Jim Porter (R-OH) has been a county commissioner for eight years, before his county days, he was a Perry Township Trustee for 19 years.

Porter said his previous experiences have aided in his success as commissioner the past eight years.

“I’m proud of the 19 years I’ve spent as a Perry Township Trustee, it definitely prepared me for this job,” Porter, who was born and raised in Muskingum County, said. “(It’s) the same thing, only about a hundred time fold as far as budgets, roads, you name it.”

A family-oriented farmer, Porter said he doesn’t like to brag on his successes or take credit for the multi-department efforts that have gone into the multiple projects that have his signature on them.

“I don’t brag a lot. I kind of let my actions speak for myself,” Porter said. “Economic development, I can go back to my township years, we were the first to develop an enterprise to get AutoZone there. It all started in about 1994. I’m proud of the fact that most of the industry that you see in this county, my signature is on it.”

Qualifying that statement, Porter said he’s never done any of it by himself. All of the economic development throughout the county has been the result of multi-department’s efforts to better the economy.

Since he assumed his position as commissioner back in 2010, there have been many industrial development projects, water projects (13) and sewer projects (14). Although Porter said there are infrastructure issues throughout the county, but he believes the county is heading in a positive direction.

“The future’s bright in Muskingum County, I think,” Porter said.

Along with those contributing departments, Porter prides himself that the industrial parks in the area are full, which created the need for a new park, a park that is now coming to life. Porter said the idea for a new industrial park has been in the works for many years.

“I’m a farmer, I struggle with taking good farmland and using it for industrial parks but, I stated in an earlier article that in my front window I can look out of my house, it used to be a beautiful hillside with pine trees and now it’s a 14-acre roof, AutoZone” Porter said through a few laughs. “But you see 600 people driving in and out of there a day, working, supporting their family, and I’m proud of that.”

With the stereotyping of parties, it’s often hard to look past the red and blue in politics. Regardless of party, Porter recognizes that his front may be conservative, but he represents many people who may not be.

“Yeah, I’m a conservative, but I take pride in the fact that I work for all 86,074 people in this county,” Porter said. “I can’t please them all, I know that, but when I make a decision I try to think the most people get the most benefit. That’s how I try to make my decisions.”

Porter said that if his term is renewed, he hopes to build upon what he has already been doing for eight years in terms of the budgeting, the water projects, the sewer projects and the economic development in the community.

While it’s easy to focus on the positive aspects of winning an election, Porter is prepared for the worst.

“I’m prepared either way,” Porter said. “I’ll miss the people, I’ll never miss the politics.”

The “politics” of the job is Porter’s least favorite part of the job, but helping and impacting the people in the community is the best part of the job in his eyes.

Wednesday morning, he read to kindergartners at West Muskingum and said those are the events he really looks forward to. Even though reading books seems like a simple task, Porter took the opportunity to take the children’s education one step further.

“We had a blast, and I used that, we have a huge drug problem in this county, and I used that to my advantage and to their advantage. Yeah, I was there to read books but when we were done … I used that to my advantage to educate them young about drugs and how evil they are,” Porter said.

The future of Muskingum may be a bright one, but every bright future come with its challenges, and the opioid epidemic and drug use is one of Muskingum County’s challenges.

“It’s a problem, it’s a huge problem. We as commissioners, what can we do? We’re not going to stop it. We’re going to fund the courts, the prosecutors, the sheriff’s office to enforce the laws we have. That’s my job as a commissioner,” Porter said. “Everybody thinks we can make water run uphill, but we can’t.”

At the end of his educational chat with the kindergartners, Porter made every one of the over 120 kids take a vow. A vow that entailed them raising their hand and promising the commissioner that they would never partake in drug activity, a vow that Porter hopes they all follow.

Beyond reading to children and taking every phone call he can, Porter said he gives more than is expected of him in everything he takes on, not just representing his county.

“I give 110 percent of everything I get involved in. If it’s church, I’ve served as president of the congregation, I’ve served as president of the junior fair livestock committee for years,” Porter said. “Everything I get involved in, I take pride in the fact that I’ve been asked to, they see something in me that says that I can do that job, and I’m going to get it done well. Actions speak louder than words.”

With Muskingum County at the foundation of his family, Porter hopes to serve the people of Muskingum County for another term. Whether taking a phone call, meeting a resident face-to-face or calling departments out for unnecessary spending, Porter is prepared to continue applying 110 percent of his efforts to improving the community where he was born and raised.

“The fact that I’ve got re-elected, I hope that the community has faith in me that I can continue, I’m proud of the fact that I’m a budget watchdog,” Porter said.

Jim Porter’s opponent is former Muskingum County Commissioner John Bates (D-OH). Bates is set to talk with Y-City News on Friday, Nov. 2. Porter and Bates will appear on the ballot for the Midterm Election on Nov. 6.