Voters in Jefferson County are guaranteed they will be selecting a new auditor when they cast their ballots in the Nov. 6 election.

They’ll be choosing between Republican E.J. Conn and Democrat Scott Renforth, with the winner replacing Patrick Marshall, who decided to not seek re-election to a post he has held across several decades.

Conn has worked for the county for more than 15 years, and began working with the Regional Planning Commissioner as a high school senior. He’s also served in the county engineer department’s mapping office during the development of the geographic information system, and as a deputy auditor under Marshall, where he’s tracked revenue from the oil and gas industry.

If elected, Conn said he will use his experience in the auditor’s office to increase transparency, including enrolling the county in the Ohio Online Checkbook, which will allow every resident the opportunity to track how tax money is spent. He also plans to improve the use of technology to make county records and services more easily available.

Renforth, meanwhile, has served as a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy for 20 years and as a resource officer in the Edison Local School District for 16 years.

He also wants to see the county make better use of technology, saying he would expand online services so that residents wouldn’t have to drive to the courthouse to complete simple transactions. Renforth also said, if elected, he will work toward creating a quicker turnaround in getting tax revenue into the hands of officials from cities, townships, villages and school districts.

Renforth has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, but he has not yet used his education on the professional level.

Both candidates have shown they are willing to put the interests of county residents first, Conn through his service in various departments, and Renforth in law enforcement.

As Renforth has said several times during the campaign, his conviction runs so deep that he is willing to put on a bulletproof vest every day and work to ensure the safety of every resident of Jefferson County. For that, he has earned great respect and deserves continued thanks from each and every one of us.

Experience, however, is important when taking on a position like Jefferson County auditor, and for that reason Conn should be elected.