Bart Long

Name: Bart Long
Residence: Bristol, Tenn.
Date of Birth: July 12, 1977
Campaign Web site: None
Party Affiliation: Republican
Office that you are seeking: Sullivan County Commissioner, 3rd District

1. What is your educational background, including the highest degree you attained and the year it was attained?
Virginia High School Graduate. I continued higher education in the United States Navy.

2. What is your professional background, including your present employer and job description and other significant post you have held in the past? If you are retired, what was your most recent employment?
I began my professional life in Washington D.C. as a Presidential Honor Guard for the United States Navy. Presently I am the owner of Bart Long & Associates Realty and Auction, LLC.

3. Are you married? If so, please list your spouse’s name and occupation and any elected office they hold or have held in the past.
Yes, my wife is Heather Long and she is Office Manager of our Office.

4. Do you have children? If so, how many and what are their ages? Do they (or did they) attend public schools?
None.

5. Do you presently hold an elected office or have you held one in the past? Please list all elected posts and the years you were in office.
None.

6. Have you ever been an officer in a political party on the local or national level, worked in a campaign or been a delegate to a political convention? If yes, please provide details and names of candidates for whom you worked.
None.

7. How long have you lived in the area? If you are not a native, where else have you lived and for how long?
Life long resident of Bristol.

8. Who are your three biggest campaign contributors? How much money have you raised in your campaign? Have you taken any special interest or PAC money? How much money do you expect to spend in your campaign?
$2800.000 has been raised. I have not taken any special interest or PAC money. Total expected spending, unknown at this time.

9. Do you volunteer your time or give money to local causes? If so, please list them.
Board of Directors of Girls Inc. formally known as the Girls Club of Bristol.

10. Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime as an adult? If yes, please give jurisdiction and details. You may explain if necessary.
No.

11. Have you ever filed bankruptcy? If yes, please explain.
No

12. Have you served in the military? If yes, please provide details including branch
of service, highest rank, years of service and date and terms of discharge.
Yes, E-4 United States Navy, where I served as a Presidential Honor Guard from 1996 to 1998, and an Aviation Structure Tech. on F14 Fighter jets, from 1998 to 2000.

13. Have you or your business ever been the subject of a lawsuit, lien or foreclosure?
If yes, please explain.
No.

14. What ties do you have to any business or organization that could profit from action as a county commissioner, no matter how slight the ties or the action? Please explain your plan to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest.
None.

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1. Why are you running for office?
I feel very strongly that I can make Sullivan Co. a better place to live and work.

2. What do you believe are the biggest issues in your campaign and how do you plan to address them?
County budget, I believe better control and more accountability for county spending is the most important issue we face right now. The better we watch our spending the more money we will have for better schools, recruiting new jobs, and many other important issues.

3. What will you accomplish during your first term in office? What changes or new programs will voters see?
Better balance between people and government.

4. How accessible will you be to your constituents? How, when and where can people reach you? Are you in the phone book, for example?
The biggest change I feel voters will find with me is accessibility. I will have the true definition of an open door policy. I want everyone in Sullivan Co. to know I am available to them any time to discuss their concerns, problems or issues. As a representative of the people, you must know the people.

5. What would you do to grow the county’s job base? Which specific industries would you target? Why?
New industry/jobs are one of the most important issues we face. To keep our young people here, we must create jobs for them, good paying jobs.

6. What should be the county’s spending priorities? When is a tax increase necessary? If taxes aren’t increased, what areas of the budget can be cut?
Priority spending should always start with our kids, schools, programs, they are our future. [When is a tax increase necessary?] I believe we are taxed too much already. In the past, when the county needed money, instead of budgeting closer and watching our spending, we just raised taxes because it was easier.

7. How will you work with Kingsport and Bristol leaders to accomplish your goals, particularly in light of annexation plans in the cities?
I will always do what is best for Sullivan County.

8. In light of the ongoing study of Sullivan County schools, what should be done to make sure the system is operating as efficiently as possible? Would you support closing some schools and building others? Explain.
I believe we should do, in all situations, what is best for our children.

9. Is the county commission too large, too small or just right? Explain.
I feel that the size of the Commission is fine.

10. What is the long-term solution to jail overcrowding? Should a regional jail be explored?
The solution to jail overcrowding, in my opinion, would be to have less people in jail. We need better crime prevention programs to help people make better decisions in their lives and understand the consequences of their actions.

11. Does the county need a nepotism policy? Explain.
Yes, due to conflicts of interest.

12. How should the county cope with the rising cost of fuel?
Turning off our service trucks while working is only one of many things we can do to help. More concentration on all the little changes will add up.

13. What will you do to ensure that Sullivan County’s government operates in the most open, transparent manner possible?
Work to help people, not hide from them.