White County Executive Q7 Candidate Responses

Over the past several weeks, readers have submitted questions they want answered ahead of the 2026 election—and we’ve taken those directly to your County Executive candidates.

Here is your seventh question, and answers from those candidates who chose to respond.

It seems that the County only plans for 1 year at a time, driven by budget deadlines. To be successful, there should be a 3 year or greater plan in place.

How will you, as County Executive outline long-term goals, key focus areas, and financial projections to drive growth and identify year-over-year milestones for operational goals?

KYLE GOFF: As County Executive, I will implement a structured strategic planning process, something I have successfully led at the YMCA. When I stepped into leadership there, we moved from reactive decision-making to a long-term, mission-driven strategy. Very different entities but the same mindset: clarity, alignment, and measurable progress.

We will establish clear long-term goals and key focus areas. These will be rooted in the core needs of our county: public safety, infrastructure, economic development, and quality of life. This should and will reflect input from our citizens. We will build realistic financial projections. This includes planning for capital improvements, and identifying future cost pressures, which will be a result of open communication with other elected officials and department heads.Each department will have measurable objectives tied directly to the broader strategic plan.

We will not try to reinvent the wheel. I will leverage proven strategic plans from other successful counties and utilize resources like CTAS to guide best practices.

Most importantly, this will be a collaborative effort. The County Commission will be actively involved in both the development and ongoing evaluation of the plan. Alignment between the Executive Office and the Commission is essential if we are going to move forward effectively.

PENNY WHALEY: By promoting long term business and industry operations to promote growth of White County. Granted budgets are only adopted year by year, however future prospective for bringing in solid revenue into our county needs to be a long-term goal when adopting a budget. Looking to future revenue will promote solid budget year after year.

JOE HALLUMS: In any business or office, it is essential to have a 3-to-5-year strategic plan.

I will define and prioritize my strategic plan based on the level of importance and financial impact for the county. This shared vision, plan and timeline will be documented, reviewed and updated on a regular scheduled basis. This will be shared with the public for feedback.

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