James Thomason has announced his intention to run for 2nd District Magistrate in November’s General Election as an Independent candidate.
Grayson County Clerk Sherry Weedman said Thomason has filed the necessary paperwork with her office.
Thomason said he was born, raised, worked, and retired in Grayson County, where he spent his early years in the Duff community and latter years in the Sinks community. He graduated from Leitchfield High School in 1971 and Western Kentucky University in 1975, with a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Agriculture.
He worked for 30 years administering federal farm programs as an office manager for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with the ASCS/Farm Service Agency (five years in Muhlenberg County and 25 years in Grayson County), according to Thomason.
Prior to his career with the USDA, he worked in many different jobs, including at Glen’s IGA in Leitchfield, and during college at Southern Welding Supply, in Bowling Green.
He says he came back to Grayson County to work for First Federal Savings and Loan, and he also worked at DG Hayes Wholesale Grocer (now CoreMark), in addition to being the Environmentalist for the Grayson County Health Department.
Thomason says his work experiences have helped him understand and relate to the many concerns and issues faced by the people of Grayson County.
He retired from the USDA in December of 2011 and has lived on Sinks Road for around 25 years, managing a small cattle operation.
“I spent my life and professional career working with farmers and residents in rural Kentucky and Grayson County and have a deep, abiding love and respect for agriculture and all it represents,” Thomason said. “I have worked with past community projects such as the Leitchfield Softball Park and the Grayson County Alliance. At this point in my life, and through the utilization of my experience with government and understanding of how it works, I would like to contribute to an efficient and effective Grayson County government. I dealt with government bureaucracy on a daily basis for 30 years. I learned firsthand what government can do well and what government can mess up. I have no agenda. I simply offer reliable, honest, experienced and INDEPENDENT representation of the 2nd District and support for positive change in Grayson County government.”
Thomason said he support smaller, more efficient and less intrusive government.
“I see the role of government as doing those things that are intrinsically governmental in nature,” Thomason stated. “Government should help to create a good environment for quality of life and profitable business, (while) striving to maintain opportunities for people to work productively and improve their standards of living.”
If elected, Thomason says he will:
- Make every effort, within the magisterial jurisdiction, to ensure the best and most qualified staff for county government.
- Look for every opportunity to work in collaboration with city governments to improve the quality of life in Grayson County.
- Do his best to represent the 2nd District. I will support the County Judge-Executive in his efforts to deliver the best government possible for Grayson County and implement positive change. He is the CEO, the magistrate is a board member.
- Do his best to insure that tax dollars are spent wisely and that the 2nd District gets its fair return on its contribution to the general fund.
Thomason has been married to Belva Edwards Thomason for 45 years. They have two children, daughter April Bowman and son Jon, and three grandchildren.
Thomason will challenge Republican Darin Whitely who defeated incumbent Presto Gary in May’s primary.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
