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ASHVILLE – Keith Peters, candidate for Pickaway County Commissioner, recently unveiled a plan to increase communication and transparency between local leaders and the county commissioners.
The idea is the product of conversations with township trustees and municipal leaders who cited a lack of access to county officials as a barrier to progress.
“If you don’t know what the problem is, you can’t even begin to fix it,” Peters said. “As a township trustee, I answered countless calls from residents who had problems with drainage ditches, snow clearance, potholes and other services. But without open communication with county officials, there is no way to ensure that after helping one resident with an issue we can prevent it from happening to someone else.”
Peters’ proposal has two parts:
First, each of the three county commissioners would be assigned a region of the county to cover. Township and local leaders from that region would have an open and direct line of communication to the commissioner that covers their region.
Second, each township and municipal government within Pickaway County would have a designated date every six months to meet with all three county commissioners to share problems they are encountering and offer ideas to improve the county. The meetings would be separate from the weekly county commissioner meetings, and the local officials would set the agenda.
“This proposal is so simple that you would think it was already happening,” Peters said. “By taking these steps and improving relations and communication with our county offices, we can ensure that everyone’s opinions are taken into account. I am ready to be a team player and work with people across Pickaway County to get us back on the right track.”
Peters is a graduate of Teays Valley High School and fifth-generation farmer. He has three sons and resides in Ashville with his wife, Elisa Frosini Peters, and her daughter, Rachel.
Keith recently stepped down after 12 years as a Harrison Township Trustee and filed his petition to run for county commissioner in September.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
