Chris Clifton

Why are you seeking this office, and what experience or perspective best prepares you to serve effectively?

“I am seeking this office to help protect taxpayer funds and to help ensure transparency at the quorum court.”

What do you see as the most important issue facing your district right now, and what specific actions would you take to address it if elected?

“Roads always seem to be a top priority, I would listen to county citizen opinions, and gather facts, making sure we are using our resources wisely and look for ways to improve quality and efficiency.”

How do you approach budgeting, taxpayer dollars and long-term financial responsibility at the level of government you are seeking to serve?

“During my service on the CAPC, we pursued things “a little differently” from the entrenched “good ol’ boy” practices of the past. We assembled comprehensive data, carefully examined prior budgets and actual expenditures to accurately project needs, applied a zero-based budgeting framework to promote efficiency and require clear justification for every outlay, and adopted prudent, realistic revenue forecasts to ensure spending never exceeded income. We targeted advertising efforts toward feeder markets with national advertising firms while avoiding financial conflicts of interests locally and advertising in our own backyard, consciously avoided injecting political, DEI, or cultural activism into our campaigns, and instead employed a neutral, strictly business-focused approach that successfully drove revenue growth— yielding higher tax receipts and delivering the strongest financial years Eureka has ever recorded. I have consistently demonstrated rigorous financial accountability. I’ve demonstrated responsibility, while serving as CAPC chair in the summer of 2024, I uncovered unauthorized contracts and expenditures signed by the currently appointed Executive Director without commission approval, along with multiple violations of his employment contract and improper credit card charges. I promptly pushed for both an internal inquiry and an independent external investigation by a Rogers law firm (records obtainable via FOIA), and promptly notified the city council, mayor, and fellow commissioners of the findings. When the current commission declined to disclose these matters transparently to the public, I resigned—unwilling to be complicit in any erosion of public trust— and reported the issues to the appropriate authorities while forwarding all documentation to the State Legislative Audit.”

••• Editor’s Note: After the candidate’s resignation from the CAPC in 2024, the remaining commissioners voted to end the suspension of the executive director. The Carroll County News has not independently verified the assertions made in this statement.