Terry Britton seeks seat on county commission
By Caitlin Forsha
The Highland County Press
Highland County native and current Hillsboro City Schools board president Terry Britton has announced his candidacy for Highland County commissioner.
Britton, a Republican, is running for the seat currently held by Highland County Commissioner Tom Horst. Britton will face Barb Cole in the March 15 primary. Also running for commissioner is Democrat Tara Matthews Campbell.
A lifelong Highland County resident, Britton and his wife, Bonnie, live in Hillsboro, where they have operated a small farm for 20 years. They have two grown children: Misty Campbell, who works in the X-ray department at Highland District Hospital, and her husband Craig, who also works at the hospital as a physical therapist; and T.J. Britton and his wife Leah, who are currently serving as missionaries in Ethiopia. The Brittons have six grandchildren (three granddaughters and three grandsons), ranging in age from 2 to 13.
Britton retired from the Hobart Corporation in Hillsboro after over 42 years of work, including management for 35 of the 42 years.
“I was the facility manager for 25 years, being responsible for engineering, maintenance, IT, tooling and safety and environmental,” Britton said. “With that responsibility came budgeting and personnel.”
Britton is a graduate of Leesburg Fairfield High School and attended Southern State Community College, as well as various educational training seminars for his job.
[[In-content Ad]]Britton was first elected to the Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education in the 2011 election and was recently sworn in for his second four-year term after being reelected last November. He currently serves as board president.
Britton has also served on the YMCA Board of Directors, where he has been board vice-president, and the Hillsboro Athletic Boosters organization, where he has served as president and vice-president. He has also been a member of the Ohio Manufacturing Association, Southern Hills Vocational School Manufacturing Council and the Hillsboro City Schools Business and Education Advisory Council.
Britton’s extensive volunteer work includes being a member of Hillsboro Rotary Club and Leadership Highland; a 42-year Hillsboro High School football “chain gang” volunteer; working as a youth baseball/softball coach for 20 years; and a mentor at Hillsboro City Schools. The Brittons also attend the First United Methodist Church of Hillsboro.
Britton outlined his plans for the county, if elected, in three words: Family, finance and fairness.
For “family,” Britton wants to help Highland County families through economic development and tackling local drug issues through education.
Britton said he thinks that economic development can be expanded through already established programs as well as working together with other political leaders to “fuel economic development.”
“Highland County has a great product here to sell,” Britton said. “I think the opportunities are county-wide. As a commissioner, I think we need to continue supporting local programs like Grow! Highland County and the Chamber of Commerce and also keep working with our legislators to fuel economic development.”
Britton said that as a commissioner, he would like to team up with county agencies to educate the public about drug abuse issues.
“We really need to help support the agencies to educate families on drug abuse,” Britton said. “For example, the county’s almost tripled the amount of children that we’re taking care of today through Children Services versus what we were a year ago. That’s something that needs to definitely be looked at.”
If elected, Britton said that he vows to be a “good steward of county funds,” using his experience in budgeting to ensure “fiscal responsibility to all” for the finance aspect of his plan.
“Fiscal responsibility is definitely number-one,” Britton said. “You can’t run a business without taking care of your budget. That’s very important.”
Britton also promises “fairness” by listening to all citizens and making common-sense, informed decisions.
“Listening to people is something that you really have to do, and you have to make your decisions on facts,” Britton said. “You don’t want to do that on emotion. I will get the facts and then make good decisions. With that will be a common-sense approach.
“I’m a common-sense guy. You can promise a lot, but to make those promises come true, sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got and make the best of it.”
With over four decades of work and service to the community, Britton said he feels that he is qualified to be elected commissioner.
“I’m going to bring over 42 years of business experience to the commissioners’ office,” Britton said. “Throughout my tenure, as I’ve worked over those 42 years, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve worked with very big budgets, and I’ve managed a lot of people over those years. With all that experience with budgeting and personnel and my responsibilities, I feel like I’ve got what it takes to be a good commissioner.”
Britton said he is “looking forward to the opportunity to be a commissioner.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time,” Britton said. “Even before I retired from Hobart, I talked about it a lot.
“I feel that the commissioners today are doing an excellent job working with the public and doing the right things. With Tom [Horst] retiring, I just thought that it was a good time for me to try to join the team. I think I can help, and I think I can help the county grow and prosper.”
For more information or to contact Britton, visit http://www.terrylbrittonforcommissioner.com or like his campaign page on Facebook.