Democratic candidate for county commissioner Eileen Lowery hopes to give a voice to the people if elected.

“I’ve always been passionate about county politics and what’s best for the community,” Lowery said last week.

The retired director of a mental health recovery center said mental health is “paramount.”

Lowery called herself a “key player” in getting Crisis Intervention Training for first responders in the county.

“It’s important that we educate first responders. I’m very proud of that, and it’s very important that we have state funding for that to continue,” she said.

Lowery wants to see more proactive and preventative measures outside of jail when it comes to mental health.

“We need to spend a little money on outpatient navigators and compliance officers,” she said.

The treatment navigator would act as a liaison, connecting individuals to resources in the community and following up, which would greatly decrease recidivism rates, Lowery explained.

Lowery would fund this in part with Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funds which are paid to the local government by the federal government.

“I would spend part of our PILT money on services instead of remodeling county buildings,” Lowery said.

These propositions could also be paid for through state grants that have not been applied for in the past, Lowery added.

Expansion of the state prison is another thing Lowery would push for.

“I would advocate for funding to expand the state prison in Shelby, which would take pressure off the county jail,” she said.

Lowery also supports bringing in a fifth district court judge.

“If the state is willing to give us another district judge, we need to find a place to put them.”

To Lowery, this is an important issue because so many children have to wait in the care of Child Protective Services while decisions are made.

Lowery supports the expansion of the Egan Slough zoning district, and is against the proposed water bottling plant in the area.

“Property owners have rights,” she said, “but you have to listen to all owners, and take into consideration your neighbors and the environment.”

Lowery declined to comment on the question of refugees, but pointed to other issues in the county.

One such issue was a pawn shop ordinance called Leads Online. The program was paid for, she said, but was never implemented. This failure to implement the ordinance is “enabling drug-related theft in the county,” Lowery said.

Traffic is another problem Lowery pointed to.

“The bypass is ineffective. Semis can’t use it because of the roundabouts. I would propose that the Department of Transportation widen the roundabouts to make it more effective.” She also said that better signage is needed for the Highway 93 alternate route.

She is also a strong advocate for county libraries.

“We need bigger and better libraries. They do so much to invest in the children of the county,” Lowery said.

Lowery is calling for more transparency from the county commissioner’s office and wants to see more citizen involvement in county politics.

She would deliver both, she said, by listening.

“In politics it’s listen, listen, listen. I would listen to people, gather the facts, and then vote with a clear conscience and good judgment,” she said.

“I represent all of the people,” she added.