Johnston County Commissioner Allen L. Mims Jr. filed Tuesday for his sixth term in office. Mims represents District 7. He was first elected in 1998. Mims says he wants to continue work on the county board by keeping property taxes low, providing services to the citizens, while maintaining a conservative approach to finances.
“When it comes to choosing a county commissioner, I hope you’ll agree with me that one qualification should be paramount: experience. It is especially important to bond-rating agents, the folks who rate a county’s ability to repay its debt. One factor they rely on is the cumulative number years of experience on the board of commissioners. Over the past 19 years I have worked shoulder to shoulder with our other commissioners to lift our bond rating through seven upgrades to where it now stands, one grade below a triple A. I am very proud of this achievement as it saves the tax payers millions of dollars in school construction debt service,” Mims said in a statement he released after turning in his paperwork at the Johnston County Board of Elections Office.
“Keeping property tax rates low also requires experience. During my time on the board we’ve had to come up with some very creative ideas in order to achieve this and we did. There has not been one property tax increase during my time, even during the great recession.”
“Without experience in long-range thinking and planning, I fear the future of our economic development will be in jeopardy. Major projects such as the ones our board has had to tackle during my time there, projects like a new work force development center, a new agriculture building, a landfill with approximately 70-90 years of life, 18 new schools and seeing to our water and sewer commitments require a steady hand and yes, that all important asset, experience. What will we need in the future? You can believe me when I tell you that I’m totally prepared to see to whatever our needs may be,” Mims stated.
“Unfortunately, many of the commissioners I once worked with have retired, leaving the board, except for one other member, fairly inexperienced. For this reason, and because you’ll be entrusting your county commissioner with your taxpayer dollars, I’m asking you to consider me and my years of experience when voting in the primary in May. If you want four more years of good county government, I would appreciate your vote. Remember, the board of commissioners should always be moving forward, and not repeating ideas that failed in the past.”
Mims, who is from Clayton, served as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners from 2010 to 2012 and Vice Chairman from 2008 to 2010.
He is the owner and operator of Leallen Farms and a Life Member of the American Quarter Horse Association. He received an Engineering degree from NC State University in 1973. He is also currently a member of the RTZ Advisory Committee, Library Board of Trustees, and Johnston Community College Board of Trustees.
Mims is a former member of the Clayton Planning and Zoning Board, Clayton Rotary Club, Clayton Auditorium Renovation Capital Campaign Chairman, Clayton Chamber of Commerce and Johnston County Community Foundation.
Mims and his wife, Lee, have two adult children, Allie and Pattie.
