Wallace B. “Joe” Bush has announced his plans to seek the Republican nomination for the District 3 seat on the Covington County Commission.

Bush is a resident of Pleasant Home, where he has lived the majority of his life. He is a 1962 graduate of Pleasant Home School and a 1964 graduate of Marian Military Institute, where he was valedictorian. He earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Alabama. He returned to the University of Alabama in 1971 and earned a master’s degree in social work in 1973.

He worked in the fields of accounting, banking and computer programming before completing his master’s degree. He then pursued a career in social work with the Department of Human Resources and worked for 30 years before retiring in 2003. More than 20 years of his experience with DHR was directing the work of several county departments, including a period of eight years in Covington County. The work included hiring employees, conducting performance appraisals of supervisors, managing the financial affairs of the county and developing working relationships with other professional groups in the county.

“My experience in working with governmental agencies ahs given me an opportunity to both observe and direct activities of employees who serve the public,” Bush said. “My degree in accounting has been a valuable asset in utilizing all available financial resources to the fullest extent possible. These experiences should provide a solid foundation to serve the people of Covington County.”

Bush said if elected, he will work to develop the county’s resources. One initiative, he said, would be to develop a long-range plan with all county stakeholders to address the financial and other issues facing all government agencies because of the current economic situation.

“Covington County is my home,” Bush said. “It has been good to me and my family and I would like the opportunity to make my home a better place to live.”

He is a member of the Pleasant Home Baptist Church where he serves as treasurer, deacon, trustee and Sunday School teacher. He also is an active member of the Stokes Masonic Lodge.

He and his wife, the former Kathryn Prestwood, have two adult children, Shane Bush of Calera and Greta Bush Williams of Sanford; and six grandchildren.