Chautauqua County Clerk candidates: Democrat Greg Krauza and Republican Greg Carlson
The public was introduced to the two candidates for Chautauqua County Clerk during a debate held by the League of Women Voters of Chautauqua County Tuesday night.
Republican Greg Carlson and Democrat Greg Krauza both answered around 20 questions collected online before the event and from the audience at the Robert H. Jackson Center. Current County Clerk Larry Barmore is not running for re-election.
Carlson has served as the Veteran Services Director for Chautauqua County since 2016. He is a retired Major of the United States Air Force, serving from 1996 to June 2016.
Krauza is the President of Twinstar Business Solutions, Inc. and is a former Mayor of the City of Dunkirk. His volunteer work includes co-chairing the Fredonia Farm Festival as well as being President of the Filling The Gap board of directors.
Krauza said the more pressing issue facing the County Clerks Office are tax rates in the county, “Tax rates throughout the county are unsustainable and inhibits growth. Our current system of delivery is inefficient and tax rates are some of the highest in the country. As Clerk, I will work with communities to analyze and support every opportunity to combine, share, or restructure how they do business.”
Carlson said the County Clerks Office has historically been self-sustaining, but a shrinking tax base and rising costs are threatening that, “This negatively impacts our county taxpayers and our ability to provide services and will be our biggest immediate challenge. This will be addressed in multiple ways. Some specific examples include digitizing county records and upgrading our records management software. Though initial investments are required, these upgrades will pay for themselves with notable reductions in recurring year to year costs and will improve access for our subscribers. Additionally, we will improve training and adjust hours of operation and reallocate staffing in our three DMV locations with the goal of increased accessibility for customers and revenue for the County.”
Krauza said another challenge is the loss of revenue when residents renew motor vehicle registrations and driver’s licenses online versus in local Department of Motor Vehicles offices. Carlson rebutted that there has been a state policy change and that counties now receive the same amount of revenue whether that transaction happens in the DMV office or online.
You’ll be able to hear the full debate between the County Clerk Candidates on the episode of Community Matters that airs at 5:00 p.m., Thursday, October 30 here on WRFA.
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