County commissioner race heats up

With the mid-term elections just around the corner, races are starting to heat up, and the quest for the county commissioner of Precinct 4 is no exception.

Incumbent Jim Latham (D) said his primary goal if re-elected is to continue developing an environment in which businesses can grow and provide good jobs for citizens. He said he would look at developing the East loop area in Commerce.

"This would eliminate the problem of students crossing major highways to reach classrooms or sporting events," he said.

Republican candidate for the county commissioner of Precinct 4 Frank Janda said he is also seeking money to help Commerce.

"I would like to lessen the load of the local taxpayers by seeking federal grant money for our infrastructure needs, including roads and fire protection," he said.

The only difficult task about getting grant money is finding it, according to Janda.

"While our current commissioner says there is no grant money available, in neighboring Hopkins County, Cletis Milsap, in the same amount of time Jim Latham has been on the commissioner's court, has raised over $14 million of grant money for his county," Janda said. "Hunt County has not been active in pursuing grant money and if elected, I and Commissioner-Elect Jay Atkins will work to change that."

Janda said that although he will be searching for infrastructure grant money, he will not ignore other types of grants that come his way.

"Just because you are a county commissioner doesn't mean you can't be an overseer of our roads," he said. "A good commissioner will be active in pursuing resources, money, and whatever it takes for our towns and communities to thrive and prosper."

Another area where Janda said he would like to contribute money is in healthcare, and see the completion of a new hospital by 2014 and a minor care facility for the university.

"A much-needed hospital for Commerce would enhance and complement the recently announced plans by A&M-Commerce to begin offering a complete nursing program to students next year," he said.

Latham said he plans to eliminate some of the rock roads in Precinct 4 by continuing a program that uses recycled asphalt in various applications.

The drug issue in Hunt County is another issue Latham wishes to address if re-elected.

"I will work to provide more support for our law enforcement agencies to fight the massive drug problem that exists in our county and increased support for our other first responders as they will need all the assistance we can afford to provide as our county grows," he said.

Working with the city government is another one of Latham's primary goals. He said that in the last year, Precinct 4 entered into an agreement to assist Commerce's Parks and Recreation in an effort to overhaul Park Street City Park.

Connecting all of North Texas is a major concern of Latham's. He said he wants to see the rail service come to Precinct 4.

"High speed rail from the Metroplex to the Greenville and Commerce area would vastly improve our ability to increase our enrollment in the university, provide connecting commuter lines to the Dallas area and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels," he said. "I believe this is our transportation future."

Janda said he would like to see a better relationship between the city governments and the county commissioners.

"I would like for our next commissioner to be more involved in the communities of Precinct 4," he said. "It's okay for a commissioner to show up to at a city council, special utility district, hospital board or volunteer fire department meeting if for no other reason than to be informed of what's happening in our neighborhoods. Our current commissioner doesn't bother attending these types of meetings; that's too bad."

Latham said he also provided assistance to the community garden to improve soil structure. He said he plans to continue to support the city government as needed.

"I have a close working relationship with the mayors, city managers and department heads of these entities," he said.

Latham said he plans to continue his work as a visible commissioner as well. He is part of several boards and associations, and wants to continue to work with these groups.

"As a chamber member, I have assisted in all Chamber of Commerce and City of Commerce activities such as providing chili and breakfast for the chili cook off," he said.

Janda said he does not know if visibility is that important to his potential job.

"What is important is that you are there doing your job the best you can," he said.

Mayor Quay Throgmorton said he expects to keep a good working relationship with the county commissioner regardless of who is elected.

"They help us out when we need them and we will work with either one of them," Throgmorton said.

If re-elected, Latham said his constituents can expect the same level of performance from he and the county crew that they have received for the past eight years.

"Our timely response to problems, both governmental and road and bridge, will continue," he said.

Janda said it is vital to consider the economy in the upcoming election.

"These are perilous times," he said. "With the closure of ZURN and Covidien, all you have to do is look around your neighborhoods and you'll see an ever-growing number of empty houses. This is tragic."

Janda said voters can expect him to be available and honest if elected.

"If I can't do something, I will tell them that I can't," he said.