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.”