By GLENN WOJCIAK

The Post staff writer

Medina resident Thomas Decker is hoping to unseat Medina County Commissioner Steve Hambley in the Republican primary election March 6.

Decker, 63, is a retired Parma police officer who is making his first run at political office. He said he was never interested in public office before, but now sees the need for someone in county government who is not a career politician.

Hambley, elected Medina County Commissioner in 1996 and re-elected in 2000, 2004 and 2008, also served as a Brunswick city councilman for five years in the early 1990's.

Hambley received a Ph.D. from the University of Akron in 1993, and was awarded a Martin Scholarship in history for two years. He is currently an adjunct professor at Lorain County Community College.

In 2011, Hambley served as president of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, the metropolitan planning agency for the five-county Cleveland area, a post he was previously elected to in 2001 and 2006.

Over the past year, Hambley has also served as chairman of the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium. The consortium was created by The Fund for Our Economic Future and several of its member foundations, in combination with more than 30 public and private sector organizations who were awarded a $4.25 million dollar grant from the U.S. Sustainable Communities Program.

The initiative is designed to support regional approaches to land use, housing, environmental and economic development issues.

Improving regional cooperation is also a subject that interests Decker. "We need a more unified effort for economic development," he said. "There is too much territorial interest among the cities around the county now that is holding us back."

Decker, who has an associate degree in criminal justice and security administration from Cuyahoga Community College, also calls for greater transparency in county government, the development of a long range capital improvement program and more common sense stewardship of taxpayer money.

Decker said, if elected, he would like to enact a performance management program in which all department heads would present weekly data on their activities which could be analyzed to determine their efficiency.

Decker said he helped organize the Medical Reserve Corp. for the Medina County Health Department and would like to apply that model of volunteer organization to meet other needs around the county.

"I'd like to create a senior citizen council that could tackle other public projects," he said. "We have a lot of talented seniors and I've talked to many of them who are excited about the opportunity to donate their expertise to help out."

Hambley said his primary goal if re-elected is to keep the debt burden low and the budget balanced.

"This will require using the 'tools' provided by the state, improved cooperation between local subdivisions, strategic incorporation of technologies in the delivery of services, as well as careful review and assessment of current departments.," he said.

Hambley said he would also work to increase support for initiatives by the Medina County Economic Development Corporation, limit the growth of tipping fees at the Central Processing Facility, finish the restoration of the old courthouse, invest in future highway programs and establish a sewer repair insurance program for customers.

"I have a proven record of getting results to meet the needs of the county, without raising taxes," he said.

The winner of the primary election will go on to face Democrat Elisa Kazek in the November general election.