Osceola County Commissioner District 5

Byron Hennecy

Byron Hennecy
850 Hennecy Lane - St. Cloud, FL 34773
407-908-3216
bkhennecy@aol.com
ByronHennecy.com
Democrat
Age: 35
Occupation: Osceola County Fireman / Hunting and Fishing Guide
Total Monetary Contributions To Date: $22,999.98
Total Monetary Expenditures To Date: $21,915.70
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Download Financials as of 7.18.08

Previous/Current Elected Office:
N/A

Previous Campaigns for Elected Office:
N/A

How Long have you lived in Osceola County?
35 years in District 5

What is your history of community service?
My entire eight year employment with Osceola County has been in community service related positions.

Why are in you seeking this office?
As a community service worker for Osceola County for the last 8 years and life-long resident of District 5, I see the need for better jobs and a safer community. I also believe that by strengthening our emergency services, we can provide a safe community for our families and our future generations. These goals can be achieved by helping to entice light industry to develop in Osceola County.

What makes you the best-qualified candidate?
As a lifelong resident of Osceola County, I have seen my community grow to what is now considered to be one of the fastest growing counties in the country. I believe we must continue to grow, but not outgrow. We must manage and control our growth in such a way that the county services, i.e, roads, schools, and public safety are able to keep up the level of service that the residents would expect in order to maintain their quality of life.

Current or former elected official you most admire and why?
I have great respect for Bill Newman who was a former County Commissioner. Mr. Newman has always been a man of his word who had strong beliefs and stood by them. He possessed honesty, inegrity and dignity in his actions as a Commissioner. I believe these are important qualities for a County Commissioner to possess and portray not only in the Commission but also as a leader in the community.

If additional revenue becomes available where would you spend it?
I believe additional revenues should be used to reduce Osceola County's existing debts.

If revenue falls short, what are the areas you would target for cuts?
A hiring freeze would be one of the areas to consider. I would then look at limiting all county vehicle usage to an as needed basis to reduce fuel costs/consumption. In addition, all county budgets should be reviewed by County Commissioners and management to discuss where further cuts would be needed.

Under what circumstances would you raise taxes?
Only after all other avenues have been exhausted, and the level of service the county has come to provide is no longer within reach.

What is the top issue facing Oceola County?
The top issue facing both the residents and government of Osceola County is taxes. For the residents, it is the overwhelming burden of property taxes. For the government, it is the loss of revenue in taxes if cuts are made by the State of Florida as a result of the proposed constitutional revision that will be voted for on the 29th of Janurary.

What does Osceola County government do well?
Osceola County government provides a high level of service to the community by making government services easily accessible to the residents through satellite locations and by providing a large range of services and information obtainable via the internet. Osceoal County government also provides a knowledgable and qualified staff to meet their needs.

What does Osceola County government do poorly?
Osceola County could benefit by creating ways that the residents could express their opinions, concerns or ideas. These opinions can be used to help management and the departments operate in a more proficient manner. In addition, more emphasis should be place on examining spending procedures.

Rate the job performance of the County Manager.
The County Manager with the approval of the County Commissioners is enacting changes that are believed to be in the best interest of the county.

How would you help businesses in Osceola County?
One way to benefit all businesses in Osceola County is to help stimulate the tourism industry. This would definitely boost the economy in Osceola County by increasing consumer spending so all businesses would absorb the residual effects of the growing economy. In addition to helping businesses that are operating in Osceola County at the present time, I would like to see Osceola County create a long term plan of evaluating possible future businesses. By doing this, we would be able to ensure that the potential business would be beneficial to the residents and the quality of life in Osceola County. Osceola County government would then be able to implement incentives to entice the appropriate businesses to select Osceola County for their venture. As a result Osceola County will continue to thrive and see positive growth as a direct result of the revenue created by these businesses.