For the Democratic competition to challenge current Republican County Commissioner Larry Payne, we encourage you to vote for Charlie Adkins. Adkins has been an integral part to Ohio University, and we believe he reflects the needs of most Athens residents.
Adkins has worked at OU for 30 years, and for 20 of them, he has been president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He started out working manual labor and ended up being the elected leader of the university’s droves of unionized employees.
This experience has helped Adkins sharpen his skills as both a mediator and negotiator, which will be key as he oversees the budgets of Athens County’s other elected officials.
Very attractive to us was Adkins’ commitment to involving OU students in county governance through committee appointments. Adkins considers OU his family and wants to encourage more students to get involved with county government.
Adkins sees the true potential in Athens County and shows potential for re-working the budget. For example, instead of hiring outside consultants to negotiate contracts or mediate disputes, Adkins wants to spend that money locally — if at all. One crucial step towards stimulating the county economy is spending the county’s money here in Athens, not in Columbus.
He suggests revitalizing recreation and tourism by marketing Burr Oak Lake, which could definitely help spur economic growth in the county.
Adkins doesn’t sit back in his chair and wait for things to happen. He plans to be open to the public and wants to bring everyone together to make decisions, not just wait and resolve disputes as they happen. Adkins’ proactive tendencies and proven leadership will make him a valuable and productive commissioner.
