Last week saw two of Lawrence County’s newest officials take the oath of office.

On Thursday Colton Copley was sworn in as the new county commissioner, after being selected by the county’s Republican central committee. Copley will fill the term of Bill Pratt, who died on Dec. 7.

And on Friday, Christen Finley was sworn in as common pleas judge. Finley, a newcomer to elective office, will take over from the retiring Charles Cooper.

Both Copley and Finley are in their thirties and it is our hope that they will motivate more people of their generation (and younger) to civic involvement.

While wisdom and experience have their value, fresh faces and new ideas and approaches can provide a new energy to government.

Copley hopes to bring “out of the box thinking” to his role, while Finley says she wants to depoliticize the judicial process.

Both seem quite enthused to be taking on their new jobs. We congratulate them and we hope they bring great things to Lawrence County.