West Central Reporter

It's been a time of firsts for Timothy Carlson.

Carlson, who had spent 22 years on the Christian County Board, decided to finally run for chairman. In winning the seat, he also became the first Republican chairman of the board in more than 50 years.

“I thought, well, I’ll give her a whirl and see what happens,” Carlson told the West Central Reporter. 

Carlson said he hopes to keep the county fiscally responsible after it cut its deficit in half this year. He noted that revenue sources for local governments are pretty scarce right now. 

“You are not going to get an increase (in revenue) when it comes to government,” he said. “You’ve got to do the best with what you’ve got.” 

An Iowa native, Carlson said he moved to Illinois when he was in sixth grade. After dropping out of college at just 26, Carlson bought 40 acres of land in Christian County and has been living in the area ever since.  He said enjoys hunting and fishing and teaching his five grandkids how to hunt and fish.

Carlson isn't looking to stay in the chairman post for a long time, he said, planning to offer the seat to someone else when his term ends. But while in the seat, he wants to bring something simple back to county leadership.

“Government is basically just common sense, and that’s what we don’t have in government,” he said. “If you use a common-sense approach, then you’ll do a lot better.”

As for his noteworthy accomplishment as a GOP member, Carlson said he believes the political landscape of the county is changing, and the coal miners who used to be typical Democrats in the area are mostly gone.