Name: Benny Vestal
Age: 69
Occupation: Retired forester, environmental technician
Party: Republican
Position you're running for: Justice of the Peace District 9
Prior political experience: Justice of the Peace District 9 (2006-2022); Parkers Chapel School Board (1992-2002)
Key issues: Training and maintaining quality personnel; fuel and energy cost; wage increases; health care and benefits; material cost
Why did you decide to run? My desire is to represent the people, to be their advocate voice for their concerns, to direct to proper persons, to achieve desired results.
What qualifies you for this office? I have a diverse background with construction and planning of roads, water resource management, experience with budgets and a desire to conserve waste and improve overall safety. The candidate with experience.
What do you hope to accomplish if you're elected? To be truly a servant of the people; demonstrating an effective form of government we all hope for and expect.
What do you think is the biggest issue facing the residents of your district? Choices we make today have long range implications. Vote to steer government in the direction you choose. Fuel prices will continue to impact budget; become more efficient operating or curtail. Operating expenses, materials, labor have all increased; we need to effectively project and build increases without reducing services.
What should voters know about you? Bachelors in forestry from University of Monticello; resident of Union County for 45 years, married for 48 years. I believe in commitments. I am conservative, served on Solid Waste and Jail Committee. It has been an honor and I am proud to be on the Quorum Court. I've seen people work together in a cooperative spirit. We can disagree without being disrespectful. We all have a common goal to our constituents -- this should be our first priority.