Incumbent Lawrence County Commissioner Paul Herrell said job creation in the face of tough economic times and improvements to emergency services are his proudest achievements during his four years in office.

If he is re elected, he would like to continue his efforts to help the county grow.

"Whenever Ironton Iron shut down, it was like a light shutting off," Herrell said. "Our revenues just went zilch. But he said the addition of Liebert Corporation and Duke Energy to the Ironton area landscape and the development of The Point Industrial Park have helped tremendously.

"The Point is absolutely great," Herrell said. "I think we're on the right track with that park. We got a $1 million grant for a spec building. This will allow us to lease or sell land to a tenant. We're also lucky getting these power plants in here. Duke is helping pay off the bond levy for the Rock Hill Schools. And Liebert is a life saver. All the community events, they're right there, front and center. Calpine recently got its air and water permits from the EPA."

Herrell said he is also pleased with the deal to sell the old River Valley Hospital to Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital.

"I want people to understand the county had nothing to do with the day to day operations. We repeatedly asked for financial statements and didn't get them," Herrell said. "Then they came and asked us for money to meet the payroll. We didn't know how bad things were until then."

Herrell said at first, commissioners thought the hospital was $5-6 million in debt. When an audit showed the facility was struggling under $18 million debt, the commissioners realized there was very little they could do to save it.

Herrell said he is proud of the three new EMS stations built during his term in office, and pointed out that the Aid station is the first one in rural Lawrence County.

"This is a real plus to the county," Herrell said. "It's cut the response time by 16 percent. EMS is doing a fine job."

He is also proud of the financial turnaround in the Union-Rome Sewer System.

"Four years ago it was bankrupt, and we were getting ready to sell it. We had a buyer but they wouldn't guarantee a rate, and we wouldn't do that to the people there," Herrell said. "Now, we ended the fiscal year with money left over."

Herrell credited the employees and the district's advisory board for having a hand in the success of the sewer system.

Herrell said job creation will be his biggest priority if he wins reelection.

"I want to see more small businesses," Herrell said. "A lot of small businesses have left, and they helped build this county in the first place.

He said he would also like to continue working on extending water lines to unserved rural areas.

He said he is also encouraged by the work being done of the Chesapeake Bypass, and by plan to build a new downtown bridge.

Herrell, a republican, faces democrat Douglas Malone for the seat on the county commission.