Jeff Pistole Announces Candidacy for County Judge

September 1, 2010 by danfeuer
Filed under Business

Jeff Pistole, a local business owner who currently serves as a Van Buren County Justice of the Peace, is seeking election to the office of Van Buren County Judge, on the principles of independence, as an Independent candidate.

Pistole, a sixth generation resident of Van Buren County, is married to Maria Pistole his wife of 16 years. Together they have four children: Julia, Zackery, Shelby, and Samuel. All four children attend Clinton Public Schools. Pistole and his wife Maria are both 1991 graduates of Clinton High School.

Pistole graduated from UACCM with an AA degree in general education. While attending UACCM he remained on the Chancellor’s Scholars list from 2005-2007. In 2006 he was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa an international honor society for college students with high academic achievements. In 2007 he was awarded the title of Academic All-Star an award given to one student per academic year. He was listed on the Who’s Who Among Students for three years running. In 2008 he received the UACCM English department award. Pistole also attended UCA.

Pistole is an active member in the community. He is a member of the Clinton Rotary Club, the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Van Buren County TEA Coalition. Other organizations he belongs to include the National Right to Life and the NRA. He is also an active member in his church where he has served as an advisor on the Pastoral Council, taught religious education, and recently held the position of Director of Religious Education.

In March of 2010 Pistole became NIMS certified. NIMS (National Instant Management System) is now required for elected officials who serve in an executive position i.e. County Judge.

In order to become NIMS certified he had to complete four courses which represent approximately 33.5 hours of training 29.5 of those were classroom hours.

In his position as Van Buren County JP Pistole has worked hard to represent the citizens in his district while also being sensitive to the needs of all the citizens of Van Buren County. Recently, he has been working closely with the animal shelter and the Library board. A new library is one of the many goals he envisions for Van Buren County. He also wants to work with Solid Waste Management in order to promote awareness about the recycling center. Pistole said that “recycling is not only good for the environment but it is also a good way to save the citizen’s tax dollars.” In 2009 he sponsored the Van Buren County Social Host Ordinance. The passage of this ordinance made it illegal for individuals to host parties with the intent to serve alcohol to minors.

The Pistole Campaign officially started in February with the circulation of a petition to get his name on the November 2nd ballot. The petition was certified by the Van Buren County Clerk’s office in April. Now that the primaries are over the Pistole Campaign is underway. Pistole says “my decision to run as an Independent was an easy one because it required only 166 signatures to get my name on the ballot and it saved me a $1,300 filing fee. That is money I can spend on other crucial areas in my campaign. According to the Van Buren County voter registration list less than 600 people claim political party affiliation. Those 600 people represent roughly 7 percent of the 8,400 registered voters in Van Buren County meaning that 93 percent of Van Buren County voters consider themselves Independent. The people of Van Buren County are Independent because they vote for the candidate, not the party. I find nothing wrong with being an Independent. After all, this country was founded on independence.”

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