Teddy B. (Ted) Owens, a Polk County native (Tryon is his home town), is asking the citizens of Polk County to re-elect him as their county commissioner. He says he feels it has been an honor and privilege to serve as commissioner. &bsp;

In the total of eight years he has served as commissioner, Owens says he has strived to consider all citizens&squo; needs and desires when making decisions that affect them. He emphasized that his focus has been on being conservative when spending taxpayers&squo; money.

&dquo;Taxes fuel the engine that government runs on ‐ we need to fine-tune the engine,&dquo; Owens said. &dquo;President Reagan once said, &squo;My friends, history is clear: Lower taxes mean greater freedom, and whenever we lower the tax rates, our entire nation is better off.&squo; I paraphrase it this way: Whenever we lower the Polk County tax rate, every citizen living in Polk County is better off!&dquo;

Having been a Navy veteran and having served two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf, Owens says he feels government is like a big ship ‐ it takes time and effort to change its direction.&bsp; Polk County government is making progress in changing directions in the right way, he says. However, there are still things that must be kept on course, Owens says:

1. Reserving a water source for all Polk County

2. Continuing to put in place means for controlling large growth and improving mountain top ridgeline and slope development

3. Using the results of the vision committee to establish a long range plan for the future of Polk County

4. It is important to support the preserving of the county&squo;s farmland

5. Establishing a county wide law enforcement that will save taxpayers&squo; money.

Owens is a retired executive of Milliken & Co., a technical and marketing consultant and author of several articles for trade magazines. He has served on numerous boards of directors, receiving various awards, served as mayor of Columbus and has served two years as chairman of the board of county commissioners.

He is married to the former Elna Lynch of Sunny View, and they have three children and six grandchildren. He is also a deacon and Sunday school teacher at Coopers Gap Baptist Church.

&dquo;Remember, Polk County is the garden spot of the world and there is no better place to live, worship God and play,&dquo; he says. &dquo;The challenge is for us to work together to keep it that way!&dquo;