Two Limestone County Commission seats up for grabs, Tuesday
District two and four are on the ticket in Limestone County for the 2020 election.
LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WAFF) - In Limestone County, district’s two and four have seats open in Tuesday’s election.
Republican Candidate Danny Barksdale and Democratic Candidate Roger Williams are running for the district two spot. Republican Incumbent Ben Harrison is running against Independent ticket-holder LaDon Townsend.
Let’s start with district two.
District two is one of the fastest growing districts in Limestone County, and Barksdale and Williams both want your vote.
“I’m a longtime citizen of Limestone County, my family came here in 1839," Barksdale said.
The republican candidate says he never planned to get into politics, however he says he didn’t see much getting done in his county.
“The top priority for limestone county I think is managing its growth within the existing revenue funds," Barksdale explained.
Another priority for Barksdale is to tax developers who build new homes with an impact fee. He says he wants to see the money used to help with schools and infrastructure in East Limestone.
On the other side of the ballot, Democrat Roger Williams, says his top priority is getting trash pick-up for everyone in district two, as well as expanding roads.
“Mooresville Road and Brownsferry, I mean they’re backed up for a mile or so. And of course, they say Mooresville Road needs to be four-lane which I agree, but the trash pick up is a big one," Williams said.
Williams, who’s lived in Limestone County since the 70′s, says it’s time the county commission kept up with the growth in East Limestone.
“Actually, look at the budget and look at what we have coming in. Review what’s really going on from the inside," Williams continued.
Now shifting to district four.
District four, the west side of Limestone County, has been a heated campaign season for both candidates. It’s important to note, district four is the largest district in the county.
Republican Ben Harrison is the two-term incumbent, seeking a third.
“I’ve worked to stop irresponsible spending, and the main thing that impacts people the most is I’ve reduced the cost of road construction," Harrison explained.
Harrison says he’s wants to see more road construction while taking advantage of cost reducing programs. He also says he wants to implement more government transparency.
“I have tried to stand on principal whether it be economic development, maintaining the roads and keeping the revenue between the ditches and not going on private interests. I’ve been consistent on that.," Harrison said.
Harrison’s opponent, Independent Candidate LaDon Townsend says he’s here for the people. Townsend, who’s lived in district four his entire life, says the roads must be treated better for folks living in West Limestone.
“We need to do a better job of getting water off the roads, we don’t clip the ends of the roads anymore. We don’t do a good job of patching potholes. We need to do a better job to start with," Townsend said.
Another high-list item for Townsend is bringing broadband internet to district four.
“I live on Maples Road, and we have no internet. With these kids doing the virtual schools, they’re struggling to get their homework. I don’t know if this is going to get any better, a lot of them are picking virtual instead of going to school and we need to work on that," Townsend explained.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. across the state Tuesday.
Copyright 2020 WAFF. All rights reserved.
