By Roger McKinney
rmckinney@joplinglobe.com
COLUMBUS, Kan. — The Aug. 5 primary election in Cherokee County will decide party nominees for county clerk and 2nd District county commissioner.
County Clerk
Jack Johnson and Rodney Edmondson are competing for the Republican nomination for Cherokee County clerk. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Crystal Gatewood, of Columbus, on Nov. 3. The county clerk is paid $33,033. Both said they think the job is important because of how much interaction workers have with residents and because the clerk is the chief election officer for the county.
Johnson, 58, of Columbus, has lived in the county since 1960. He has an associate’s degree from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; College, Miami. He owns a trucking firm. This is his first run for an elected office.
“We need to bring the office into the 21st century,” Johnson said. He said he thinks additional training for workers would be helpful.
“Our system isn’t broke, it just needs some tweaking,” Johnson said.
Edmondson, 45, has lived in Baxter Springs since 1975. He has an associate degree from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; College, Miami. He is the Baxter Springs city court clerk. He is the incumbent 3rd District Cherokee County commissioner, a position for which he didn’t seek re-election.
Edmondson said his time as county commissioner has helped him to understand county government and his years as a court clerk have given him and understanding of finances.
“I would hope to bring to the job someone who is well-known and someone they can trust,” Edmondson said.
He said the county clerk’s job is an integral part of county government, and he’s relying on his experience with the county and the city to take the next step in county government.
County Commission,
2nd District
Ted Wary and Jack Garner are competing for the Democratic nomination for 2nd District Cherokee County commissioner. The winner will face Republican James Lucian in November. The district includes almost the entire western half of the county. County commissioners are paid $23,807 annually.
Wary, 72, lives in rural Columbus. He has lived in the county since 1969. He has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Kansas State University, Manhattan. He is a retired county extension agent and owns a soil-sampling business. This is his first try for an elected position.
Wary said his 40 years as a county extension agent will help him in the position because he understands the residents.
He said it was a mistake for the County Commission to buy 12 new road graders last year. He said he would keep better control of county finances
He said the county road crews need better direction and leadership from county commissioners. He also would like to recruit a group of residents to develop ideas and make recommendations about roads.
Garner, 51, of rural Columbus, is a lifelong resident of the county. He is a graduate of Riverton High School. He is an auctioneer and sells real estate, for which he takes continuing education courses. He is president of the Riverton Board of Education and is in his third term on the school board. He ran unsuccessfully for the County Commission position four years ago.
“I think I can better the county and hopefully get some new businesses so we can lower taxes,” Garner said. “I want to run the county as efficiently as possible and reduce the tax burden on the people.”
Campaign styles
David Groves has a campaign page on myspace.com. Jerry Delmont has a campaign Web site. Garry Abram takes his miniature horse to campaign events.
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