fiscal manager. All activities related to the operations of the office are outlined in the Florida Election Code and I will follow the law. The Supervisor of Elections doesn’t set policy they implement policy as prescribed by federal and state laws.

    My background in both the public and private sector make me uniquely qualified to lead the Supervisor’s office. Having worked in the public sector, most recently with the Florida Legislature, I have a full understanding and appreciation of the need to do more with less in these difficult economic times. My knowledge of government processes and the operations of the elections office give me a unique and detailed experience in campaign law and the administrative duties of the elections supervisor.

    My experience in the private sector, including running the business operations of a successful law firm, allows me to evaluate and plan the office budget and operations to ensure the office functions efficiently at the lowest cost to the taxpayers.

    In contrast, my opponent’s first act as Supervisor of Elections, after being appointed by Governor Rick Scott, was to request a 35 percent budget increase. Additionally, she provided for thousands of dollars in pay increases with one full-time employee receiving a $3,000 increase.

    My opponent only instituted cost saving measures after our County Commission denied her excessive and unnecessary budget request.

    This type of management shows a total disconnect to what is going on in our economy. I believe it is inexcusable, in the economic climate we are in today, to provide thousands of dollars of raises to employees in light of the fact that public and private sector employees, including law enforcement officers and firefighters, have either taken pay cuts or have had no salary increases in many years.

    What is your opinion on Gov. Rick Scott’s push to purge the voter rolls of non-citizens despite the Department of Justice’s opposition to the move?

    I believe the voter rolls should only consist of those individuals who have a lawful right to vote. Purging non-citizens and those who have lost their right to vote should be done in accordance with Florida Law in order to ensure fair and valid elections.

    Governor Scott has led the way in protecting the legitimacy of our state’s elections by appointing a Chief Elections Officer who is taking a proactive role by working diligently to purge voter rolls of individuals who are not legally entitled to vote.

    The most important function of an elections officer is to ensure the legitimacy of our elections and to protect every citizen’s vote. Removing ineligible voters and non citizens from our voter rolls serves to protect the votes of those legally entitled to cast a ballot.

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