The News-Herald Date questionnaire completed: _9/20/14___________

Election Questionnaire Office sought: ___Geauga County Commissioner_

Political party: ____Republican_________________________
Name: __Walter (Skip) Claypool _____________________________________________________
Age: ___63_______ Date of birth: _____May 1951_______ Place of birth: ____Geneva, Ohio _______
Home address: _____Chesterland, Ohio ___________________________________________________
Length of residence in that community: ____About 9 years__ Twitter: ___@friendsofskip__________
Facebook: __friendsofskipclaypool_ Campaign Web site: __www.skipclaypool.com_________________
Occupation: __Business Consultant _________________________ Employer: _____________________
Business address: ____________________________________

Elected office experience: __

5 months as County Commissioner, and 3 years doing research and study of the commissioners office
(attending meetings, doing research), NOACA Alternate board member appointed by Commissioners
_Geauga County Trustees Association, GOP Central Committee Member. Experience in county budgeting
and budget planning. _________________________________________________________________
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Non-elected office experience (boards, etc.): ______________________________________________
For decades I was a business executive responsible for managing international business teams,
millions of dollars of business, and successful implementation and operations of technology.
_

Most recently, I have invested years into research into political systems, regionalism, existing federal
and state law, the U.S. Constitution, and the Ohio Constitution. I speak regularly to groups on
regionalism, property rights, and various other related topics. I sponsored a forum on the Affordable
Care act that included area subject matter experts and over 200 participants, I co-sponsored a
public forum on NEOSCC and regionalism, which was attended by over 350 citizens from across the
region.__________ ___________________________________________________
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Education (Please only list schools youve graduated from and list degrees if applicable):
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University of Wisconsin of Green Bay, BS (Math, Computer Science, Regional Analysis, Marketing) _

Ongoing education in: management, leadership, project management, technology, public speaking,
professional presentations material, finance , business process redesign , contracts, change management,
and real estate._Further study in: U.S. Constitution, government operations, Ohio revised code,
Ohio Constitution, county operations, disaster preparedness, regionalism, regional planning, jobs and family
service, federal programs that highway funding (MAP 21 and Grow American Act) and county budget planning.
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Marital status: ___Married__________ Name of spouse: _________________________________
Name and age of any children: ____Not Relevant___________________________________________
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Organizations: _______________________________________________________________________
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Should you be elected, what are three specific areas youd like to change, address, improve or further research,
and how specifically would you go about it?:
____Accountability in Government, Drug Abuse, Outside influence trying to change Geauga County
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_I will foster more accountability in government, by working to implement a higher level of standards and
practices and working to increase public awareness. Too often government makes promise it does not deliver
on and/or it makes claims that cannot be substantiated all to further its objective of protecting this in power and
expanding government. I intend to work to bring reason back to the table.
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_The Drug problem in Geauga County and across NE Ohio is substantial and costs tax payers far beyond
the monetary cost. It is putting our county and our kids future at risk. I intend to work with the other
commissioners, community leaders, other elected officials, and the public to identify and implement common
sense measures that are tracked and adjusted as needed to deliver on results.
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Outside influences. There are regional organizations and federal programs that would like to reengineer rural
communities. Many of these changes would not be good for Geauga County and the region as a whole. The
Strategies/plans are based on false promises, faulty logic, and bad recommendations. I will increase public
awareness and expose the nature of these efforts. I am confident that once the public knows the facts, they will
reject these efforts to engineer their future.
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Whether for past accomplishments or future goals, why should voters elect you? I have spent the last 5 years
actively involved in the political process, attending meetings, researching, serving as a commissioner, serving as an
alternate on the NOACA board, involved in fostering citizens forums, speaking and being actively involved in
influencing outcomes. All of this investment was to prepare for this opportunity to serve. I am the best prepared
person in this race. I have the experience, knowledge, and interest to ensure that the citizens in Geauga County
are well served.

Moreover, I have a history of performance and making things happen. I have observed waste and a lack of
accountability in government that concerns me. I would like to address these issues by focusing on ensuring
more accountability, transparency, public involvement, and awareness. Too often bureaucracies make promises
that are not delivered on or that are broken. You can keep your doctor, the tolls will be eliminated when the
highways are paid for, education will be improved, and on and on. Yet our tax dollars are squandered and
results not delivered. County Commissioners responsibilities are governed by Ohio law, but within the laws we
have the flexibility and the responsibility to improve services, better manage tax dollars, and ensure that every
citizen of the county can count on open honest government that delivers on its promises. I intend to set a new
standard for accountability in government. I will work to increase public awareness to a level not seen before.
And, I will work to defend the values and culture of Geauga County, a unique and special place to live and raise a
family. __________________________________________________________________________________
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NOTE TO CANDIDATES: Please be aware that this questionnaire will be published.