Dave Griffith said Tuesday he'll be running for the Missouri House of Representatives seat now held by Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City.
Term limits prevent Barnes from running again for the 60th House District seat that covers most of Jefferson City. Griffith is the third Republican to announce plans to run for the job; others include Pat Rowe Kerr and Jane Beetem.
Griffith currently serves as the director of the Heart of Missouri Red Cross chapter.
Official filing for the county, state and national offices on next year's election ballots begins Feb. 27, 2018, with the primary election Aug. 7 and the general election Nov. 6.
"I think veterans (and) active military are important," he said, noting the presence of the National Guard's Ike Skelton Training Site in eastern Jefferson City.
He expects to work on expanding Veterans' Courts throughout the state to help those with legal troubles.
"When people come back from combat," he said, "(they) react differently to their experiences. And many come back different people than they were before (and) they do things they probably never have done before."
Griffith also said he'd work toward getting more jobs in Missouri.
"Here in Jefferson City, the biggest employer is the state," he noted, "and trying to find some way that we can compensate (state employees) for what they do" is important.
When he was the Revenue Department's public information officer, Griffith said, he realized how many people "could go someplace else and get a job and make a lot more money" than the state pays, but "they have a passion for public service."
Another issue, he said, is infrastructure, including transportation.
He recalled a consultants' report when he was on the Jefferson City Council in 2010-11, which showed much of the travel between the nation's east and west flowed through Missouri along Interstate 70.
"There's something that needs to be done for the roads and bridges in our state," Griffith said.
Andy Fechtel is his campaign treasurer and Donna Stone is his campaign manager.
Griffith graduated from Chillicothe High School in 1966 and, later, served in the U.S. Army's special forces.
He and his family moved to Jefferson City 31 years ago. He has two adult children and several grandchildren.