LAKE CITY, Fla. (WCJB) – The incumbent District One Columbia County Commissioner is facing a challenge in the upcoming election after serving four decades.
Incumbent Ron Williams is trying to keep his seat, but Kevin Parnell says there needs to be change. This is a non-partisan race.
Williams has served on the county commission for 40 years, and Parnell is a lifelong resident of Lake City. Parnell puts his time into things such his family farm.
“Columbia County’s future is in front of us. We’ve worked hard over the years to get Columbia County where we are now. We are among the financially strong counties in the State of Florida.,” Williams shared.
“Columbia County is one of the best counties in Florida, and with that being said, we’re constantly growing so I see the need for growth, and we have to change with the times in order to change and move forward,” said Parnell.
Williams says his biggest goal if re-elected is to improve the county’s utilities.
“Every time we would get a company that wanted to be located in Columbia County, we had to say ‘wait we have to go to Tallahassee’ or ‘wait we have to go to Washington’ to see if we can get a grant to put in the infrastructure you need,” Williams shared. “That no longer works because they wouldn’t wait. They would go somewhere else.”
Williams continues to say, “they are important because you can land company’s that want to locate in the community. It provides jobs, jobs provide income, income allows you to purchase a home.”
Parnell says he wants to improve the infrastructure, especially some of the roads in the county.
“I would have a lot more grants and funding for our community. That’s what’s needed,” Parnell said. “We can’t prepare for change and growth without funding. Therefore, I would try to get a lot more grants for our community so we can continue to grow as a community and as a whole.”
Parnell continues to say, “let’s continue to get our roads in much better shape. We have a lot of roads here in Columbia County, and a great example of that would be Quinten Street. Right down by one of our elementary schools here in the community, and that road will beat you to death going down it, so we want to get certain roads repaved.”
Williams says if he wins, these four years will be his last but he wants to make sure he leaves the county in a good position. Parnell wants to grow the county while keeping its rural feel.
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