2024 Voter Guide: Candidates in Randolph County commissioner Republican primary

Christopher M. Hayer

Age as of March 19, 2024: 41

Campaign website or social media page: Chris Hayer for County Commissioner (Facebook)

Office seeking: Randolph County commissioner

Are you an incumbent? No

Have you run for elective office before? (Please list previous offices sought.) I have never run for office before.

Occupation: Scientist/ operations manager

Education: Bachelors of science in biology, McKendree College

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: I have volunteered at local parks projects, cleanup days, several projects providing masonry work throughout the Randolph County community. I was also a coach and group leader for our local 4-H club. I have been attending meetings of and been involved with the Randolph County Republicans for nearly 10 years. At McKendree College I was a member of the McKendree young Republicans, student ambassadors and student government.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? My campaign is self-funded, with the goal of remaining independent after the election.

Why are you running? I have always wanted to be involved in public service. My family has always been a part of the Republican Party in Randolph County with various family members serving as precinct committeeman, state representative candidate, mayor and police chief. I hope to follow their example.

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? I believe the major issue in Randolph County is the loss of the Baldwin Power Plant in 2025. The area needs to work to bring in new industry and help the businesses already in the county grow. The loss of hundreds of local jobs through the power plant and other ancillary companies that support the power plant in the area will be a major blow to the local economy. County commissioners have the ability to plan ahead to soften the impact by incentivizing new businesses to come to the county and rewarding those that choose to stay, as well as by remaining fiscally conservative to avoid shortfalls in county budgeting. Randolph County has many opportunities through its access to the rivers and rail system and most importantly its great workforce to entice new opportunities into the area.

Why should people vote for you? As the area manager of one of the largest environmental companies in the St. Louis area, I was responsible for managing over a hundred employees and subcontractors. This work gave me large scale budgeting and estimating responsibilities, as well as experience dealing with state and local government entities, the private sector, and individual stakeholders. My work with my wife’s small business has enabled me to have a hands-on view of the struggles and triumphs of local businesses and a feel for what keeps them successful in Randolph County. We’ve been able to employ local workers and use local vendors. I am deeply committed to the continued prosperity of Randolph County and believe that my well-established conservative values make my approach the most likely to extend this prosperity into the future.

Andy Gerlach

This story was originally published February 21, 2024 at 7:45 AM.