Democrat Pota Coston is ready to hit the ground running in January as Fayette County’s newest commissioner, but she is not looking to make waves.
“I’m new,” she acknowledged. “I’m going to come in, get briefed and work with everyone.”
Giving no indication of any new initiatives she wants to present to her peers, she reaffirmed that she wishes to continue working on the priorities that were the focus of her campaign.
“I ran on a platform of protecting and increasing our home values, growing our economy and bringing jobs, partnering with the Board of Education to keep quality schools, renewing our focus on public safety — these are all quality of life issues and reasons why many of us moved here,” she said. “Those are the areas that I want to continue to stay focused on.”
When she takes office at the beginning of 2015, Coston will be the first-ever black member of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners. She won by a two-to-one margin over incumbent Allen McCarty for the District 5 seat, the first time Fayette voters have elected commissioners by districts instead of choosing all of them at large.
As for the district voting system, which was determined by a lawsuit and is currently the subject of an appeal, Coston said Monday she would not comment on the pending case. But in a press release sent out just after her win last week, she was more forthcoming with her opinion.
“Tuesday was the first election in which candidates for the county commission and school board were chosen only by the voters in those respective districts. Coston is the first commissioner elected in the newly drawn District 5, defeating the incumbent who was elected under the old system. Like many Fayette citizens, Coston supported the court’s decision and believes that there will be greater accountability and transparency in district representation. As one of the first commissioners elected under this new system she recognizes the significance and promises to be accessible to all county residents,” the release stated.
A 10-year resident of Fayette County, Coston ran for office twice previously, losing consecutive bids for Tyrone Town Council in 2011 and 2013 (she lost the latter race by six votes). She said it was the support she got in that last campaign that led her to make the decision to seek a county office.
“After I lost last year, there were so many people that encouraged me to run for county commissioner,” she said. “It was really across the board. I have a very diverse supporter base in terms of age and gender and race. They just felt that I should do it and were there to support me all the way.”
Having retired in 2008 after 29 years in federal law enforcement, Coston now runs her own consulting business and serves as workforce development program director for a local youth leadership development organization. She is a member of Fayette FACTOR and has participated in local visioning initiative meetings and Chamber of Commerce efforts to encourage entrepreneurship and small business development in the county.
“I’ve been very active and engaged in the community,” she said.
Through some of those activities she has already interacted with some of the current commissioners as they have worked together on various issues.
“Everyone has been very welcoming as far as the other county commissioners,” she said of her soon ascent to the board. “I know them and have worked with some of them on other initiatives throughout the county.”
She has given no thought to who she might vote for to fill the chairman’s seat next year, she said.
As for being a district commissioner, Coston said she would have run even if the seat were still at-large.
“I had good support across the county,” she noted, citing the various congratulatory messages she received from all over after her win. “It’s really been just heartwarming.
“I’m here to serve all the citizens of the county.”
