STEUBENVILLE — With Jefferson County Commissioner Tom Gentile choosing not to seek re-election after three terms, two Democrats and one Republican have declared their candidacy for his seat on the board.

Edward L. Littlejohn Sr. of 281 Bryden Road, Steubenville; and Robert Steve Vukelic of 1122 Pierce Ave., Toronto, will be the two Democrat candidates on ballots in the March 17 primary election.

The winner of that race will face Republican Tony Morelli of 2828 Fernwood Road, Wintersville, in the fall.

Littlejohn is a graduate of Steubenville High School and the former Jefferson Community College, where he received an associate’s degree in business.

He has 30 years experience as a real estate developer and 40 years experience as a small business owner, having operated a storage business, martial arts studio and sandwich shop.

Littlejohn served for 20 years as Positive Reinforcement of Inner Determination and Endurance facilitator for the Jefferson County Juvenile Court System. The P.R.I.D.E. program aims to instill in juvenile offenders self-respect, self-discipline and self-motivation through mental and physical development.

Littlejohn also served 10 years in the Steubenville Municipal Court Community Service and Probation Department. He said during that time he worked with others to establish the drug court program and after networking with state officials to learn of grant opportunities, secured two worth more than $200,000 for a vehicle and other equipment used for the community service program.

He said such programs involve offenders in making reparations for their crimes through community service and help them to become accountable for their actions.

Littlejohn noted Ohio communities are expected to receive a portion of funds from a major settlement between the state Attorney General’s Office and opioid manufacturers.

He said those funds should be used to address the opioid problem and not for unrelated things, and as commissioner he “will make sure that the funds will be used appropriately for Jefferson County.”

Littlejohn said if elected, he will push for area schools to educate students about fields in great demand for workers and encourage Eastern Gateway Community College and the Franciscan University of Steubenville to provide training and education to prepare the local workforce for such careers.

“It was no accident the steel industry developed in this area,” said Littlejohn, who said proximity to the Ohio River and major metropolitan areas supported that development and can be used, along with access to major highways, a railroad and the Jefferson County Airport, to promote new development.

“We need to build on our strengths and make this area more accessible to other businesses,” he said, adding, “We can make our community better by focusing on the positive aspects.”

Vukelic is a graduate of Steubenville High School, attended Kent State University for three years, and graduated from Youngstown State University with a bachelor’s degree in business management.

He is the owner of Land Holdings RCVV and RSV Inc., a construction and demolition firm; and has been involved in construction projects in five states involving the Westinghouse Corp., Ohio Edison, Weirton Steel, Severstal and American Electric Power; and in 50 cities, including Columbus, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Vukelic said, “The responsibility for Jefferson County’s lagging behind in the economic growth of our region lies at the feet of the government officials’ leadership, local financial institutions’ lack of confidence in our country and the people with the money and the influence their money buys.”

“I will bring these stakeholders together and build a consensus that putting aside individual personal interests and cooperating together will result in increased prosperity for everyone who lives in and works near Jefferson County. I believe that fostering an environment of commitment to unselfish cooperation will make Jefferson County great again,” he said.

Vukelic said if elected, he would encourage open communication among all elected and appointed officials, streamline government operations to ease access to birth and death certificates and building permits.

He said to address the opioid epidemic, he would “engage the knowledge and skill sets of mental health and addiction recovery service providers, employment and job readiness service organizations, secondary and higher education providers, faith-based organizations, law enforcement and justice system stakeholders to improve recovery outcomes for individuals and families throughout the county.”

Vukelic said he has experience closing a landfill and will see that all landfills are held to the same standards and the rights of neighboring residents and businesses aren’t disrupted while pushing for state and federal officials “to stop the proposed influx of out-of-state garbage into Jefferson County.”

He said he’d push for revenue from the oil and gas industry to be distributed fairly and equally throughout the county.