Post Messenger Recorder -

Harry Pulliam

Age:  66

Occupation:  Retired

Years lived in Green County:  Over 10

Incumbent?  No

Have you been on the county board or held any other public office before?  If so please describe:  Chair, Town of New Glarus Parks Commission (Current).

Why are you running for county board?  Commitment, Involvement and Time.

I adore Green County.  I want to do everything I can to help preserve the health, welfare and prosperity of these people I've come to love and respect.

I grew up the son of blue-collar parents.  I put myself through college working on a cow-calf operation (yes, in the '70s one could still do that!) and then worked in the coalfields of southern West Virginia, helping injured miners find gainful employment.  I did a stint as a 4-H agent and spent the rest of my career helping scientists choose the best instruments for their research.  Along the way I learned the value of honest labor and of working with others to reach a common goal.  I also gained valuable scientific knowledge and the personal skills necessary to collaborate effectively with others.

When I retired, I decided to start making a difference right here.  I joined the Town of NG Parks Commission and a number of Town committees.  I regularly attend meetings of the Town Board and Plan Commission, the County Board and the County committees that deal with groundwater issues.  I'm am also an active member of the Wisconsin Farmers Union and Co-Chair of Green County United to Amend, an effort to get the corrupting influence of big money out of politics.  Because I believe in open, honest elections, my campaign will be reporting all contributions and spending, even though candidates collecting under $2,000 are not required to do so.  I think it's important to walk the talk.

Most of the real work of the County Board is done in committee during weekdays in Monroe.  Because I'm retired, I have time to not only attend the monthly Board meetings but to also participate in regular meetings of the 2-6 committees to which Board members are typically assigned.

What issues do you find most important to the county board?  List your top three priorities:  

1). Perhaps the most important issue facing Green County right now is well water quality.  According to the UW Center for Watershed Science, between 20 & 25% of our wells have tested positive for bacteria or exhibit nitrates at higher than safe levels.  Although there are certainly other origins of groundwater contamination, including faulty septic systems and over-application of commercial fertilizers, land-spreading of manure on shallow soils is a major source.

Heeding the concerns of citizens, in 2016 the Green County Board funded a study to map the susceptibility of the county's groundwater to contamination.  In 2017, the Board passed a moratorium on livestock facilities having more than 1,000 animal units and established the Green County Livestock Facility Study Group.  I credit County Supervisor Ted Fahey for his support of these measures.

Over the past few years I have attended nearly every meeting of the Green County Land and Water Conservation Committee and have closely followed the work of the Study Group, which is tasked with making science-based recommendations for ordinances on the siting and/or operation of livestock facilities.  I have attended all but one of the Study Group's meetings and if elected, will help ensure that the County Board acts on the Study Group's proposals.

2). Another matter of concern is the deteriorating condition of our roads and bridges. State aid has been significantly reduced, so we will need to come up with creative solutions to the problem.  Over the past few months I have often consulted with the Green County Highway Commissioner to gain a better understanding of the issue.  I will ask to serve on the Highway Committee to offer a fresh perspective.

3). I think we need to have a county-wide discussion about gun violence in schools.  We need to coordinate the efforts of Law Enforcement, Human Services and the various school districts in our county to make sure that our children do not end up being victims.  As a member of the Green County Board, I plan to play a significant role in making this work happen.

If you could reverse one county board action, what would that be?  I would like the County Board to have been a bit more proactive when it came to protecting our groundwater and the economic and social fabric of our rural communities from the potential impact of Industrial Agriculture.  The massive 5,800-cow dairy that is being built (but not yet permitted) outside Brodhead is a problem that could quite possibly have been prevented.  Seeing what was happening in Kewaunee County, where it was clear that a large percentage of the wells were polluted, the Board could have years ago commissioned the hydrogeologic study that in 2016 they eventually funded-after Pinnacle Dairy had already applied for its permit.  That study could have given the Board the scientific data they needed to zone much of Green County's sensitive land out of the equation.  Now we're playing catch-up, having to spend tens of thousands of the taxpayers' hard-earned dollars to ride herd on an operation that is determined store 94 million gallons of manure in a wetland along an already impaired stream and then spread it over thousands of acres of land susceptible to groundwater contamination.

Our County Board is, I think, now moving in the right direction.  We need to pay attention to this progress and encourage our County Supervisors to continue along this path, one that benefits and protects all of Green County's residents.

Any additional comments?  I believe that we need new blood on the County Board.  We need folks who have different backgrounds and perspectives-who can present original solutions to the increasing challenges confronting Green County.  Our county's economy and demographics are changing and we need to tap into the resources that those changes offer.