James "Pat" White, 73, of 490 Ashland Drive, Hermitage, is running for a seventh term as Hermitage commissioner.

"I have always considered it an honor to have served the citizens of Hermitage the past 20 years," said White, who announced his re-election bid Sunday.

White said during his tenure the city has prospered while other areas haven't.

"In the early 1980s during tough economic times due to the loss of many good paying industrial jobs, we in the city of Hermitage struggled at budget times like other surrounding communities. Through proper planning, setting short- and long-term goals and making tough decisions, it is quite evident how the city has prospered."

White serves as the secretary of the Mercer County Regional Planning Commission, secretary of the Mercer County Solid Waste Authority, the Environmental and Energy Committee for the National League of Cities; and the Intergovernmental Study Committee, as well as other committees.

Retired from his own business, Pat White Carpet Cleaning & Sales, he works for ERA Johnson Real Estate as a part-time real-estate agent.

"The city's success would not have been possible without an excellent management team and good hard-working and dedicated employees," White said. "I wish to continue to be a part of this successful team to help carry out the plans and short- and long-term goals we have set for the future."