The only politicians who sleep peacefully the night before the election are those who are running unopposed.

There is almost always opposition for offices, but this year’s local ballot will show a few unopposed races.

In judicial races, D. Scott Bowling is running again for Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge and David Payne is running for the Common Pleas Judge in the probate and juvenile division.

Bowling was appointed to the judge’s seat last September by Gov. Ted Strickland after the passing of Judge Frank J. McCown on May 16, 2007.

Bowling had been a partner with the firm Lambert, McWhorter and Bowling, LLC, in Ironton and had been an attorney for 10 years.

Payne has been the probate/juvenile judge for the past 15 years. He is also a member of Ironton Rotary, the Lawrence County Farm Bureau and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Lawrence County Prosecutor J.B. Collier also has no opposition. He took office in 1992 and has seen a dramatic increase in the criminal workload. In 2007, his office dealt with 350 cases.

“When I started as prosecutor in 1992 we had 100 cases,” he said.

Collier said he thinks the increase in crime can be attributed to several factors, among them a poor economy and the increased use of addictive drugs.

He also attributed the increased caseload to a good working relationship between his staff and the county’s law enforcement agencies.

County Engineer David Lynd has served as the Lawrence County Engineer since 1983. Before being voted into office he spent 10 years in highway and bridge construction, which is an essential skill because his office is responsible for the upkeep, repair and building of the county’s roads, bridges and culverts.

He is also involved in District 15 Public Works Committee and is the secretary of the regional KYOVA Interstate Planning Commission.