Los Alamos County Council Republican Candidate Sharon Dry Wednesday at Los Alamos Daily Post. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
Staff Report
Republican Sharon Dry is running for a seat on Los Alamos County Council. She recently stopped by the Los Alamos Daily Post to answer questions about the local election.
This is part of a series of Q&As with political candidates that the Post will publish ahead of the Nov. 8 General Election.
POST: How Long Have you lived in Los Alamos?
Dry: About 60 years
POST: Where do you work?
Dry: I am now retired from working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. My most recent position was as a Patent Paralegal in the LANL Legal Department.
POST: Why are you running for County Council?
Dry: I have deep roots in Los Alamos, having lived here for most of my life. I have raised three children in Los Alamos, have 7 grandchildren all former or current LAPS students, and cared for my elderly parents. I have invested myself into many lives in Los Alamos, and care about the needs of the unique and varied age groups and issues of our residents. I would like to give back to them by listening to their concerns and being their voice on the Council.
POST: County Council requires a significant time commitment, usually 4 council meetings a month, committee meetings and other events as well as reading preparation prior to those meetings. How will this fit in with your other commitments?
Dry: Because I am now retired, my obligations are reduced. Therefore, I have time to commit to the responsibilities required of a County Councilor.
POST: What do you believe is the role of the Council in our community?
Dry: The primary role is to hear from and listen to the residents of the community, and to represent their needs and concerns when making decisions about policies and approving budgets. Communication between Council members and County Staff is imperative.
POST: Do you think you have any personal or professional relationships that could become a conflict of interest while serving as a Council member?
Dry: No.
POST: What is your approach to handling controversial and complicated issues?
Dry: Communication is always key. At the beginning of the process, we need to know the facts, and find avenues to communicate with parties on all sides of the issues at the beginning of the process, to understand the perspectives of each. I would like to see this occur prior to hiring outside consultants who may not understand the complexities of Los Alamos. We need to continue to communicate with the public as options and issues arise while the process moves forward.
If a consulting firm is obtained, I would like to see that the firm be in communication with the public to gather their input before putting much work into its plans, that in the end may not actually reach the desired results that would be satisfying to those on all sides of the issue.
POST: What skills and experience do you have that you believe would be beneficial to the position?
Dry: Because of the extensive time I have been a Los Alamos resident, I have experienced many changes that have occurred in the County. I know local residents of all ages, and have, and will continue to, glean from some of their wisdom and experiences. I understand our varied housing issues, school issues and business challenges.
I had been employed at LANL in various positions for over 30 years so I have an understanding of that large segment of the population of Los Alamos. I have worked for several small businesses and banks in Los Alamos, and have also been a small business owner, so I can identify with local business owners in our County.
POST: What previous community involvement have you had in Los Alamos or another community?
Dry: I have volunteered in many organizations including many classrooms at the Los Alamos Public Schools; Girl Scouts; and for several years I had leadership roles with organizations volunteering with middle school and high school aged youth – Young Life and the United Church mission trips to build houses in Mexico.
Most recently I served on the Los Alamos County Board of Registration and Canvassing Board prior to my notification of candidacy.
POST: Based on what you know about County government, what do you see as the top priorities and why?
Dry: Supporting local business is the first priority. During my campaign, I have talked with many local business owners who have experienced much frustration in attempting to open and operate a business in Los Alamos County.
County government appears to raise barriers to impede a business from opening or obtaining a permit, rather than provide solutions or approaches on how to remove barriers and move forward. I believe we have good people working in the County, however, customer service should be a top priority to meet the County’s business needs. For example, small business owners have found it difficult to open in a timely manner, and at times to remain in business, due to untimely responses from LAC (at great financial burden to the business owner)