Dusty Irwin
Former Anderson County Commissioner Dusty Irwin is running for one of eight seats on the Anderson County Charter Commission, and he said he supports term limits.
Irwin is running for a seat in District 3, which includes the Andersonville, Norris, Fairview, and Glen Alpine precincts.
In a press release, Irwin said he was an active part of the petition effort to give citizens the opportunity to have term limits through charter—or Home Rule—government.
“I am committed to giving the voters an opportunity to vote on term limits for two consecutive terms for county commissioners and the office of mayor,” Irwin said in the release. “I feel strongly about citizen service on county committees, open and transparent meetings, and ensuring citizens have a right to speak at all meetings.”
Irwin said the Charter Commission also ought to discuss, “out of a sense of fairness,” the possibility of eliminating health benefits, retirement benefits, and dental benefits for county commissioners. City councils in the county don’t offer those benefits, and part-time employees of Anderson County government aren’t offered those benefits either, Irwin said.
“By comparison, Anderson County commissioners receive some of the largest commission salaries in the state, and the citizens I’ve heard from in the Third District have indicated to me that these additional benefits are a bridge too far,” Irwin said. “I’m not certain if the Charter is the appropriate remedy for the health benefit issue, but I’ve told voters I can bring the topic to the table.”
Irwin said he has more than 35 years of manufacturing and operations experience and currently serves as a senior manager for engineering and program management at Fresenius Medical Care. He has been active in community service and served in Anderson County government on numerous committees, including Budget and Purchasing, until a restructuring by County Commission eliminated citizen involvement on those committees, the press release said.
The press release said Irwin and his wife Rhonda have been married 34 years and have three sons: Casey, Ben, and Evan and their first grandson, Max Irwin.
“A member of Second Baptist in Clinton, he and Rhonda like hiking, foreign mission work, outdoor activities, and being on the water,” the release said.
Irwin is running against Steve Emert in the election for the Charter Commission District 3 seat on November 8. Emert and Irwin have competed in an election before. Emert was re-elected to County Commission District 3 in August 2014, when Irwin, who had been parliamentarian, lost in a re-election campaign. Also elected that August was a new commissioner, Philip Warfield. (There are two County Commission seats per district; there is only one Charter Commission seat per district.)
You can follow our 2016 election coverage here. You can see the November 8 sample ballot, which includes Charter Commission candidates, here.
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