Darren Figgins Always Strives To Do The 'Right Thing'

We don't agree on everything, and we shouldn't, but when we come to those occasions we figure out what's right and move on. You don't hold a grudge when it's over. You move on to the next order of business.”

Darrin Figgins

Darren Figgins was selected in 2024 from around 17 candidates who applied to fulfill the District 1 Commission seat vacated by former Commissioner Marty Long. Long was elected to serve as a state representative.

"I think it has been really good," Figgins said of his time on the commission thus far. "I have enjoyed doing it. I'm proud to try and help do what I can. I think it is a whole lot bigger of an undertaking than some people realize. It takes two or three of us to make it work - it is a group effort."

Figgins and fellow commissioners Mark McGaughey and John Martin, don't alway see things the same.

"We don't always agree on everything, but we also understand we have to figure it out and do what's best for the county and then move on to the next issue."

Figgins said he feels he and his fellow commissioners "mesh well".

"We don't agree on everything, and we shouldn't, but when we come to those occasions we figure out what's right and move on," He said. "You don't hold a grudge when it's over. You move on to the next order of business."

What prompted Figgins to run for re-election?

"I have had a lot of community support," he said. "And I had said from the get go when I turned in my application and my resume to get appointed that I would do it for two years, and if I felt like it was something I enjoyed and that I could do and wanted to do, I would run. So, here we are two years later and I'm doing what I said I would do. Hopefully it works out for the best and we can continue to try to keep the county's best interests in mind."

During his two years on the commission, Figgins feels he and his fellow commissioners "have done a lot of things" he is proud of.

"One thing I think about is that the county has over 100 employees and their families," Figgins said. "The County has always taken good care of their employees."

Figgins said he feels proud he is "approachable" and will "listen" to what people in the county have to say.

According to Figgins, they have a lot of projects in the works.

"However, the wheels of government don't turn as fast as we would like them to," he said. "Sometimes it is a long running proposition that you keep working on. There are things in motion now that it may take another four years to get some of it going. It is not anything you can decide over night and just make it happen. Serving on the commission is a learning process.. When you sit down and start looking at the county's finances and our budgeting process, the wheels have been in motion for years. We have 5 and 10- year long range plans... Things that have been bud- geted for. Sometimes you just need to keep going - there is a method to the madness."

Why is the commission seat important?

"You have to have some representation for the district," Figgins said. "I'm District 1- all of those people need a voice, and that one commissioner is their voice."

Figgins has a long history with Grant County.

"I have been here 31 years and I know a lot of people," he said. "I feel I am approachable. I get lots of comments, emails and phone calls there are a lot of daily things that happen that have to be addressed. It's important to be available and be a good listener."

Why choose Grant County Commission?

"Through my 31 years here, I have served a lot of years on the Grant County Cemetery District Board, the Ulysses Airport Board and the hospital board," Figgins said. "Through serving on those boards, I have worked closely with a lot of different commissioners. The things I have been involved with are county, so serving on the commission seemed like a natural progression. I didn't know if that would ever happen, but that's how the cards fell (two years ago) and with some encouragement from the right people who helped me make that decision."

Figgins was born at Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital and grew up in Johnson, Kan. During his high school years, he worked in Ulysses. After high school, he left a few years for college before coming back home to Grant County. He and his wife, Stacy, have been married for 32 years. Stacy is the Direc- tor of Business and Finance for USD214. The couple do not have any children.

Figgins takes the responsibility of commissioner to heart.

"I care about what I do every day and I care about this community," he said. "My family lives here Ulysses and Grant County have been really good to me and I want to be good to them."

If re-elected, Figgins said residents can expect him to be a listener and thinker.

"I will listen to the peo- ple and use my judgment to strive to always do the right thing," Figgins said. "Everyone doesn't always agree about what the right thing is, but as a concept I think we understand to do the right thing."