AUSTINTOWN — Township trustee Bruce Shepas was the last one to throw his name into the hat for this year’s county commissioner race.

On Friday, he explained why he decided now is the time for his campaign, less than three years since his election as a trustee.

Mahoning County Commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti announced earlier this year her intention not to seek reelection. She has endorsed state Rep. Lauren McNally, D-Youngstown, to succeed her.

Unchallenged in her party, McNally is the presumptive Democratic nominee. The Mahoning County Republican Party will see a primary race May 5 for the seat among Canfield Township Trustee Christine Oliver, Canfield Mayor Don Dragish and Shepas.

“I’m running for county commissioner because as a trustee I understand the challenges at the township level. I want to be a stronger voice for townships at the commissioner level,” he said. “I get those challenges, being a trustee, when it comes to funding and going to the commissioners for a lot of support, but I think we need more of a voice and I believe that as a commissioner, I could offer those trustees that voice and give them their fair amount of time on a regularly scheduled basis, and listen to their concerns, be it financial, or construction, or advocating for something they may need, be it in their community or countywide.”

Recently nominated and elected as president of the Mahoning County Township Association — replacing fellow Austintown trustee Robert Santos — Shepas said he wants to be a voice for townships in Mahoning County, as well as in Columbus and Washington, D.C.

“I would like to set up some kind of quarterly meeting with trustees and give them a voice, maybe have a representative from each township,” he said.

Shepas said he is well aware of the problems facing the county and its local communities — issues such as property tax reform, the need for economic development coupled with a corresponding increase in affordable housing, and the rising cost of emergency services.

“I don’t support crushing property owners with rising taxes. But at the county level commissioners don’t have the authority to abolish property taxes. And doing so without replacing that revenue would shut down our local governments and schools,” he said. “I would focus on controlling spending, pushing for smarter budgeting and fighting at the state level for real property tax reform, not empty promises.”

Like the county’s current slate of commissioners, Shepas said he finds the lack of communication from state representatives frustrating, even if relationships with McNally and state Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, are good ones.

“But is it like that everywhere? I don’t believe it is,” he said. “How often are our legislators coming back and talking to us at the commissioner level, how often are they coming back to the townships or communicating with us, unless we’re going down to Columbus?”

Shepas said he wants to explore all options to save money and provide better services, including regionalizing safety service districts.

“I can’t speak too much on behalf of schools, but on the township level…do we really need a $2 to $3 million ladder truck in Austintown, Jackson, Boardman and Canfield? Can’t we do some consolidation? Like, say, Austintown, Jackson and Lordstown, I could see that working. Maybe Campbell, Lowellville and Struthers working together,” he said. “But to get all the government entities to work together like that, I’m sure it’s challenging, and I’m not the first guy to talk about it, but I think it’s a brilliant idea.”

Shepas also took the opportunity to tout his own record, both as a member of Austintown’s zoning boards and as a trustee.

“What we did in Austintown, we secured over $335 million from commissioners from our 911 dispatch center that covers 80% of our townships. I spearheaded that, and we negotiated new contracts to make it more fair to Austintown and everybody else,” he said. “We also secured over $34 million in business development in Austintown in the last couple years. On zoning, I was a part of Meijer, part of Chick-fil-A, and yes I was a part of the car washes too. But it’s free enterprise. Who am I to tell you not to put a beautiful new building in Austintown? We believe in development and creating jobs.”

Shepas also noted that he and his fellow trustees worked with the Western Reserve Port Authority to bring a 25,000-square-foot industrial plant to an undeveloped lot on Silica Road.

Shepas noted that as Austintown seeks to expand — and such plans are in the works, he said — especially in the western part of the township, some of that growth will align with industrial development along Mahoning Avenue in Jackson Township as well, and nearby growth in Lordstown and other communities where battery plants have been opened mean the need for new housing is immediate.

“As long as I can continue to do that, not just here, I believe those resources of mine and my experience will continue to help develop that kind of growth countywide,” he said. “I am working with local builders here in Austintown because we know there’s a shortage, and I want to continue to work with local developers to build homes across this county as I’m currently doing here in Austintown.”