Editor’s Note: Getting to know your candidate will be a regular feature informing you about our local candidates leading to the March primary.

This week’s featured candidates are seeking the local office of county commissioner in District 2, an office that is currently held by Howard Hutcheson who will face Wyman Pounders in the democratic primary election on March 13. Both Hutcheson and Pounders will run as democrats.
Hutcheson has served as a county commissioner for the past three years – a fact that he said makes him the most qualified for the position once again.
“I know what shape our county is in financially and we are in rough shape,” Hutcheson said. “I’m running for county commissioner again to try and help the county move forward and try to get some more roads paved.
“I also want to help the sheriff’s department and help the county employees as much as possible.”
Pounders said his business experience as the owner of Pounders Cattle and Poultry Farm makes him the right candidate for county commissioner and he wants to use his experience to make sure Franklin County continues to grow in the future.
“Being self employed for more than 22 years as a poultry and cattle farmer, I know what a budget means and how to stay within its means,” Pounders said.
“I decided to run because I want the children of Franklin County to have a place to live and work without having to leave home. Our children are the future of Franklin County and without them we have no future. I worked many years for the public and people of this county and have come to understand that we all want to be treated the same.”
Hutcheson said he understood the county’s needs and wanted to make sure issues like better roads and more industry in the county are addressed in the future.
“We have fixed several roads in the past three years,” he said. “We have worked with a very tight budget and we have gotten by without laying off any county employees.
“If I am elected to another term, I hope we can find some kind of business to come to the county.  We need jobs because more jobs will provide more tax dollars for the county.”
Pounders said he understood the importance of serving the citizens as a county commissioner and, if elected, he hoped to address several concerns he has about the industry, the schools and the shape the county’s roads are in.
“I was born and raised in Franklin County and have lived here my entire life, so this county and the people here are very important to me,” Pounders said.
“If elected as commissioner, my decisions will always be in the best interest of Franklin County and its future and I will take my position seriously.
“We have outstanding people in Franklin County working hard in bringing industries and other resources to this county.
“If I’m elected, my salary as a commissioner will be donated back to the Franklin County road fund and general fund so I can further help improve our county. I believe that if we all work together the future is only a step away.”
Hutcheson is also a Franklin County native who spent most of his life living in Spruce Pine. He is a graduate of Phil Campbell High School. He served in the U.S. Army for two years and served in Vietnam for 15 months. He is a member of the Spruce Pine Historical Society and Community Center as well as several other county organizations and clubs.
Hutcheson has been married to his wife, Linda Hattaway Hutcheson, for 43 years and they have three sons. Chad and his wife, Andrea Baker Hutcheson, have two children, Seth and Rachel; Burt and his wife, Whitney Nix Hutcheson, have two children, Emma and Easton; and Matt and his wife, Jammie Newell Hutcheson, have two children, Hunter and Hudson.
Pounders has been married to his wife, Roxann Pounders, for 36 years and they have three children, Carrie DeArman, Cristy Pounders and Magen Pounders. He has one grandson, Drake Pounders, who is three years old.
Pounders retired from the Russellville Police Department as a patrol captain. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1972 to 1975 and is currently a Russellville City School Resource and Truancy Officer.
He is a member of First Baptist Church of Russellville, the D.A.V., the V.F.W. and he is a board member for the S.P.A.N. Program.