Lawrence County Treasurer Stephen Dale Burcham knows well that public perception is that most elected officials simply talk a good game when it comes to creating jobs.

But the officeholder who prides himself on not being a politician is ready to do more than just pay lip service to this much needed focus, even though it really doesn’t have direct ties to his job.

That shows that Burcham’s intentions are good and his motivation is truly to help the county move forward and give small business owners and especially prospective business owners some help in key areas that can make or break any business.

Burcham is planning a series of seminars to bring together people who want to start a business with experts in the fields of law, accounting and banking. He also will seek to showcase some local success stories and create a database of information that can connect local businesses with goods and services they need but may not know they can find right here in Lawrence County.

Anyone interested in the free seminars — tentatively set to begin in March — needs to call the treasurer’s office at (740) 533-4305 to register.

Cynics may say that Burcham is simply doing this as a political ploy as he prepares to run for county auditor but the bottom line is this is something positive for Lawrence County’s business community and shows a willingness to step out and try to help strengthen our region’s economy.

That level of commitment transcends politics and can make a difference regardless of the motivations behind it.