By Roger McKinney
rmckinney@joplinglobe.com
COLUMBUS, Kan. — Two open positions on the Cherokee County Commission will be decided by voters on Nov. 4.
Incumbents Charlie Napier in the 2nd District and Rodney Edmondson in the 3rd District didn’t seek re-election. The position pays $24,516 annually.
Democrat Jack Garner and Republican James Lucian are vying for the 2nd District position on the Cherokee County Commission. The 2nd District includes Columbus and roughly the western half of the county.
Garner, 51, is a rural Columbus resident and a lifelong resident of the county. He is a graduate of Riverton High School. He is an auctioneer and sells real estate. He is president of the Riverton Board of Education, serving in his third term. He ran unsuccessfully for the commission four years ago.
“I’d like to see the county get on track and curtail spending,” Garner said. He said the ailing national economy will present challenges to the county.
“It’s going to be a trying time for Cherokee County,” Garner said. “Everybody’s going to have to sacrifice a little bit.”
Regarding regulating sexually-oriented businesses, Garner said the existing commission is doing everything it legally can do.
The county also has filed a lawsuit against Penn National Gaming, alleging breach of contract for withdrawing from its plan to build a state-owned casino in the county. Garner said he thinks commissioners have done what they can to research the matter.
Lucian, 67, of rural Columbus, has lived in the county his entire life. He is a graduate of Columbus High School and has taken courses at Labette Community College, Parsons. He is retired from Calibrated Forms in Columbus. He previously served on the commission from 1977 to 1985 and from 1993 to 1997.
He said county finances is his main issue.
“The people that I speak with can’t see the results of high taxes,” Lucian said.
Lucian said he favors the commission’s strategy of strictly regulating sexually-oriented businesses. He said he would discontinue the county’s lawsuit against Penn National Gaming.
“I think it’s a joke,” Lucian said. “I think a big attorney bill is what we would get from it. They’re bound to have a lot more attorneys than we’ve got.”
Republican Richard Hilderbrand and Democrat Fred Low are running for the 3rd District County Commission position. The district includes Baxter Springs and Riverton.
Hilderbrand, 39, of Riverton, has lived in the county for 26 years. He is a graduate of Baxter Springs High School. He is an insurance agent with an office in Baxter Springs. This is his first bid for elective office.
He said county spending and taxes are too high.
“In a business, when the economy is tight, you don’t spend more money, you cut back,” Hilderbrand said. “It seems to be the opposite in the political landscape.”
He said the commission should actively plan for the future rather than simply react to issues.
“I’d like to see a clear vision for the future and good, solid planning,” Hilderbrand said.
Hilderbrand said the commission’s response to sexually-oriented businesses is an example of how the county simply reacts to things after they happen. He said as a Christian, he hopes they have no customers and fail.
Regarding the county lawsuit against Penn National Gaming, Hilderbrand said because a judge has declined to refund the company’s $25 million privilege fee, he would pursue the lawsuit as long as the county’s costs don’t get out of hand.
Low, 63, of rural Baxter Springs, is a lifetime county resident. He is a graduate of Riverton High School. He is retired from Eagle-Picher Industries, Joplin, Mo. This is his first campaign.
Low said he would cut the county’s costs while providing necessary services to county residents. He said in the county’s rural areas, residents are concerned with roads and the sheriff’s department. City-dwellers are concerned with taxes and the sheriff’s department.
“I’m not in favor of raising taxes,” Low said. “We’re going to have to get by on what we’ve got.”
He said as a Christian, he favors the commission’s strategy of regulating sexually-oriented businesses.
“I think they’re doing everything they can within the law,” Low said.
He said he would discontinue the county’s lawsuit against Penn National Gaming unless someone can prove to him that the county has the potential to win the lawsuit.
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Voters to decide two open positions on Cherokee County Commission
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