The people have made their choice, victory parties have wrapped up and the 2018 election is now part of history.

We would like to take this time to congratulate the winners here in Lawrence County.
County Auditor Jason Stephens has displayed a competence and knowledge that earned him the trust of the voters and easily won him re-election.

As Stephens told us Tuesday night, between his time as commissioner and auditor, this is his sixth win in a row and his victory margin has grown each year, showing that voters appreciate the job he has been doing.

Likewise, Commissioner Freddie Hayes Jr. has produced results in his time in office, also pushing him to re-election. While there are many problems in the county that still need addressed, voters saw a good team in the current, bipartisan commission and felt progress was being made.

Christen Finley’s win in the Lawrence County Common Please judge race surprised a few, with many expecting longtime Municipal Judge Donald Capper to be the favorite going in.

Finley ran a strong effort in getting her name out, with many feet on the ground. Her supporters could be found everywhere in their red T-shirts, promoting their candidate and trying to sway voters.

It is our hope that these winners will work to represent all voters in the offices they hold and put the best interests of the county forward.

And, now that the races are over, we would like to ask one last thing this campaign season.
Please make the extra effort to take down your signs around the county.

We understand these advertisements serve a purpose in the campaign and have no issue with them going up, but, with the end of the campaign, we urge all who ran, whether they won or lost, to be sure that our landscape does not remain cluttered with their messaging efforts.

It’s a small step, but a needed one that shows good citizenship.