A Message from Christine Husom, Wright County District 1 Commissioner on not seeking a fourth term:
“I was one of four new commissioners sworn in January 2013, and fifth joined us four years later. We had goals, different things we hoped to accomplish during our tenures. The Wright County Board has made great strides in the last nine plus years; with upgraded technology and streamlined processes, increased transparency, more funds for roads and bridges through Local Option Sales Tax, county ditches and drainage upgrades, and achieved a more level tax rate. We also constructed buildings for greater efficiency, to accommodate modern technology, provide better workspaces for our employees, and offer improved service for our residents.
Going into office, I had no way of knowing the critical and controversial issues we’d face. The county transit system, rezoning requests, redetermination of benefits on county ditches, infrastructure needs, to name a handful of them. Some were tougher decisions than others and required a lot of research and input from experts and citizens.
I knew there were building and space needs but didn’t know the extent until I was in office. We hired engineers to do space studies for remodeling the government center in downtown Buffalo two times. First, to keep the Courts in that building. The second was after the Justice Center project was underway to move the Health and Human Services employees there. In both cases, the expense and disruption for a short-term fix was improbable and cost prohibitive.
The county was blessed to be in the right place at the right time for our building projects. Projected expenses came in lower than estimated costs, coupled with very low interest rates. We were even able to refinance the Law Enforcement Center and save $6 million in interest. My goal as a commissioner was to help constituents and to make judicious decisions that best served our citizens and taxpayers, in my district, and all of Wright County.
Serving as a Wright County Commissioner has been a great honor. I want to thank my constituents, other citizens, and consultants for the input and trust that helped guide my decisions.”