Amy Wright, candidate for Fayette County Commissioner, speaks at the Rotary Club Meet the Candidates luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
Gail Allen | R-H photos
Donald Fleak, candidate for Fayette County Commissioner, speaks at the Rotary Club Meet the Candidates luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
Gail Allen | R-H photos
Shawn Remington, candidate for Fayette County Commissioner, speaks at the Rotary Club Meet the Candidates luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
Gail Allen | R-H photos
Editor’s note: The following article is a partial summary of the Rotary Club’s Meet the Candidates luncheon involving the three candidates running for Fayette County Commissioner. For the full video of the event, those interested can watch on the WCHC-TV local community station or YouTube. Also next week, the Record-Herald will publish questionnaires that were provided to the three candidates.
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — The Rotary Club of Washington Court House held its luncheon meeting at the Crown Room of the Rusty Keg on Tuesday with a special program.
The Meet the Candidates moderator, Bambi Baughn, director of Community Action of Fayette County, had each of the candidates for Fayette County Commissioner — Amy Wright (Democrat) Donald Fleak (Republican) and Shawn Remington (Independent) — answer questions with an approximate two-minute time limit to get to known the issues before the voters.
A few of the questions/answers are summarized as follows:
What makes you stand out as a candidate?
Wright: I bring a unique perspective and viewpoint being a woman with a background in social services and helping people overcome challenges.
Remington: I am a problem solver, independent thinker, and believe in “we,” not “I,” can solve everything brought before us.
Fleak: I am the Mayor of Bloomingburg, was on the village council, handled budgets and grants dealing with municipalities.
How would you involve the public in the commissioners decision making process?
Fleak: I would be open to all ideas, available by telephone, and meet with people for ideas.
Remington: I would identify the breakdowns in communications that are caused by various sources, like social media, and educate voters on the issues brought before us.
Wright: I would talk to people and educate residents as to the role of local government and include civic engagement.
Do you have any specific goals for this job?
Remington: People are powerless alone, so it’s better to create a perfect union of ideas and live in reality, not in the internet world, and work to bring people together.
Fleak: I want to create a better place to live, preserve farmland, help first responders, support youth and their education.
Wright: My goal is to bridge the gap for better decision making as progress is unfolding in our county, celebrate diversity, and solve the disconnect people feel.
Do you feel there is enough public transportation and housing in the county?
Wright: I believe in safety first, giving community services to those who need it, especially senior citizens for their well-being, and the youth population. There is a lack of affordable housing and the county needs to support tenants as well as landlords with the challenges they face economically.
Fleak: I support local transportation. We need more affordable housing and more businesses to keep the county growing.
Remington: I spoke to the Fayette/Madison Transportation and they could use more assistance. We need more affordable housing for the average hard working people, because of the rising cost of materials and infrastructure to build. Fayette County seems to be a hot market right now and we need to use our tax dollars wisely.
What projects would you like to see in the future in the county?
Remington: I would like to see economy-drivers, like our Scarecrow Festival, have an event for veterans, and other community events, to engage more people to get involved for collective knowledge and prosperity.
Wright: I would like to see a greater promotion of skilled trades in schools, to educate the youth to prepare for the workforce and give life balance to the upcoming generation.
Fleak: I think infrastructure is a big area, as well as support of our youth, jobs and housing.
The candidates only took a couple of questions from the audience, due to time availability, but the main answers/comments were to listen to the wisdom of elders, keep citizens with a representative democracy, keep them engaged in what’s going on, and governance is for the benefit of all, not just the approximately 17,000 registered voters in Fayette County.
