When Allen County Commissioner Jay Begg decided not to run for re-election, seven candidates stepped up to take his place, including five Republicans who will be going up against one another in the March Primary. They introduced themselves to the Allen County GOP on Friday.
Judy Augsburger is the first candidate. She brings government experience from Bluffton and would look to work together and maintain what the county has.
"As mayor, I learned so much when it came to infrastructure and contracts, even Ottawa water contract," said Augsburger. "I’ve learned a lot about water plants and the processes, the sewer plants and those processes. We also had an airport as part of Bluffton."
The second candidate is Beth Seibert. Already heavily involved in the county, she wants to help commissioners tackle their existing quest of infrastructure.
"They have less than 30 percent of the money they need, when I say 'they' I mean the county, the townships, the villages, the City of Lima, to do the job," said Seibert. "And if we keep only throwing a third of the money at the problem, pretty soon the problem’s going to be bigger than what we can deal with."
Tim Sielschott is the next candidate. He said his business and volunteer experience throughout the county make him the right choice.
"I’m all in for the—Allen County," Sielschott said. "And want to be in a position where we can really move forward with our housing and how we live work and play."
Up next is Greg Stolly a long time businessman in the Lima area. Stolly said he brings a vision of partnerships and a business mind to the table.
"You’ve got to definitely get into being business-friendly with folks and being able to get the 'yes you can’ government, not putting roadblocks up," said Stolly. "Secondly I think our law enforcement needs to be given the tools that they need. I’m not saying that they don’t, but we need to reinforce that in times like today are more important."
The fifth candidate is Alan Tyrrell Jr. The youngest candidate of the bunch said the office needs fresh ideas and sees the county expanding using current highway structures.
"To get all the entities to work together and making business want to come here," Tyrrell said. To build commercial properties, to bring jobs to Allen County. That’s probably one of my main concerns here."
The Primary Election is early this year due to the presidential election year. The Primary will be held on March 17, early voting begins Feb. 19.
