The following is a presentation of FCB Faith. This is Keeping America First with Bishop John T. Coates and Reverend Jeff Jemison on FCB Faith. Welcome to Keeping America First. We are just days away from the November 3rd election. All across the country, people are voting in record numbers. Here in Sandusky County, we have County Commissioner, Sandusky County Commissioner, Justin Smith. Good afternoon, Justin Smith. How are you? Doing well. How about you? Good. Talk about what you've been doing. Tell us a little bit about what's going on in the county that you represent. And we know that you're up for re-election. I was appointed in April to take the spot of former Commissioner Charlie Swoko, who resigned due to health reasons. I've hit the ground running since I've been there. I've been there six months. We have worked to bring back budget reviews to make sure the county is spending taxpayer money wisely, which is very important. We've hit the ground running by meeting with elected officials and department heads and different communities to see what we can do together to make Sedesky County an even better place to live. Oh, that's just awesome, Justin. And that's what you should do. I like to hear that. It sounds like you're making all the rounds. You've got to meet with those local villages and city officials. So that's great. What are some of the things that you're hearing out there in terms of needs in Sandusky County? And what are some of the issues that you're actually working on right now? Sandusky County has a need for housing. So we are working to try to get more housing developments and more housing opportunities for residents of the county. Sedusky County obviously needs some more job opportunities. So we're always looking at ways to welcome new businesses and new opportunities for our county residents to prosper and be successful. And most importantly, the thing I can't keep stressing enough is that we are spending, we are, cutting back on spending and doing everything we can to make sure we are keeping Sedesky County in a good place financially. That's so important because, as you know, budgets are tight everywhere. Oh, budgets are very tight in Sedesky County. We've had some challenges, but we're working to fix those challenges. Right. And I was really alluding to people's personal finances. You know, everyone's household is in everyone's household. They're cutting back. They're watching their spending. And it's so it is imperative that our elected officials in every county and every elected office watch their spending as well. So good to hear that that is a priority of yours to watch and cut spending. What are some of the things that you'd like to accomplish? We know that, again, Sandusky County is somewhat rural. There's a lot of rural areas to it. Tell us a little bit about your county and then also some of the things that you'd like to accomplish. Sandusky County is really a truly unique county. We have an urban and a rural setting. And I think Sandusky County is pretty unique and pretty cool that we have all these people of different racial backgrounds, different income backgrounds, different education levels. We are a very, very divorced group. And I think for the most part, we get along really well. We have the, you know, the urban setting here in Fremont. We have the rural townships. I think we are, we have something special going on in Sadusky County. And I think God has blessed us with that. Some of the things I'd like to continue working on are basically making sure people can have faith in their county government, make sure that we care for them. My main job is to serve your interests. And if anybody wants to get ahold of me, I would do my best to express why I'm doing what I'm doing or the reason why I'm doing what I'm doing. But my main goal is just to keep moving the county forward, trying to help our residents and make sure that everybody is doing as well as we can in today's world. That's good. There are no crises that are taking place in the county and you just want to make sure that things continue to be stable. Yes. Well, we've had some financial challenges, but we're working to fix those. And, you know, my main goal is I'm not going to lie to voters. I don't have all the answers and I'm not going to fix all the problems. The only thing I promise people is I'm going to dedicate my life to doing the best I can to try to fix the problems and make a difference for the future. How have you been received so far in your first tenure, the tenure that you've, the time that you've been on as a kind of person? I feel things have been going well. I mean, I feel I've been treated well, treated with respect. I believe in the golden rule. You try to treat people with respect and hopefully you treat people the way you want to be treated and hopefully people will treat you back that way. But no, I've been fortunate. Most of the people have been willing to work with me and do our best to try to solve some of our challenges. Okay. Commissioner, if people want to get in touch with you or find out more about what you're doing, what's the best way to even get involved with your campaign, if necessary? They can email me at J.C. Smith. J as in Justin, C as in Kat, my middle initial. J.C. Smith at Sandusky County or OH.gov. That's if they want to. If they have any questions, any concerns, that's the best way to get a hold of me. Okay. All right. And do you have a website if people want to find out about your campaign? Yes. It's keepjustinsmith.com. Could you repeat that one more time? Keepjustinsmith.com. All right. Thank you, Commissioner Justin Smith. We want to keep our audience informed. folks that are living out in Sandusky County. We're so happy to have Justin C. Smith, County Commissioner, with us today. So just remember, as you vote, these are some of the things that he's working on, some of the things that he'd like to accomplish. He shared those things with us. We want to keep Sandusky County in a good position. So let's remember him. To our audience, again, thank you for listening. And Justin Smith, we wish you the best this November 3rd. Thank you and God bless. God bless you, Commissioner.
