Local voters were feeling a little frisky four years ago when they took to the polls and elected 10 new members to the Warren County Commission.

It gave the county's governing body a 41.6 percent turnover rate in just one election.

To be fair, the high turnover was caused by some incumbents not seeking re-election. Herschel Wells and Kenneth Rogers both vacated their seats to run for County Executive with Wells winning that matchup. Bessie Smithson decided not to run for health reasons.

The end result was the Warren County Commission, at 24 members strong, saw 10 new faces get elected in 2014. With voting in the Democratic Primary beginning this Wednesday and the General Election just around the corner in August, it's appropriate to wonder how many newcomers will be seated around the commission table in September.

My thinking is we will have around 10 new county commissioners again, giving county government a massive makeover in just two election cycles.

To touch on the basics, our county has 12 districts and two representatives are elected in each district. Examining the ballot, there are only four districts where I feel somewhat confident both incumbents will be voted back into office.

We know three seats will be vacated by choice. Charles Morgan, who I think is one of the best members of the County Commission, has opted not to seek re-election. So has Wayne Copeland. They are taking a break from politics.

Terry Bell is also not seeking re-election to his seat, but it's not because he wants a break. He is running for County Executive.

So that's three. What about those other seven seats? If my prediction holds true and we do have around 10 new members, who's getting the boot? I'll refrain from doing a district by district breakdown about who will win and lose, but I think 10 is a fair betting line with the actual number likely falling between 9 and 11.

As for key issues over the next four years, I can think of nothing more beneficial, more therapeutic to this entire community, than a major fitness initiative promoted by our Warren County Commission. When you're overweight and don't feel your best, it impacts every part of your life -- right down to your sleep.

If you're not healthy, you're more likely to miss work or be less productive while you're there. If you're not healthy, you're more likely to stay couped up inside because you lack the energy to tackle the great outdoors. If you're not healthy, you're not as happy.

A get-fit initiative is a low-cost project that's completely doable and it could make a tremendous impact on our collective quality of life.
Instead of the same, tired pledges to bring jobs and support education, let's snatch this moment to find a new direction. To the new members soon to take a seat on the Warren County Commission, nothing will benefit our community more than better overall fitness.

Standard editor James Clark can be reached at 473-2191.