Osage County residents will cast their votes in several local races in the Aug. 4 primary election, including in two contested Republican races.
Contested Osage County races are set for First District commissioner and coroner.
Candidates are listed in the order they will appear on the ballot.
First District commissioner
John Glavin
If re-elected for a third term, John Glavin said his top priority will be improving roads in Osage County and maintaining the county's budget.
Glavin was elected to the Osage County Commission in 2012 and again in 2016.
He worked at ABB in Jefferson City for about 27 years and operates a farm. These two careers have helped him understand how to manage people and how to balance a budget, Glavin said.
"You've got to have some sense of how much money is coming in and how much money is going out," he said. "You can't show favoritism or demerit. You've got to be a fair-minded person when doing this. It's a highly responsible job, and I take my job very seriously."
Commissioners must also prioritize items, and Glavin said repairing roads and crossings should be a higher priority. The intersection of Route CC and U.S. 50 in Linn is a prime example, he added.
"We've got to do something with that because it's going to kill somebody," he said. "I know (U.S.) 63 gets a lot of attention and people get killed on it, too, but it needs to be addressed and it needs to be fixed."
Glavin has lived in Osage County his whole life. He is the fourth generation in his family to live in the area and wants to continue to give back to the community, he said.
John Trenshaw
John Trenshaw said his goal is to create an environment where the county can "run like a business," making enough money to cover expenses but also enough to put toward future projects and savings.
Trenshaw has been in the business industry most of his life. While he is semi-retired, operating a farm currently, he worked in construction for several years, developing an apartment complex and hotel in Linn.
"It's time to give back with everything going on," he said.
Because of his work experience, Trenshaw said, he knows how to work with and manage people. Communication is also a focus of his.
"We have to talk and communicate, and we have to disagree and agree," he said. "It may not be where everybody wants to be in the end, but we have to communicate."
If elected, Trenshaw said, his first goal will be learning everything he can about government business, as well as communicating with department heads and commissioners about their needs.
Since moving to Osage County in 1986, Trenshaw said, his children thrived in the local school system, and he wants to continue to see that type of educational success in the community.
The annual salary for an Osage County commissioner is about $28,057, according to the 2020 county budget.
Osage County coroner
A.J. Probst
A.J. Probst said he wants to bring compassion and investigative experience to the Osage County coroner position.
While the coroner determines cause of death, Probst said, the coroner must also provide compassion and empathy for loved ones.
"I think I have the empathy and compassion to be able to deal with the survivors as we go through the process of determining the cause and manner of death," he said.
After serving as an investigator in the U.S. Army for a few years, Probst said, he also understands the formal investigative processes and techniques required of a coroner.
Probst said he doesn't plan to make major changes to the coroner's office, praising retiring Osage County Coroner Lois Jaeger.
"I would hope to be able to march forward in a manner such as she has done - just a quiet professional doing her job in the background," he said.
Probst ran against Jaeger in 2016 but lost.
Probst has lived off and on in Osage County since the late 1980s with his wife. Currently serving as a federal contractor, Probst has two sons and a grandchild.
Russ Lumpkin
With 35 years of paramedic experience, Russ Lumpkin said he wants to "speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves."
As a retired paramedic, Lumpkin said he understands the reporting process, medical procedures and importance of preserving evidence.
"I retired the first of May from being a full-time paramedic, so I'm able to devote time to respond and so forth, and give the citizens of Osage County good service," he said.
Lumpkin said he would also bring compassion and empathy to the position, adding coroners must remember they are interacting with "people on their worst possible day."
"You've got to be able to do the report and extract the information but not in a cold, heartless way," he said. "You've got to bring compassion and empathy to the table every call."
One of Lumpkin's goals is to increase and continue education for the Osage County coroner.
Lumpkin grew up in Osage County, graduating from Linn High School and State Technical College of Missouri. He has two children and two grandchildren.
The annual salary for the Osage County coroner is $14,000, according to the 2020 county budget.
Uncontested positions
Several candidates in Osage County's Republican primary election are unopposed: Michael Bonham for Osage County sheriff, Jerry Baker for Osage County assessor and Paul Stratman for Osage County public administrator.
In the Democratic primary, Tim Hamburg is running unopposed for Osage County surveyor.
The primary winners of the Osage County races will not face opposition in the November general election.