The KONK Life Questionnaire:
Eleanor McAdams
Konk Life is inviting candidates in the upcoming elections to answer the following 20 questions about themselves and their candidacy.
Q:Eleanor McAdams, tell us your name, age, what office you’re running for and any previous offices held.
A: I am 58 years old and am running for county commissioner of District 2. I have not held a political office before.
Q: Explain your platform and why you are running:
A: I want to save our way of life by protecting our natural resources and supporting our mom- and-pop businesses. We have always been a self-sustaining community; tourism has helped to carry us through the summer. Now we are becoming a year-round destination and commercialism is taking our laidback lifestyle away from us. We need to encourage our small businesses to expand rather then bring in box stores, whose multiplier effects are not nearly as strong as those of the mom-and pop-businesses. We need to be making wise long-term decisions for our government, not ignoring problems and hope they will go away. We need to be proactive not reactive. I am running for office so I can help make all this happen in a balanced manner.
Q: Detail how you differ from your competing candidates:
A: I resolve people’s problems all day long in my current job. I feel that I understand wind and flood issues better then my opponents. I ask questions, research answers and respect people’s opinions. I like to think out of the box. Problems have to be looked at from a long-term perspective; putting out fires as they flare up is not the way efficient government runs. It is imperative that program planning anticipates potential problems 50 to 100 years down the road and factor in these potentials into the program planning. I feel that I have that long-term perspective in my problem-solving skills.
Q: Tell us us your personal history — education; professional career; family life and how long you’ve lived in the Keys or the county and your relationship to the Florida Keys and/or Key West:
A: I have two associate degrees, one based in tourism. I am currently customer service representative for an insurance agency. I have lived in the Keys for over 20 years and am a single mom with a teenage son. I love the Keys and feel that we can be so much better without destroying our way of life.
Q: Touch on your personal passions in addition to the above:
A: I love the water and our environment and want to preserve it. I have a heart for serving others and solving problems. I basically live a quiet life.
Q: Describe where, in your view, we are going wrong in the Keys and/or Key West:
A: What attracted me to the Keys was the laidback lifestyle and quiet beauty of the islands. Increased development in the Keys will, over time, destroy that which I love about the area with increased traffic, waste and water-quality issues.
Q: Tell us the political flash points you expect to encounter if elected:
A. Affordable housing, building permits, land conservation, sanctuary, and fishing issues just to name a few.
Q: Tell us anything you feel you need to explain or any misapprehension you believe voters may have of you:
A: I believe that some voters will think that things are not broken here so they will not want to fix it, but I believe that we can do things better, with less intrusion on the taxpayer.
Q: Give us your view on the partisan divisiveness in politics today and any solution to it you might have:
A: People need to vote the issues, not the party line. No problem can be solved to satisfy all the voters, but compromise is the best middle of the ground we can ask for. Too often people react rather then respond to the issues. They are so entrenched in party lines that they close their minds to differing opinions. It is important for the voters to reflect on the various issues and evaluate them, not to follow the party line blindly. I am a team player and I try to bring the best of all ideas together in a solution.
Q: Given that gender equality, income parity, voting rights and sexual preferences continue as big political issues nationwide today, tell us on which side of the aisle you stand:
A: I do not like to take sides on an aisle. Over the years, I have seen many women take over what were traditionally men’s professions and perform them as well if not better. Therefore, the job should be paid based on the job not one’s sex. As far as income parity goes, this is America and with hard work you can make yourself to be whatever you dream.
All citizens should be allowed to vote. Our men and women are dying every day to bring this privilege to other countries. We should not belittle our right as citizens of a free country; it is our duty to exercise our privilege to vote.
Sexual preferences should be a private matter between two consenting adults and government needs to get out of the issue.
Q: And how about immigration, gun control and capital punishment:
A: On immigration, I believe in tightening our borders and having a specific channel of entry into our country.
On gun control: I do not have a gun; I believe people should be able to own guns but we need to make sure that the wrong people are not having access to guns. Access to illegally procured guns is the issue — look at some of the strongest gun law states in this country and you see the law is not working.
On capital punishment: It does not solve many issues and is apparently more expensive then life in prison. I am more of a fan of hard labor.
Q: Name your favorite movie:
A: “Casablanca.”
Q: Your favorite TV show:
A: I do not have TV.
Q: Your favorite TV talking head:
A: At one time it was Bill Maher, then it was Bill O’ Reilly, now I am glad I do not have TV.
Q: Your favorite newspaper columnist:
A: I read the article for its content, not by who wrote it.
Q: Your favorite book:
A: Biography of Katharine Hepburn.
Q: Your favorite character in American history:
A: Abraham Lincoln.
Q: Your favorite person in Florida Keys and/or Key West history:
A: Mr. Flagler with his vision and fortitude of the overseas railroad.
Q: Your favorite quote or proverb:
A: Walk softly and carry a big stick.
Q: Any secret strength you’d like to reveal about yourself at this point:
A: My strengths are not secret; they play out every day of my life.
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