Incumbent Norfolk County Commissioner John M. Gillis feels good about his re-election chances despite a slumping economy and real estate market and one opponent's campaign to abolish county government.
"I don't think it will hurt us at all because I think we've done an exceptional job," Gillis said yesterday while discussing his re-election campaign and that of fellow Commissioner Francis W. O'Brien.
Gillis of Quincy and O'Brien of Dedham, both Democrats, are defending their seats against Independent Michael Walsh and Republican Thomas Gorman this fall.
"Experience helps," said Gillis, a former state auditor in his fourth term as commissioner. "We know the problems and we address them."
O'Brien did not return calls for comment yesterday or Wednesday.
The third commissioner, Peter H. Collins, of Milton, defeated Gorman in 2006 and is currently serving his third, four-year term.
Walsh, a Westwood attorney, said he hopes to reform spending and improve financial planning.
Gorman, a Dedham real estate agent and Town Meeting member, is again running on a campaign to abolish county governments statewide. He says they are useless, wasteful, and could easily be absorbed by the state as some were in the 1990s. Both candidates were featured in yesterday's Daily News Transcript.
The county oversees the sheriff's office and jail, Presidents Golf Course in Quincy, the Agricultural High School in Walpole and the Registry of Deeds.
The county courthouses are owned by the county, but are funded and run by the state.
Gillis said he will persuade voters by citing some of the county's recent accomplishments, such as replacing windows in the Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, refurbishing the inside of the Registry of Deeds, putting registry records on microfilm and maintaining the golf course.
Under the commissioners' stewardship, the county has also been able to weather a downturn in the real estate market using surplus funds set aside in better times, Gillis said.
The county's $34 million operating budget is closely tied to real estate sales because a portion of county revenue comes from the excise tax and fees on land deed transactions.
"I expect the real estate market to pick up soon with the price of homes going down," Gillis said. "If things really were dead we would have to make layoffs, but I don't see that in the future."
Gillis said he will officially kick off his campaign in a few weeks, but didn't know when or where yet.
"The county level is closer to the people and we address their needs quicker," he said. "If the state gets involved, the poor towns won't have any engineering."
The county provides its 28 cities and towns with engineers to help with traffic and planning studies.
Commissioners serve four-year terms and are paid $30,000 annually for the part-time job.
Lindsey Parietti can be reached at lindsey.parietti@cnc.com.
