Jack Seward runs for county supervisor

Jack Seward of West Chester has announced that he will run for the District 1 seat on the Washington County Board of Supervisors. Seward will compete in the June 5 Republican Primary.

Board chairman Jim Miksch occupies the District 1 seat. District 1 encompasses the western third of the county and includes West Chester, Wellman, Richmond, Dublin, Rubio, Lake Darling, Grace Hill and the rural areas west of Brighton and Kalona.

Seward was born and raised in Wellman and graduated from Mid-Prairie Community School. He served stateside in the U.S. Army from 1974 to 1977 and then worked in law enforcement for 30 years at the local and state levels. He retired in 2007. After a 20-year absence from Washington County, Seward married Mid-Prairie classmate Glenda Ladehoff McDowell in 2008 and the two moved to West Chester.

?My position in law enforcement prevented me from participating in partisan politics ? other than voting ? all those years,? Seward said. ?Since retiring and moving back to my home area, I?ve been more active in conservative politics, influenced a lot by the values of the Tea Party movement and specifically its opposition to the stimulus, bailouts and private sector takeovers by the government.?

Seward said he and his wife went to the 9-12 Taxpayers March on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., in 2009. They returned to D.C. the next year for the 8-28 Restoring Honor Rally, accompanied by Glenda?s 15-year-old son, Ian.

?Both of those experiences solidified my belief that conservative values and principles will not only save our economy, but will keep the United States a great and wonderful place to live,? he said.

Seward said he believes in the Constitution and takes to heart the Declaration of Independence, which he said was ?the definitive guide, spelling out our rights and privileges as citizens.?

?I take seriously our God-given rights to be free from unwarranted and unnecessary government intrusion, interference and restraint,? he said.

Seward said he realizes that a supervisor wouldn?t have much power to change the economy or governmental affairs at the state or federal level. However, he said that his beliefs about government affect how he views local issues.

For instance, Seward named a number of concerns he has, such as the board attempting to ?prevent the possession of lawful weapons on county property that infringed on the right of individuals to protect themselves.?

Seward said he wants to focus on the Richmond sewer lagoon, which he said is opposed by those directly affected by it. He said the county zoning ordinance is an example of larger, more intrusive government and was enacted despite widespread opposition.

He is also concerned about county roads, saying that decisions about where to pave and how wide to make the roads appear to be the result of special favors.

?My candidacy is based very simply on the will of the people in my district and their satisfaction with the handling of these issues,? he said. ?It was my dissatisfaction that led me to run for the seat. It will be the voters? dissatisfaction that will get me elected to represent them.?