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Lehman announces bid for District 1 Commissioner

BY CASSANDRA REID

Jimmy Lehman has announced he is running for the position of Madison County District 1 Commissioner.  Lehman, a resident of Meridianville, says his family lineage has ties to the North Alabama area that date back to 1810.

Lehman

“I come from a long line of teachers, firefighters, and public servants” he said. “Public service is part of my nature and roots.”

It is this call to serve that has pushed Jimmy Lehman to run for the commissioner position.

“My wife and I have been married for 32 years, and during that time, we have served and taken care of young people through foster care.  As a pastor, I was able to serve and lead my congregation.  As District 1 Commissioner, I have the ability to serve so many people in the community and it is a job I would be proud to do.  Everything I’ve done is a culmination of and has prepared me for this point.”

District lines were recently redrawn and District 1 now encompasses areas that were previously in District 2, particularly Old Town, Blossomwood, and Monte Sano.

Lehman says he plans to bring transparency and accountability to District 1, especially when it comes to the district’s budget.

“It’s imperative we streamline a lot of our processes,” he said.

He uses Districts 1 and 4 as an example.

“District 1 employs 65 employees and roughly spends 44 percent of a $3.1 million budget on salaries.  District 4 has 29 has employees and the same amount of county road miles as District 1 that are maintained, but is able to do more with less.  Lehman said laying off District 1 employees is not the way to reduce the payroll portion of the budget.  Instead he would spread out/loan workers to other districts and reduce numbers by not replacing some positions as workers retire.  Lehman also wants to implement a timekeeping system for employees to use when they come to and leave work.

“It holds people accountable and helps avoid the appearance of time and money being misused.”

As for the county’s road infrastructure, Lehman believes Madison County should receive more money from the state, which should be put back into roads.

“Madison County brings in 25 percent of the jobs in the state and we are a fast growing county.  We should be receiving more money from the state from our tax dollars in order to build and maintain and infrastructure that can accommodate the growth we are experiencing and are projected to have.”

Lehman is looking forward to meeting and talking with his constituents.

“I’m also an ambassador to the Huntsville-Madison Chamber of Commerce and attend roughly 10 ribbon cuttings in a week.  I’ve really enjoyed meeting the people who are helping our area prosper and grow.  I want to thank them by serving them to the best of my abilities as a county commissioner.  Serving others is just a natural extension of who I am”  he said.

Lehman can be reached by email at jimmy.lehman@gmail.com. Lehman is running as a Republican and is looking to unseat Democratic incumbent Roger Jones.