Phillip Smith, Democrat

Question:  Why did you decide to run for Road Superintendent?

Answer: This is what I’ve done for 27 years. I’ve operated all of the heavy equipment. I’ve sprayed oil on the roads for the past 16 years. I’ve put down base stone, and I’ve worked with the state aid people, with the state inspector on the site. This is just what I’ve done, and I know that I can do the job and do it well.

Question: What are your qualifications for office?

Answer: I have my forklift certification. I have a state of Tennessee weighers license. I have my CDL’s. The state inspector has been out on the job sites when I’ve done the jobs and all of the state-aid jobs. I’ve put down hot mix, run all of the heavy equipment, backhoe and grader. This is what I’ve done for over 25 years.

Question: How do you think the office of Road Superintendent is currently viewed?

Answer: I think he (Tom Frazier) has done a great job since he has been in there. I have worked for him for 20 years and Mr. Frazier has done a great job over the past 20 years. We have tar and chipped about 160 miles of roads. There are about 490 miles of roads in the county and it takes a while to get over them, but now I think he has done a great job.

Question: If elected, what do you think is the big problem you would have to face? How do you plan to correct it?

Answer: There is about 80-something mile that’s still gravel road- try to get those people out of the dust. Dust has been a big problem and it’s just, what money is there, you just can do so much every year. A mile of road costs about $45,000 to do a tar and chip, and if you do it hot, it makes it cost about $65,000. So when you got a small budget, you can just do so much, and if it weren’t for the state aid program, it would be less than that. Not much gas-tax money comes in the county, about $6,000 or $7,000 a month comes in Bledsoe County, the rest of it is state and federal funds. They get a state aid grant every year, a couple hundred thousand dollars, and you can do about 10 or 12 miles a year getting the people out of the dust, and the county funds, you can do a couple more mile a year. But you have to redo some of the patching and maintenance on the other ones, so we will get quite a few people out of the dust, but it’s gonna take a little while unless somebody can get some more grants. The state, I hear, is running short on funds now, so it’s gonna be hard to do what you do, but you can just do what money is there and help the people and get them out of the dust. That’s a main concern to people.

Question: What three things in your life do you consider to be most important to you?

Answer: My family is number one, and my mom and dad and my kids, and just living the good life and trying to help the people in the county and do the best job that I know how to do. I think I can do the job and I want to help the people of the county and try to improve the county roads.

Question: If elected, how do you hope the people of Bledsoe County will remember you by after your term?

Answer: I hope they remember what job I’ve done for them. I got the people out of the dust, maintained the roads well, and kept the bridges in town and everything safe and I’m going to try to help everybody I can help. It don’t matter what politics they’re in.