BUCYRUS — The race for one of two Crawford County Commissioner positions is on and includes newcomer Jeff Price and incumbent Doug Weisenauer on the Republican ticket in the March 17 primary election.
Price resides in Bucyrus with wife Tracey and has four children, one that still lives at home. He worked at the Crawford County landfill for nearly a decade and is now employed at the Olen Corporation in Wyandot County.
“I am a plant operator and loader operator,” Price said. “I have been a heavy equipment operator most of my life but also worked in maintenance for National Lime and Stone for a period of eight years.”
If elected, Price said he wants the commissioner’s office more accessible to the residents of Crawford County.
“County business is everybody’s business,” he said. “It was stated at the Republican debate that the public is not informed because reporters no longer attend meetings. I believe it is the commissioners’ jobs to keep the public informed. The excuse has been made about public record requests for information, but it is hard to know what to request if you have no idea what business they are conducting.”
He used the sale of the county home building on East Southern Avenue for only $1 as an example.
“It is amazing how many residents don’t realize that the commissioners sold the county home building for a dollar. The lack of communication needs to stop,” Price said. “With this being said, why can’t meetings be held like city, township and villages. They are advertised and open for comment in the evening.”
“We need to take a look at the big picture and start thinking of the future,” Price said. “It seems like the current commissioners have shown a blind eye to the future. My opponent sits on the SCAT board. How is that not a conflict of interest? When SCAT came to Bucyrus the Council on Aging already had public transportation. Why wouldn’t you want to expand current operations.”
He said the current commissioners have not handled contracts concerning the county landfill to facilitate the best deal possible for county residents and would like the opportunity to improve the situation.
“I will always make myself available for concerns or comments,” Price said. “We have lots of potential in our community. We just need to focus on that. We need public input to make more effective decisions.”
Price added that the Crawford County Council on Aging lost funding when current commissioners awarded SCAT the public transporting grant.
“The council on aging was already providing this service at the time,” he said. “Why couldn’t they have been given the funding to expand their public transportation? Maybe because a commissioner is on the SCAT board. With that being said, even if you don’t vote for me, please support the senior levy.”
Early voting is underway currently at the Crawford County Board of Elections in the lower level of the Crawford County Courthouse, 112 E. Mansfield St., Bucyrus.