Dan Holub

Seeking a fourth term as commissioner, Dan Holub won a close primary race to advance to the general election.

Noting at the time that his two challengers together received more votes, Holub said some changes could be in order.

“I don’t change core values, but I believe in a republic, and if I’m doing something wrong, I change,” he said. “We changed on the jail, we changed on a lot of things over the last 12 years. I do represent my constituents. I may not agree, I’ve gone places I didn’t want to go, but that’s what people in my place were wanting. I will represent, and that won’t change.”

Given all of the legislative incumbents who lost primary races, Holub said he wasn’t taking anything for granted.

“Eighteen of them went away real fast, and they had plans to be committee chairmen, all kinds of stuff, and they couldn’t get past the primary,” he said. “People are upset about ISIS, taxes, the economy, transgender bathrooms, they’re just mad. I thnk incumbents are going to get kicked this year because they’re there, they’re the system”

Holub has voiced his dissent about the state-imposed property tax lid and his support for re-defining the county’s role in economic development to bring in more jobs, and that voters are asking about those issues and more.

“I started getting a lot more questions here in the last two weeks than I did before the primary, detailed questions on taxes and tax lids, appraised value, economic development, stuff like that,” he said. “I’m starting to have two-hour trips to get through the grocery store. The veggie aisle is where people seem to spill their guts.”

Holub hasn’t put out campaign signs; he believes people know his record well enough to decide how to vote.

“I’ve been here 12 years, and people aren’t going to make their decisions on how many signs I put up,” he said. “They’re going to decide on what I’ve done.”

Holub took issue with opponents that have branded him as “complacent,” saying that he’s done a lot of work on what some people believe are inconsequential things.

“We were able to help Florence get their after-school program going by putting up that fence; that’s a small thing, but it’s big for Florence,” he said. “There are a lot of little things some people think are important that we’ve made some differences in some people’s lives.”

Holub also pointed to progress in modernizing wind farm regulations to help promote development, the courthouse window project, and securing a federal grant to pay the lion’s share of rebuilding 190th Rd. as successes since the primary.

Holub said this was the last time he’ll run for commission.

“Win or lose, the curtain is coming down,” he said. “I’ve got four years left in me, and a four year rest if I get defeated, well, you won’t see me coming back. We need more younger people. Their future is 30 to 40 years, mine is 15, maybe 20.”