By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Richard Lyons of Hartselle has announced he will seek a full four-year term as Morgan County Commissioner, District 2, subject to the Republican Party Primary in June.
The 59-year-old retired banker was appointed to the position by Governor Bob Riley in November 2004 to fill the unexpired term of John Glasscock after he was elected commission chairman.
"The day I was sworn in I told members of the Morgan County Democratic Executive Committee I would seek election for a full term in two years," said Lyons, "and nothing has happened since to change my mind."
"I am pleased with the positive feedback I have received so far," Lyons said. "I am organizing my campaign and have set up a campaign fund. The contributions I have received are very encouraging and greatly appreciated.
"My first year in office has been a challenging but enjoyable experience," Lyons said. "I have learned a lot about the ins and outs of county government and had the opportunity to meet and get acquainted with a lot of people both inside and outside of my district. I also have found that moving from the banking field to the political arena was not as big of a step as I thought it would be. Both occupations serve the public and I have always loved working with people.
"There have been some trying times and some difficult decisions to make," he pointed out, "but overall I believe the past year has been a positive one. We were able to budget expenditures for 2005-06 based on revenues received during the prior fiscal year. This will eliminate the need to dip into the road and bridge funds to supplement the general fund and enable our reserve fund to grow."
Lyons also said he takes pride in having already completed 52 hours of mandated classroom training for newly-elected commissioners and is currently pursuing 75 hours of additional work in advanced courses. An on-going concern, he added, is the maintenance and upgrade of the 238 miles of roads in his district.
"We are completing the resurfacing of seven miles of Ironman Road and widened a one-mile stretch of Forrest Chapel Road, two feet on each side," he pointed out.
Lyons said he wants to be able to continue to work for road, bridge and drainage improvements in his district as well as projects that promote the economic development of Morgan County.
"I don't have any special interests," Lyons pointed out. "I didn't make any promises before I was appointed and I won't make any during the upcoming campaign. The reason for that is I only have one vote and its takes all five votes of the commission to make a decision.
"First and foremost I am going to look out for what is in the best interest of all of the people of Morgan County."
Prior to his retirement in 2004, Lyons worked in the banking field for 38 years. He was president of Colonial Bank in Hartselle for 16 years and served as Colonial's senior commercial lender in Morgan County for three years. He has lived in Hartselle for 25 years.
Lyons and his wife Terri, have two adult daughters, Dee Dee Jones of Decatur and Amy Crisler of Hartselle, and two grandsons, Wyker Jones, 6, and Ian Jones, 4.