Allen Countys former long-time public works director and two city council members have announced their desire to fill the remaining two years of Tom Williams term on the Allen County Commission.
Bill King, who served as public works director for the county for 23 years before retiring in 2015, told the Register he was seeking the seat.
Also expressing interest were Iola City Council member Ronald Ballard and LaHarpe City Councilman David Lee.
Williams, in the middle of his second term as a commissioner, is resigning Aug. 17 to join the Kansas Attorney Generals Office, where he will investigate fraud and abuse cases in the state, particularly those in which senior citizens have been victimized.
Republican precinct committee members from Commission District 2 Williams service area will gather at 6 p.m. Tuesday to discuss and ultimately recommend a replacement.
The meeting will be in the Allen County Courthouse basement meeting room. The public is invited.
KING SAID his experience as an administrator within the county gave him a birds eye view of county operations, knowledge he considers invaluable for a commissioner.
As public works director, King was responsible for upkeep of the countys 900-plus miles of roads. His administrative knowledge would prove invaluable, he said, should he be picked.
Ive worked with a lot of great people and a lot of great commissioners, King said. I think Im definitely qualified, and can serve the county.
His duties also meant working closely with a number of state and federal agencies, such as the state transportation, wildlife and health departments, as well as with such groups as FEMA and EPA on the federal side.
King told the Register he had been asked about filling the vacancy in the days after Williams announcement. He initially was reluctant to do so.
Its not that I dont have plenty to do, he said.
But he relented after hearing from several encouraging him to throw his hat in the ring.
I think I can add a lot to the Commission, he said.
BALLARD, who was elected to the Iola City Council last fall and was sworn into office in April, previously ran against Williams in 2016 for the County Commission seat.
He pointed to county spending policies as his primary concern.
We need to think about 20, 30, 50 years in the future when were spending money, he said.
Ballard is a former paramedic with the Iola Fire Department. Today, he runs a lawn care service.
Ballard said his campaign for the county seat two years ago prompted him to seek consideration once again.
Had Ballard prevailed then, this would have been the last two years of my term, he noted.
LEE has plenty of experience in governmental bodies.
In addition to multiple stints on the LaHarpe City Council, Lee also has been a USD 257 Board of Education member, Allen Community College trustee and a member of the Bowlus Fine Arts Center Commission.
The LaHarpe native also is nearing retirement with the Kansas Army National Guard and Army Reserve, where hes served more than 33 years.
Lee was unavailable for immediate comment, and will visit with the Register later this week.
THOSE seeking to replace Williams must be nominated by a precinct member at Tuesdays meeting before they can be considered a viable candidate. Precinct members are Stanley and Freda Dreher (West Elm Township), Harry Jr. and Joyce Lee (East Elm Township), Larry and Virginia Macha (Iola City Ward No. 2), Craig and Denise Mentzer (Geneva Township), Stephen Norman and Mandy Specht (North Iola Township), David and Debrah Regehr, (Carlyle Township), Kent and Susan Thompson (Deer Creek Township) and Mark Spillman and Kathleen Ward (Osage Township).
