George Wathen, current Daviess County Commissioner of the West District, has announced he will run for reelection after 11 years in the seat.
Wathen said that over his time in the position he and the rest of the commissioners have made good decisions for the community and he is hopeful to continue for four more years.
Wathen said it is important right now more than ever for a conversative to be serving the county.
“We need a good strong conservative in this position and on the Fiscal Court,” Wathen said. “It’s important that we have conservative people in local government, state government and federal — but especially in local government.”
He said he considers himself a conservative on several issues and topics but most notably fiscally.
He said that Daviess County Fiscal Court has been able to be conservative when spending money across the board and also paying debts owed.
If reelected, Wathen said projects on his wish list include organizing a major cleanup at Panther Creek, adding new senior center, and finalizing the radio communications system for first responders.
The radio system is a roughly $6 million project that is already underway. Wathen said it will help the Sheriff’s Office, Fire Department, and ambulance service.
Wathen said after being in the position for more than 10 years, he finds it rewarding to give back to the community.
Fellow Commissioner Mike Koger and Judge-Executive Al Mattingly are not running for reelection, meaning there will certainly be changes on Fiscal Court. Wathen said while he doesn’t know who will win any of the seats, he is optimistic for the future of the court.
“We have a lot of impact on what happens in the community,” he said. “It’s been a great opportunity to give back to the community and have different things and activities, make decisions and I’ve really enjoyed that.”
