There it is, folks: Campaign Central.

My reliable Buick Regal served as my mobile campaign headquarters when I ran for State Representative last year. It was the perfect choice for a largely do-it-yourself campaign.

It will be “Campaign Central” again as I run for Plains Township Commissioner in 2011.

I don’t have a complicated platform.

1)  The first “plank” comes from an elderly gentleman I met in Ashley last year. “Don’t lie,” he told me. Integrity comes first.

2)  I will not campaign for any other office while serving as Commissioner. Plains Township will get my full attention for my entire term. Public service should be just that: service. You can’t serve the people as they deserve to be served if you’re knee-deep in campaigning for some other office.

3)  I will be available and accountable.

4)  I will oppose gas drilling in Plains Township. That’s as plain as I can say it.

It will not be easy to win this November.

There will be three names on the Republican ballot, but I am the only Republican. (The others are write-in candidates.) That’s going to make winning a tougher nut for me to crack. I’ll need your help. Here’s what I ask:

IF YOU ARE A REPUBLICAN:  Bullet vote for me and only me for Plains Township Commissioner.

IF YOU ARE A DEMOCRAT, INDEPENDENT, or OTHER PARTY VOTER :  Consider giving me one of your three votes. If there’s someone on the Democrat side of the ballot who you find yourself unhappy with, vote for me instead.

It is time to have another voice on the Board of Commissioners. I ask that you vote for me. I'm an independent thinker, and I'm beholden to no one.

Lastly, you need to be aware that I will be losing my job in mid-November. My position with my company has been eliminated. Like many Americans, I face a period of uncertainty through no fault of my own. This is something you, as voters, need to be aware of. I’d rather you hear it from me than from somewhere else. I’ve been working since I was 14 years old. The longest stretch of unemployment I’ve ever had was two weeks. I have no doubt that I will either find or create an opportunity. That’s what we Americans do. We persevere. We believe in our nation and in ourselves.

James O’Meara, Sr.