Constitution Party candidate on ballot
The majority of local candidates running in local races face no contenders and will sail into office with little effort. However, there are three seats open on the county commission board and a fourth candidate is seeking one of those seats.
Robert Tison is running for commissioner as a Constitution Party candidate. Because he had no competition from his party in the March primary he automatically went on to the November election. Tison is attempting to find a spot among the five-member Republican commission board.
Tison faces two-term incumbents Randy Nichols, Rob Peck and Clay Logan all of whom emerged as winners from a field of eight in March’s Republican primary. Tison, who ran for sheriff in 2018 and in the 1990s on the Republican ticket, is among only four members of the local Constitution Party. He realizes generating enough votes to propel him to office won’t be easy. “I decided to run for county commission to help the people of our county,” he said when asked why he decided to run. “I would like to try to help maintain our quality of life. I would like to try to control unnecessary spending of the taxpayers’ money. I do not feel that all of the expenses should fall on the property owners through property taxes.”
Tison said he moved to the Constitution Party because he feels the party best represents his values of constitutional limited government. “In our government, we need check
s and balances, not a one-party system. That was how it was set up by the Founding Fathers,” he said. Running as a third party ticket has its advantages and disadvantages. “The advantage of being a third party ticket is that it separates me from the status quo of the ruling party of the last eight years. The disadvantage is that I don’t have the funding and power the other two major parties possess.”
When ask why we need a different voice on the board, Tison responded, “Because a lot of the same people have been making decisions for the county. Our county needs to have fresh ideas from someone with a different perspective.” Of course it will be up to the voters to decide whether they need a fresh perspective on the board, but Tison is also hoping his No. 2 spot on the ballot will work in his favor.
Unlike Tison, the three incumbents’ questionnaires were included in the Clay County Progress’ February primary candidate profile. As a reminder of all the candidates, we have condensed their responses to the single question, “What prompted you to run for commissioner?“ Here’s their responses:
Dr. Rob Peck
I am seeking re-election for Clay County Commissioner because I believe I can still make a difference in service to Clay County. I have brought a forward thinking vision and commitment to success grounded in fiscal responsibility and transparent leadership. Upon taking office our board inherited a substantial amount of debt service and a declining general fund. We have since eliminated deficit spending, decreased the overall size of government and maintained low property tax rates by establishing strong fiscal policies.
As a result we are just beginning to see the fruits of our labor. In the past three years alone we have run a surplus and returned nearly $1.7 million back into our general fund. Continuing to strengthen the general fund and ensure fiscal responsibility is a priority of mine. I want to continue to protect our credit rating, eliminate short term borrowing and provide for continued investment opportunities in our people, departments and communities.
“I would also like to see the completion of several large projects including the construction of our new state of the art, age appropriate primary school and new school sports complex. We have a record of success, but there is more to be done. With your continued support our board will remain dedicated to improving the quality of life for all of our citizens.
Clay Logan
Clay County is my home. As a member of the Clay County Commission Board, it is my pleasure to serve the people of Clay County. My goal is to represent and serve every individual in the county.
Randy Nichols
When I first ran for election more than five years ago, I felt the county was in need of a different direction. I had goals, just as anyone who is first running for office and hoped to be able to steer the county different for the betterment of our citizens and for future generations.
I feel that we have done just that in that last five going on six years. I am seeking re-election to see that we continue to go down that path that we are on now, being fiscally responsible and conservative in the manner in which we conduct county business. Many projects that I have been a part of I want to see through to the end such as the new primary school and new sports complex. I want to see that budgetary polices that we have put in place will be maintained so we can continue to have budgets that are balanced or have a surplus.
I want to continue to support our public safety departments and see that they are sufficiently funded to best serve our community. I want to continue to work hard to serve each and every citizen in our county to the best of my ability, regardless of your political affiliation and to see that each of your tax dollars are spent wisely.
Republican incumbents’ Reba Beck and Danny Jones’ names will appear as school board candidates on the November ballot; however, they have no opponents. In the Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor office, Glen Cheeks is the lone contender.