Commission Chairman Jerry Daniels believes he has some unfinished business, as the county is juggling an extra $2.4 million worth of projects courtesy of the federal government.
Daniels has filed for re-election to keep his Allen County commission seat. He represents District 1, which includes Humboldt, Moran, Elsmore, Savonburg and the southern and some of the east parts of the county.
As of Tuesday morning, no one else had filed for the seat.
The deadline to file is noon Wednesday.
DANIELS first joined the commission in January 2015 and was re-elected in 2018.
His background includes serving 20 years in the military, 22 years in law enforcement, and 10 years as an air ambulance pilot.
“Allen County is my home and always will be. The commission gives me an opportunity to serve my home county and try to see a lot of projects through,” Daniels said.
In particular, he points to two priorities: a list of projects underway through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and improvements to the road and bridge department.
ARPA has provided money to allow the county to tackle major projects that may not have happened otherwise.
That includes a wireless tower to improve radio communication for law enforcement and other county departments, with the potential for revenue by leasing space to other entities.
It also includes infrastructure improvements to the airport, and the purchase of six storm shelters for smaller communities.
Those are just the top three of more than a dozen projects the county hopes to complete using ARPA money.
But requests for the funding far exceeded the amount available, and commissioners have invested a significant amount of time trying to figure out the best use of the money.
“It’s complicated. It seems like the numbers are always moving,” Daniels said.
“But like with the airport, there’s a lot of funding we are eligible for so I think good things will be happening in the future. Everybody’s ready for it, especially after COVID. And there are a lot of projects I would like to see through.”
The increase in grants and other types of funding, though, come with an increase in bureaucratic red tape. Daniels said his experience will be helpful in navigating through that.
“After working at the state, county and local government level, it always amazed me the amount of red tape — and if there’s not enough, someone will think of more. It’s kind of comical but it can be frustrating.”
