Jack Regis just wants the chance.
He’s the underdog as the Democrat in the race for Belmont County Commissioner, and he lives smack-dab in the middle of a very-red Republican region of voters.
That’s why he wanted an opportunity to stand in front of Belmont County residents and members of the local media so he and his incumbent opponent could make their respective cases for the job.
Regis wanted to explain why his 17 years as a county employee would give him a unique perspective as a commissioner, and how his 45 years in municipal government in Martins Ferry would allow him to offer that know-how on the county level.
Trouble was his opponent did not accept invitations for candidate forum/debate-type events from the Belmont County NAACP and from the Belmont County Fire and Emergency Fire Officers Association.
“I know there are issues we disagree on and that’s why I wanted the people to hear the differences there are,” Regis said. “Plus, I have many, many years of public service under my belt and I really want to bring that experience to the Belmont County Commission.
“I was sitting at the NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner, and (incumbent Commissioner) Jerry (Echemann) came over to talk to me, and we were very cordial to each other,” Regis recalled. “When we were finished, I said, ‘I’ll see you Thursday night,’ but he didn’t say anything back to me. I guess he had something more important to do.”
Regis has been anxious for the chance to debate hi opponent because, unlike several other elected officials in Belmont County, he is unwilling to change his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican simply to placate local voters.
“I do feel like I’m the underdog in this race because I’m running as a Democrat, but that’s OK because I have been a public servant for a long time as a Democrat and it’s never bothered anyone before,” Regis admitted. “That’s why I didn’t know what to expect when I started to campaign, but people have really opened up with me and political party really hasn’t come up that much. People seem to only care about what’s not getting done despite being promised it would, and my experience with the county has allowed me to have really good conversations with those residents. People just want to know what I will do for them.
“When I am asked that question, I don’t make them promises I can’t keep, but I do tell them that I will do as much as possible and that I will bring up issues with my fellow commissioners to see what can be done,” he explained. “What I can promise them is that I will be the best representative I can be for the residents of Belmont County, and I’ll be out among the people, too, instead of hiding behind a desk.”
End to End
There are 541 square miles that makeup Belmont County, Ohio, and, according to the 2020 totals tabulated by the U.S. Census Bureau, there are about 66,500 residents.
Because of the county’s Appalachian terrain, door-to-door campaigning has been a difficult task outside the county’s two municipalities, 14 villages, and 16 townships.
“I’ve done my best in the areas where I could,” Regis insisted. “Those rolling hills would be tough on anyone.”
He’s attended council meetings, spaghetti dinners, and ball games, and every time for the past several months he’s worn t-shirts that match the colors of the county’s high schools.
“No matter where you go in Belmont County, the children and their sports teams have the support of everyone in the community,” the Commission candidate explained. “So, I wanted the voters to know that they have my support, too, so that’s why I had the shirts made.”
One fact Regis has discovered since traveling all corners of Belmont County is that the concerns in the most rural regions are the same as in urban areas.
“I’ve known my whole life how large a county Belmont County is, and when I worked for the county, I visited areas I never knew existed,” Regis said. “But now, during this campaign, I have found even more new areas I had never been in, and I have heard about the issues that really matter to the people in those areas. Water is a big one, and so are the roads.
“People are people no matter where they live, and they want to know what I’ll do for them. They also want to know what I’m going to do to keep Belmont County solvent, and they want to make sure emergency services are well funded, too,” the Commission candidate added. “Those folks love where they live, and they want to make sure the people who are paid to take care of the county are doing exactly that. I enjoyed those conversations very much because working for the county for 17 years let me learn a lot more than what some one-term commissioner thinks they know, that’s for sure.”
