James Snedden Jr., a 77-year-old Democrat and Licking County native running for county commissioner in the November election, says he tries to find the joy and humor in every moment.
“I try to entertain others,” he said. “I think even in politics, religion – even in life – you need at least 60% levity because you can become sour if you don’t laugh about mistakes you or others have made.”
This election marks his third attempt to unseat Tim Bubb, the incumbent Republican Licking County commissioner.
Snedden didn’t plan to enter politics, though he jokes that he decided to run for commissioner because he lost a bet with the devil. But behind the humor, he remains concerned about the lack of competition in local elections.
“Since nobody else is stepping up, I’m dumb enough to try it again,” Snedden told The Reporting Project in September.
At 77, he is the oldest candidate on the ballot in Licking County for this election. He is a longtime resident of Eden Township, near St. Louisville, and was married for 19 years, having a daughter and a son.
Snedden is a Navy veteran who served two tours in the Vietnam War. His first tour was from late fall of 1967 through early summer 1968, and he deployed again from late fall of 1968 until the summer in 1969. Before his retirement, he worked at the Newark Air Force Base in Heath repairing guidance systems, where he said he suffered chemical burns that continue to affect him. Yet, he finds humor even in this: “Another handicap is my mouth,” he said with a laugh.
Outside of politics, Snedden enjoys customizing cars and motorcycles and working on landscaping projects, including maintaining the pond on his property. He has also written a children’s book called “A Frog’s Story About Backhoe Jim And The Frog Pond.”
He defines himself as a “troublemaker,” since Snedden said he has made a habit of standing up for the community. After a flood caused turmoil in Marne in 1990, he led a group to court to ensure flood victims received compensation. After he learned some people were excluded from receiving compensation, he declined to accept compensation for several weeks. In protest, he hoped people would stick together and fight for their rights. That fight “helped suck me into politics,” Snedden said.
He said he believes that residents of Licking County should be voting for someone with high credentials, but he emphasized that if voters want someone who will watch out for their dollars, they should look his way.
Snedden is active in his community and describes himself as “a complainer.” He has advocated for better road maintenance, raised concerns about homelessness and stressed the importance of mental health. He says he is passionate about all of the issues facing the people of Licking County, and he believes that all concerns should be addressed, not just one.
One of the challenges Snedden foresees as commissioner, if elected, is negotiating with the other two commissioners. He says it’s important to review what kind of contracts or deals were made before the election, and to identify areas where minor changes can be made to make them more effective for the voter and the taxpayer.
Snedden stressed the importance of research, saying that voters need to look beyond a 30-second sound bite, because it won’t tell you what a candidate has accomplished.
“I just hope that the public, on both sides, takes a good look at their candidates in-depth. I would say that research is the best thing that the community could do.”
This story was updated on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 11:35 a.m. to correct the dates of when Snedden served in Vietnam and to include additional information about the Marne flood. The Reporting Project regrets the errors.
Daniela Gomez Vargas writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.