Democrat has Lake Monroe, tourism at top of proposed agenda

A feeling of strong dedication to public service is what is motivating Democratic candidate Patrick Stoffers to run for the District 1 county commissioner seat.\nStoffers, who is president of the Ellettsville town council, said protecting Lake Monroe and increasing tourism are among his biggest concerns.\nProtecting Lake Monroe is vital to preserving the integrity of the lake, he said. Stoffers is strongly against a proposal to construct a 60-mile pipeline that would draw up to 90 million gallons of water per day from Lake Monroe and direct it to Indianapolis.\n"What a bad idea that is. Lake Monroe is a valuable water resource and recreational venue," Stoffers said. "We must take great care in preserving it."\nStoffers is the finance manager of the Bloomington Utilities Department. He is chairman of the Monroe County Solid Waste District and serves on the City-County Cooperative Purchase Committee.\nStoffers believes a way to increase tourism to the county is to expand the convention center and increase lodging. Promoting county assets like Lake Monroe and IU will bring in tourists who will boost the economy, he said. \n"An increase in tourism will bring an increase of jobs and money. Money from tourism could cycle through the community and change hands four or five times from business to business," Stoffers said.\nCollaborating with the city and other government offices is a way Stoffers thinks he could help the county save money. If government offices can collectively pool their funds, it will save on costs for everyday items, he said.\n"Monroe County must certainly find ways to operate more efficiently and still effectively deliver services to county residents," Stoffers said.\nHe is also against the idea of the I-69 toll road running through Monroe County. \n"Why should we have to pay to travel to Indianapolis?" Stoffers said. "The current road only has a few stoplights. The travel time saved would not be that significant," Stoffers said. \nStoffers said he wants to be commissioner because he feels strongly about public service. \n"I have trained for this the past 10 years, and my experience will benefit the people of Monroe County," he said.