The candidates running for Cole County public administrator agree the position is not only full-time, but a 24/7 job.
Approximately 250 clients are on the public administrator's caseload, and their physical, mental and financial needs vary.
The Cole County public administrator's salary is $59,438. The candidate who wins the Nov. 8 election will take office in January and will replace Marilyn Schmutzler, who has been in the position for 17 years.
Republicans Joe Kuensting and Democrat Jean Schwaller shared their views on how much control the public administrator should have over the clients, who come under the office's care when they cannot make their own decisions and family is unable or unwilling to help.
Public administrators guide clients in their decision making or make decisions for them in regards to their health and overall well-being.
Kuensting worked for 27 years at the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH). As the department's director of reimbursement, 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. He said he's in favor of self-directed care.
Kuensting won the Republican primary in August by running on a platform emphasizing he isn't a politician, he just wants to help people.
"They need to tell me what they want to do," he said. "And then, if they have something that is a concern, help them achieve what they're wanting to do. It's simply the fact that they have to self-direct their own lives. They want to be productive and help themselves, and we should let them. 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."
Schwaller was unopposed in the August primary and said she will "support and enforce what the court deems appropriate." Her personal feelings and opinions, she said, will not prevent her from making decisions in the best interest of the clients. She said she will be an "advocate for the clients in the least restrictive way possible."
"I will always keep an open mind and try to balance needs versus wants with compassion for the individual client," she said. "This is not a job that dictates what a client must do but a process involving the support of many agencies who can and will be involved in the clients' best interests."
The candidates said they couldn't suggest any immediate changes they would make to the public administrator's office without working there first. However, they each have a vision.
If elected, Schwaller said she would come into the public administrator's office with a two-pronged approach. The first is the overseeing of clients' care plans, which includes reviewing evaluations and medical reports and collaborating with the appropriate professionals to meet client needs.
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.
"I think the care plan and executing that care plan for individuals is first and foremost for me," she said. "Secondly, it's managing finance. You need to meet the rules and regulations of agencies to keep financially compliant. You must be careful that you don't have somebody going out of the system. That's the financial part of it, and I'm well aware of it."
As the director of reimbursements at DMH, Kuensting audited public administrator's offices throughout Missouri. He hopes his financial expertise will improve services for clients. Kuensting said his first priority for clients is to "make sure they have every financial resource and make sure they are in the correct housing environment, they are safe and protected.
"Funding might be a problem, but you have to work around it," he said. "I'll make their lives a lot better, if (voters) let me. I'm dedicated to (the clients), and I want to help them."
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Joe Kuensting
Age: 54
Occupation: Retired director of reimbursements with the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
Education: Attended St. Peter Interparish School, Jefferson City High School and Lincoln University, where he received an accounting degree.
Family: Married to wife, Denise, for 24 years; two sons, two daughters and five grandchildren.
Hobbies and civic involvement: Member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Sons of the American Legion, Host Lions Club and United Sportsmen's Club and honorary member of the National Association of Reimbursement Officers. In his spare time, Kuensting enjoys fishing, hunting, golfing and cooking/grilling for his family.
Campaign Finance
The latest campaign finance report shows as of Sept. 1 that Kuensting had:
Raised $11,664.94 for this election cycle
Spent $8,581.34
$2,275.58 cash on hand
Debt of $5,250
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Jean Schwaller
Age: 74
Occupation: Agriculture consultant and owner of International Consulting and Business Training.
Education: Bachelor of science degree from Lincoln University, as well as a master's degree and doctorate of philosophy from the University of Missouri and Lincoln College-University of Christ Church in New Zealand.
Family: Was married to the late Edward Schwaller, a World War II veteran, for 40 years. She has two married children.
Hobbies and civic involvement: Schwaller is an avid gardener. She has also been active in the Jefferson City Host Lions Club, Capital Garden Club, Bittersweet Garden Club and the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri. She was an elected member of the University of Missouri Extension-Cole County Council.
Campaign Finance
The latest campaign finance report shows as of Sept. 1 that Schwaller had:
Raised $5,841.50 for this election cycle
Spent $4,691
$843 cash on hand
No debt