With the new year comes a county-wide and some statewide elections for public office and if you’re planning on running for a position in Lawrence County’s government you better be ready because the deadline for signing up to run is January 9, 2026.
County Clerk Chris Jobe said this has been a “light” number of candidates so far this year. The exception to this is the run for the top office, judge/executive, where there are four candidates including incumbent Phillip Carter. Challenging Carter are three familiar faces as William Spradlin, a Louisa businessman who ran unsuccessfully four years ago, Rick Blackburn, current magistrate 4, and Eddie Preston, the long time Louisa fire chief. All are Republicans. No Democrat has signed up so far.
This past week incumbent County Surveyor Cliff West registered to run and William Mynier, Constable District 1. Also signing up since our last report are Coroner candidate Melissa Moore, County Attorney Johnny Osborne, and William Mynhier Constable Dist 2 . Again all are Republicans except Moore who is a Democrat.
In fact only three Democrats have signed up to run for all offices in Lawrence County, a stark contrast from when I first moved back to Louisa 24 years ago and there was about the same lopsided majority only then it was Democrats controlling most offices and the registration was about as tilted as it is now Republican,
That was before Obama. And the beginning of Trump.
There’s still time to sign up to run and so far it looks like there’s room for more candidates, especially Democrats who may have a better chance since a lot of people here vote for the best person instead of gender or party.
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For all the Trump devotees around it’s been an exciting week as the President has ordered strikes on Venezuela and captured it’s president Maduro to help stop the drug cartels smuggling cocaine and Fentanyl into the U.S. And there have been two dozen strikes of boats in international waters headed for our country. Is he overstepping his reach without consulting Congress?
And could there be big eyes on the oil reserves buried beneath Venezuela that are rooting for the U.S. to “run” the leaderless government. That means reopening and fixing the country’s production and shipping oil infrastructure. Several U.S. oil companies have had interests in the country in the past but since the reserves have been nationalized, things are nearly in shambles and only Chevron gets any product from there.
I remember back when the war on Drugs began and the government arrested hundreds of drug sellers on the streets of America but didn’t attack foreign suppliers overtly, at least.
Trump’s all out attack on Venezuela’s drug boats and chopping the head off the country’s crooked leader and his equally blood stained wife is a great way to show all countries in the western hemisphere that we aren’t going to stand for them overloading America with dangerous drugs any longer. And if our oil companies can work with whomever they elect as the new leader and help improve their awful economy and give us access to cheap oil, good deal.
But, to answer the question if he over stepped his bounds without consulting Congress. Yes, he did. But most of the old farts drawing public pay while selling their votes to special interests are probably asleep and will never know the difference anyway.
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The popular new weight loss shots in the belly that have worked already for thousands of Americans will be able to get the drug in pill form beginning as early as next week and they will be less expensive, we’re told. Many Americans are reluctant to take needles in any form and prefer pills, analysts say, plus the high price of the drugs is a real deterrent.
The weight loss drugs should be distributed for free to those who can’t afford them because obesity is the cause of many illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease… so reducing weight for many of us could extend life and ease the strain of the medical industry.
I think I’ll try the new medicine if I can afford it…
