“My wife grew up in Clark County and when we moved back we decided we wanted to set down our roots and be a part of this community and help it grow,” Evans said. “(Running) seemed like a natural fit and a natural way to live that out.”
MORE: Democrat running for Clark County Commission drops out of race
Evans replaces Pamela Dixon, who dropped out of the race in June to spend more time on her career as a nurse. He said his platform is to focus on solutions for the opioid epidemic, environmental preservation and adding more opportunity for those who want to start a small business in the county.
He also thinks having a commission of three Republicans isn’t what’s best for the county.
“To be a voice in our county where the voice is similar and in the same party,” Evans said. “It will be nice to have a new voice on the county commission.”
Lohnes is running again because he wants to continue to serve the community he grew up in.
“I’ve lived in Clark County my whole life,” Lohnes said. “There are a lot of things that we’ve done together and things we still need to accomplish.”
The county commission is more organized now and uses budgets to plan for the future more regularly than it did before he joined, he said. Lohnes also said the current commission has increased the sheriff’s budget to hire more deputies focused on drug law enforcement and funded programs to decrease recidivism.
READ: Clark County won’t spend $3M for downtown Springfield parking garage
The commission also helps fund agencies that help business start-ups, he said.
Professional representatives make up the Clark County Commission, Lohnes said, and they are working hard every day for residents of Clark County. He said though they are all members of the Republican party, they still have different ideas and don’t always agree.
“But you have to work together,” Lohnes said. “You are working for the people.”
About the Author