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Clark County Commission
Term of Office: 2017-2021
Annual Salary: $65,620
Republican candidate
Lowell McGlothin
Age: 73
Education: Tecumseh High School, insurance certification
Employment: Retired, owned Farmers Insurance agency in New Carlisle
Previous elected positions: New Carlisle city councilman, 14 years, including four years as mayor.
Website: Facebook.com/Mcglothinforcommissioner
Democratic Candidate
David Herier
Age: 45
Education: Shawnee High School
Employment: County commissioner; attorney at Geyer, Herier and Associates.
Previous elected positions: Appointed county commissioner in 2015.
Website: DavidHerier.com.
An appointed incumbent seeking election for the first time will face off against a longtime western Clark County businessman and politician for a seat on the Clark County commission.
Commissioner David Herier, a Democrat appointed to the fill former Commissioner David Hartley’s position in March of 2015, will square off against Republican challenger Lowell McGlothin, a New Carlisle City Council member and former mayor.
The three-member board oversees a $159 million budget largely funded by state dollars and a local sales tax, including a half-percent sales tax increase that was recently extended for another five years. The county has nearly 900 employees who provide wide-ranging public services from sheriff’s deputies to poll workers to road crews.
It’s one of two county commission seats up for grabs on Nov. 8. The job pays $65,620 annually.
Here’s a look at both of the candidates:
David Herier
Herier, 45, was appointed to replace Hartley, who abruptly resigned in February of 2015 in the middle of his third term.
He is a graduate of Shawnee High School, Wright State University and the University of Dayton School of Law. He is an attorney and partner in the Springfield law firm Geyer, Herier and Associates. Herier is running for re-election because he wants to continue to make a difference in the community, he said.
“If we do the right things, we can move it forward,” Herier said. “It looks like things are headed in the right way and I want to make sure they keep going that way.”
>>RELATED: Newest county commissioner Herier eyes future, long stay
The county must continue efforts to improve workforce development if it wants to bring jobs here, Herier said.
It must also attract updated recreation and entertainment options to keep people here once they get jobs in the community, he said. Leaders are beginning to develop ideas around both the Clark County Fairgrounds and the proposed Kroger development on Ohio 72, Herier said.
“(We need) to do things that are modern in their approach so people use them and they become popular and grow that way,” Herier said.
The county and the city of Springfield can collaborate on sharing services, especially a 9-1-1 dispatch center, he said. The combined service will cost about the same as it does currently for both entities, Herier said.
“The decision has to be made that being together is better for folks who are having an emergency, which I think it is,” Herier said. “I think eventually it’s going to come together.”
As a member of the Clark County land bank board, Herier has worked with leaders to demolish at least one problem house in New Carlisle and is working on more demolitions of other foreclosed homes in Bethel Twp., he said. He’s also working to add services similar to McKinley Hall in the western part of Clark County.
“Continuing to have a relationship with those folks is important and that’s what I’ve been trying to do,” he said.
The county must also continue to address the heroin epidemic through reaching out to inmates leaving the Clark County Jail, Herier said. He currently serves as co-chairman of the Clark County Re-Entry Coalition.
“Getting them services at the right time is important because if you miss them by a few hours, you might miss that person forever,” he said. “The problem is big enough now that we need to start looking at anything we can do.”
Federal changes could result in Clark County losing $3 million in 2018 when the state stops collecting sales taxes from certain health care organizations.
Some of those losses have been made up with increased sales tax and investment revenue, Herier said. The county will also change the way it handles health insurance, he said, and look at all areas of the budget to save where it can save money.
“Frankly, there is some potential for cuts in areas, but defining where they are right now is pretty difficult,” he said.
He also supports staying the course with the clean-up at the Tremont City Barrel Fill and funding Planned Parenthood, he said.
The biggest issues facing Clark County are more jobs, better recreation and entertainment, and growing the middle class, which usually helps to shrink drug addiction and other similar problems, Herier said.
“I really think all of that goes together in making the community stronger and a better place to live,” Herier said.
Lowell McGlothin
McGlothin, a semi-retired insurance agent and Marine Corps veteran, said he’s running for county commission because he wants to continue his service to residents of Clark County. He’s been a member of the New Carlisle City Council for the past 14 years, including four years as mayor.
If elected, McGlothin, a Tecumseh High School graduate, would be the first county commissioner who lives in New Carlisle in more than 30 years, he said. He also said he will be a full-time county commissioner.
“Western Clark County has really not been represented I don’t feel by somebody from this area,” McGlothin said.
Trade schools are desperately needed to prepare potential employees and bring more jobs to Clark County, he said. They also help young people stay in the county, he said, rather than leave for bigger cities like Columbus.
“I’ve talked to a lot of different business owners and they’re hurting for employees that they can actually rely on to show up on time and actually know what they’re doing,” McGlothin said.
>>RELATED: Candidates argue issues at election forum in Springfield
The county has also done a good job on economic development, including having shovel-ready sites available for businesses, he said, including in the western part. New Carlisle recently brought in R.D. Holder and is willing to provide tax incentives, he said.
More education and treatment centers are needed to combat the heroin problem, McGlothin said.
“It’s one of the toughest things we have going right now,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of young people passing away because of that. It’s not a good thing.”
Increased sales tax receipts can help offset the losses facing the county from the loss of sales tax created through federal rule changes, he said. The county recently committed $500,000 to economic development, which could lead to more sales tax money, McGlothin said.
“It’s a great idea and will hopefully help continue to bring more jobs,” he said.
McGlothin also supports the clean up at the Tremont City Barrel Fill and wants to continue funding Planned Parenthood, he said.
He also supports moving forward with a combined 9-1-1 dispatch center, McGlothin said.
“It will save money for everyone and make responses a lot faster,” he said.
The biggest issue facing Clark County is keeping people in the county, McGlothin said. The county needs to help young people increase trade skills, especially with the large number of retirements expected in certain fields such as machinists, plumbers and construction workers, he said.
“We’re losing young people, young families because they can’t get a job that can support them,” he said. “They’re going to Columbus or Beavercreek. It’s jobs, jobs, jobs.”
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