Democratic incumbent Tim Sullivan is running for a second consecutive term as Albany County Commissioner, which if elected would make his fourth term as commissioner.
Sullivan served two terms as commissioner from 1992 to 2000. He promised that he would not run for a third term and sat out the last two elections. He ran again four years ago when there were no candidates in opposition to the Republican Party.
“I’ve always wanted to be a county commissioner, even when I was a kid,” Sullivan said. “Not many people aspire to be county commissioner, but I did.”
Sullivan said he loves his job, which is all about “money, money, money.”
“It’s about balancing the budgets. Our number one priority is taking care of the purse strings of the county,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan has an accounting degree from the University of Wyoming and a background in owning and operating businesses.
The commissioner said one of the most contentious issues approaching after elections is a series of public hearings to revamp the zoning laws. Sullivan said zoning is always a contentious issue.
“Zoning is a lot like insurance. You don’t like it until you need it, then you’re glad you have it. Zoning is a hot button issue,” Sullivan said.
The hearings will be used to clean up the current zoning laws, where needed, and will be a several-month process.
“The most important thing that county commissioners do is to listen and make sure everyone’s opinions are heard,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan noted the importance of being good with the budgets. He said Albany County is classified as a “hardship county” due to the lack of mineral resources.
“We have 35,000 people. So does Campbell County. They have 40,000 miles of county roads. So do we. We both have the same land mass. Our assessed value is $350 million. Theirs is $4 billion. We have the same amount to administer and fewer funds to do it,” Sullivan said.
