Two vie for GOP nod

A two-term North District Commissioner seeking a third term is facing a primary challenge from a fellow Bearcreek Township resident.

Republican Mike Leonhard, a self-employed contractor who first took office in 1997, is being challenged in the primary by Faron Parr, who owns a retail business in Portland and an industry in Bryant.

The primary winner will move to the general election in November to face Democrat Jason Davidson of rural Portland.

Leonhard, who says he’s proud of what’s been accomplished during his seven-plus years as commissioner, feels that the condition of the county’s roads will continue to be a key issue along with possible expansion of the Jay County Jail.

Parr says he is running for commission to continue giving back to his home county.

“I work for the people of Jay County,” Leonhard said in a recent interview. Leonhard, the owner of M&E Construction, says that in his nearly two full terms in office he’s learned to be patient and has become a good listener.

“The biggest thing is talking to people, respecting the people, and listening to what they have to say. Don’t go into anything with a negative attitude and listen to what they’ve got to say.”

Parr says that although his two businesses (Progressive Office Products and Advanced Seal Technology) keep him busy, he would welcome the opportunity to serve as a member of the county’s three-member executive branch.

“I felt I’ve been an active member ... and serving the people of Jay County over the last 10 years, and this is another area that I feel I could give something back to Jay County, which has been pretty good to me and my family,” said Parr. “We live here and raise our family here. I want to see Jay County grow and be a prosperous county ... It seems like I’m always doing something for the community and I enjoy it. It’s just another way to benefit the county.

Parr, who said he wasn’t running on a platform of any specific issues, said that his experience as a decision-maker as owner of retail and industrial businesses would serve him well as a commissioner.

“You’ve got to make decisions that some people may not like, but it would be beneficial to the majority,” Parr said. “As a commissioner, that’s always something you’ve got to look at.”

Par also said that his background in technology — particularly his knowledge of computers — could be an asset as a commissioner. “It’s another set of eyes and ears from a totally different field. I feel I have ideas that ... haven’t been offered.”

Leonhard, who has been part of many discussions with fellow commissioners Milo Miller Jr. and Gary Theurer over the past seven-plus years regarding Jay County roads, says it’s an issue that won’t go away — especially for those who live on stone roads and wish those roads could have some type of finished surface.

“Basically I wish I could wiggle my nose and make the road situation improve, but the amount of money we’re getting from the state and the (local) wheel tax is not going far enough,” Leonhard said.

In an interview on April 8, Leonhard said that he didn’t think that simply applying a triple layer of chip-and-seal, as has been done to several roads over the past few years, is an acceptable answer. Miller said the same thing at a meeting of the Jay County Council Wednesday night.

“The biggest problem with Jay County roads is they were designed for small equipment, small trucks ... the 1940s era ... the roads in Jay County hardly have a base. We need side ditches. We need roads bermed.

“We have a lot of heavy truck traffic and it just seems to tear up a chip-and-seal roads the way we’re doing it now,” Leonhard said.

Leonhard also said he expects that Jay County will very likely have to deal with a jail expansion sometime in the next four years, as well as with a drop in revenue when the inventory tax is eliminated in 2006.

On the jail, Leonhard said he would prefer to move ahead before being forced into an expansion by a successful lawsuit.

“I don’t want to wait until a judge comes in and mandates. I think if the timing’s right, I think we should go ahead and start laying the groundwork. If a judge comes in and mandates, it’s going to cost a lot more than what we can get one built for now,” Leonhard said.

Parr said that he has some general ideas about what issues that might be faced or what he might do, but isn’t offering specifics.

“I haven’t heard of any real big issues this year. I plan to keep my eyes and ears open, and my opinion open and see what’s best for the people. I haven’t really been brought up to speed with any of the issues they’re dealing with right now at this point and time. I’d be happy to look at some of them and offer my input,” Parr said.

“There are some ideas that I have that I would be willing to discuss on issues on saving some money or generating some other income in other areas. But, you know, I would need to be brought up to speed and have more questions answered,” Parr added.

Leonhard, who is a regular on the county’s coffee shop circuit, says that acquiring a lot near the Jay County Courthouse for employee parking and controlling the cost of employee health insurance are other things he’d like to tackle in a third term.

Leonhard handed out compliments to several county departments, including the highway department, Jay Emergency Medical Service and the crew for the county surveyor.

“I don’t have any favorites ... but I’m a firm believer in the retirement center and ... keeping that thing going along so if somebody has to have a place to live and they go out there it’s a good place to live,” said Leonhard.

Leonhard also says he is proud of the courthouse, which has undergone major interior and exterior renovations during his time as commissioner.

Asked about ways to control surging costs for health insurance coverage on county employees, Parr suggested that the county could make an effort to attract younger workers who are, in theory, less expensive to cover.

“When we’re recruiting new hirees we ought to start looking for some younger ones that would maybe save us some in health insurance. Or raise the deductible more and more, which still isn’t going to make anybody happier,” Parr said.

If Parr is elected, he says he will immediately file a conflict of interest disclosure form with Jay County Clerk because of the fact the county is a significant customer of Progressive Office Products.

He also said he would abstain from any direct decisions on purchases from his own company. In the past several years, the practice of the commissioners has been to appoint a department head or elected official as the agent for most purchases.

“We have over 2,000 customers, and I was looking at the last ... two years, and (the county) is one to three percent of sales. If I lost all the (county’s) business, it wouldn’t be critical for the survival of my company. I appreciate the business and I want it,” Parr said. “I think I could probably offer my input and abstain from voting.”

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