Former New Carlisle Mayor and current Council Member Lowell McGlothin submitted his petition to run for the Clark County Commission seat previously held by David Hartley as a Republican.

McGlothin will not face any opposition on the March ballot, but will be facing off with Democrat David Herrier who filled the seat vacated by Hartley in 2015 for the remainder of the term.

Unlike Herrier who is an attorney in Springfield, McGlothin explained to the New Carlisle News and Enon Eagle that if elected, he would be able to devote full time service to the residents of Clark County.

We asked McGlothin why he elected to seek the seat vacated by Hartley rather than the one that will also appear on the ballot that is currently held by Republican John Detrick. McGlothin stated that he met with party leaders and they encouraged him to seek the current Democrat held seat in the November election rather than oppose Melanie Wilt who will be challenged by a Democrat in November for Detrick’s seat.

McGlothin stated that he elected to throw his hat in the ring for a seat on the county commission in hopes of being elected as a “representative” of “western Clark County”. He noted that although current commissioner Detrick has taken care of the entire county including New Carlisle, Bethel and Pike Townships along with Enon and Mad River Township, he wants to assure that the western communities will be recognized moving into the future.

McGlothin described the property along St Rt 235 as “shovel ready” and would be an excellent place to begin development for not only retail businesses, but service businesses as well. He would like to see the land developed to increase the tax base in the western edges of the county as well as to bring renewed interest closer to New Carlisle.

The experience that he has had with serving as mayor for the past four years and New Carlisle Council for 15 years is one of the points that McGlothin makes regarding his readiness to serve the county as a whole. He noted that the retirement of John Detrick will require someone who has experience in working with a large budget and making decisions that not only benefit the Springfield area of the county but those living in the further reaches both east and west.

When asked about the Enon and Mad River Township areas, McGlothin stated that they are a “thriving community” with connections to the base. He also noted that Enon is a “bedroom community” and has done a good job of providing services to the residents.

Related to the growth of businesses and residential areas on the western part of the county, McGlothin suggested that one of the problems has been the use of traffic counts where businesses decide if the traffic flowing past a certain location will be enough to justify a new Taco Bell or McDonalds as well as other national chains. The location of Route 40 where it intersects with Route 235 is often a way to see a location omitted due to the drivers heading east or west on 40. He believes that once the City of New Carlisle is able to sell the remaining lots in the Twin Creeks subdivision, this could change with new residential growth in the city.

McGlothin also suggested that by making the entire county more aware of the “hidden jewel” of western Clark County, some business owners might elect to move away from the city where income and other taxes would be less.

Throughout our interview, McGlothin repeated that he believes that we need more opportunities for young people to stay in Clark County. He has two sons who live in the Columbus area and would like to see opportunities for young families to stay in the area. He would also promote more activities and opportunities for the seniors in our area if elected. He noted that he believes in the quality of life in Clark County and would support the current parks and recreation opportunities as well as looking for options to increase them if he is elected.

It is a long road to November and McGlothin like the other candidates for Clark County Commissioner will have ample opportunity to share their plans and vision for Clark County.

The Enon Eagle and New Carlisle News will be reaching out to the candidates later this fall to share their views on the present and future of our community leading up to the November election.