In one of the few contested races during the Aug. 6 primary, Dave Mikus and John Miller will compete to fill the District Two seat on the County commission that was vacated by Tom Meyer. Both are republicans and would run unopposed in the general election in November. 

Mikus is a fourth generation farmer in Warren County and owns and operates Pumpkins Galore. He has also served as a member of the Wright City R-II School Board for the past 10 years. 

He said that experience on the school board is what motivated him to seek the commissioners’ seat.

“I enjoy working in the community. This is my 10th year on the Wright City R-II School Board and once I got involved there, I found out that I just really enjoyed the public service side of things,” Mikus said. 

Miller, his opponent, also has experience in public service including some time serving on the County commission and the Warrenton Board of Aldermen. He also has history as a business owner, first working as a pipefitter when he moved to Warren County before owning and operating Tony’s Fine Meats in Warrenton. 

He was appointed as a commissioner in the ‘90s and completed his term without seeking reelection. He was also a member of the Warrenton Board of Aldermen.. 

Recently, he has been working as the General Sales Manager at Gastorf Chevrolet in Warrenton.

He said since he left the commission, the amount of work involved in the position has increased significantly. 

“It’s a full time job now, and make sure you understand, back in the early days, the commissioners primary job was fulfilled in about one and a half days a week, maybe two,” Miller said. “Now it has evolved into a full-time job.”

He continued saying that he hoped he would be able to help shoulder that workload with the other commissioners and that it played a large part in his motivation to run. 

Both candidates felt that managing the growth of population and of the county overall was of the utmost importance. 

“We have to make sure every I is dotted and every T is crossed,” Miller said. “The world is changing so fast and we’re just starting to get a taste of it. The next six or seven years are going to be something we got to really watch, and grow in an intelligent manner.”

Mikus echoed those sentiments, and said that input from constituents would be one of his priorities when considering growth in Warren County. 

“We cannot let the fact that everything is kind of going in the right direction keep us from listening, … The biggest challenge that we have coming up is going to be able to manage the growth, we know that we’re going to grow, the question is, how are we going to do it? And what form are we going to do it in,” Mikus said. 

Mikus also felt that the relationship between Warren County and the municipalities within it was in a better position than it had been for some time, and said it was a development he hoped to continue if he receives the nomination following the Aug. 6 election. 

“I think the county, for the most part, has been more involved lately than in the past with local municipalities and I think that’s one thing that we must keep working on,” Mikus said. 

Miller also impressed the importance of maintaining relationships and communicating with all the municipalities in the county. 

“For the first time in many, many, many years, this county and cities are talking unitedly,” Miller said. “So when everyone has an opinion, we’re coming to a conclusion and making a decision, and that hasn’t been seen in Warren County in many, many years, and that’s what I want to continue.”

While there are similarities, only one of the candidates can receive the Republican nomination for the open seat on the commission, and voters will decide for themselves on Aug. 6.