Candidates make pitch for Cole County public administrator post

Candidates for Cole County public assessor answer questions at a forum Tuesday.
Candidates for Cole County public assessor answer questions at a forum Tuesday.

Candidates campaigning for Cole County public administrator discussed how they view the position and their reasoning for running during a forum hosted by numerous agencies and independent-living facilities.

The three Republican candidates - JoDonn Chaney, Rik Combs and Joe Kuensting - attended the forum at Providence Bank on Ellis Boulevard in Jefferson City. Jean Schwaller was not able to attend as she was on a business trip to Washington, D.C.

All the candidates were given questions ahead of time, and Schwaller pre-recorded her responses, which were played at the forum. One of them will replace Marilyn Schmutzler, a Democrat and the county's longtime public administrator.

Public administrator is a role in county government that's not well understood publicly. The official is a court-appointed personal representatives for residents unable to care for themselves and don't have relatives willing to do so on their behalf. Public administrators oversee a client's quality of life, housing, voting rights, employment, medical care, spending and more.

The candidates gave insights into their backgrounds dealing with individuals with special needs. They discussed professional and personal experiences:

JoDonn Chaney, an entrepreneur and real estate investor, said his experience is personal, having a nephew with Down Syndrome, a brother-in-law who's bipolar and a late aunt who died of dementia.

"That doesn't make me an expert by any means, but I do have some understanding of personal issues with mental illness that affect the family," he said. "And when there's no family who can help take care of these needs, that's where the public administrator comes in. When you have to be appointed a public administrator, perhaps things in your life are not always where they could be or should be "

"I want to come in with that mindset and be able to share with these people a heart, a commitment to help them live life as best as they possibly can."

Rik Combs, a career Air Force officer and command pilot, cited his military experience and watching over those under him and their families.

"As a military commander, I was entrusted with the care of thousands of military personnel, including their families and numerous children with disabilities," he said. "The most common was autism."

For seven years, Combs said he worked in staff and volunteer positions with Special Olympics in Wyoming, Colorado, Florida and the Philippines. He said his involvement led to recognition from the Shriver Family that established Camp Shriver which evolved into the Special Olympics.

Joe Kuensting worked for about 27 years at the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH). There, he generated revenue for individuals with mental illness and developmental disabilities. In the position, Kuensting said he visited every facility DMH operates and nearly every contracted provider with the state.
If elected public administrator, Kuensting said he promises to listen to the clients.

"They have needs that are very, very special to them, and they just want to be understood," he said. "The thing that they really need more, though, are more ways to be integrated more into the community. They want to be social, and they want to be employed. Some of them have skills sets that allow them to get jobs - and not just minimum wage jobs. They have places in their lives they want to be, and someone has to listen to them."

Jean Schwaller, an agriculture consultant, is the owner of International Consulting and Business Training. In her life, she said she's made tough decisions for her late mother and husband. She said acting as their caretaker at separate times, helped open her eyes to the needs of the most vulnerable.

"I was responsible for taking care of a mother who suffered from dementia for over 15 years," Schwaller said. "It was during this time I came to the realization that every person needed to have an advocate to be able to stand for them. Many times, this is a caring family member, but in some cases, family is not there to take the responsibility."

As her husband's health declined over the past several years, Schwaller said she facilitated discussions with his many doctors to maintain his quality of life until his death in 2014.

For more in-depth coverage of the public administrator's race, check out the Sunday edition of the News Tribune newspaper and NewsTribune.com.