Three of the candidates vying for the Dane County Executive seat argued their viewpoints Thursday evening concerning the upcoming challenges for the future of the county’s human services.

The hopefuls gathered among public service workers and volunteers for the final debate before the primary election Tuesday. Though all six candidates were given the opportunity to attend, only three accepted the offer.

The candidates expanded on their goals for restoring funds to Dane County’s human services in more detail than was expressed during Wednesday’s forum.

Each candidate said public service was a central component of their campaigns and they all desire to protect public resources to the best of their abilities should they be elected to office.

However, the three differed in their tactics to allow essential public services to weather Walker’s upcoming budget, which all candidates said would most likely deliver major cuts to the sector.

While County Board Chair Scott McDonell suggested the cuts might hover around $20 million, former Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Joe Wineke said this estimate was conservative.

Wineke said public services are his number one priority and repeated the mantra, “I will fight for you every day” throughout the debate.

“I strongly believe that the county’s basic function is to take care of people in need,” Wineke said. “I believe the state government is about to declare war [on human services.]”

Wineke added the best way for the county to rebuild the economy is to create a good infrastructure along with strong schools and social safety nets.

Rep. Joe Parisi, D-Madison, said his central tactic to protect human services, such as domestic abuse help centers and homeless shelters, is to ensure a collaborative process where all affected could be involved.

“We’re going to have a set amount of resources, and we can either turn on each other and fight for crumbs, or we can come to the table together to solve the problem,” Parisi said.

On the other hand, McDonnell said his 15 years of experience with the county board, including five years as board chair, has provided him with valuable knowledge of the county government’s inner workings.

“We don’t want the county executive to be on a learning curve when dealing with cuts from Walker,” McDonnell said.

McDonnell added he would continue his current adjustments to the criminal justice system by decreasing spending and increasing efficiency to provide more funding for the human services.

The three candidates also articulated their strategies to accommodate non-profit agencies, cuts in federal grants, improving services and the discrepancies between the criminal system and human services.

Both Wineke and McDonnell said they would advocate programs that allow individuals to live independently in the community and lead fulfilling lives instead of living in a facility.

“We’re trying to get away from warehousing individuals where they were not treated like real people,” McDonnell said.

Candidates Sup. Eileen Bruskewtiz, District 25, Spencer Zimmerman and Zach Brandon did not attend the forum.

All six candidates will appear on the upcoming primary ballot Feb. 15. The vote will narrow down the race to two final candidates.