Jon Wells wants to take the politics out of local affairs.
“At the local level, community issues aren’t Republican or Democrat,” he said.
And for that very reason, Wells is running as an Independent for a seat on the Allen County Commission to replace outgoing Bruce Symes.
“Roughly 450 voters cast ballots in the primary election,” Wells said. “That shouldn’t be the way we choose elected officials.”
Wells is facing Republican John Brocker, who defeated Nickolas Kinder in the August primary, which is restricted to those aligned with either the Republican or Democratic party.
A native of Tulsa, Okla., Wells’ mother is from Cuba and his father from Missouri. The pair met in California and moved to Tulsa when Jon was born. Wells found his way to Allen County when he was 24 years old and accepted a job at Allen Community College where he teaches history and political science.
“I initially said it was going to be a three-year stint,” he noted. But, 17 years later, Wells says Allen County is home. “I got on the city council and, next thing you know, I fell in love with the community,” he said.
Wells currently serves on the Iola Council and has previously held the role of mayor.
“As mayor, you have to organize a bunch of different competing interests,” he said. “Especially during COVID. Those were some tough years.”
Wells noted the success of the city’s strategic energy policy during a “winter surge” in February 2021. Iola was one of a few municipalities in the area that didn’t suffer a natural gas shortage.
“We had been storing it,” he said. “As our surrounding communities ended up with these 50% higher bills for a decade, ours is all paid off. We hedged our bets and we have a really aggressive energy policy.”
Wells believes being a transplant to the county gives him an edge. “You kind of have to step back,” he explained. “I think not having a lot of business ties and not being from here is somewhat of an advantage when you’re making local decisions. We’re a small, tight-knit community which means we also have family and friends integrated. Sometimes, it’s easier to step back and say, ‘Hold on — I don’t have all the dogs in the fight.’”
Looking Forward
If elected, Wells wants to start with the commission itself.
He has a vision of a commission with five commissioners instead of three, and meeting in the evening instead of 8:30 a.m.
