Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango has filed pre-candidacy papers to run in the 2018 election, according to a news release.
Salango, a Charleston attorney, was appointed to the commission in February to replace former commissioner Dave Hardy, who became secretary of the state Department of Revenue.
Filing pre-candidacy allows candidates to organize and raise money for campaigns. In the news release, Salango said he expects to have a formal announcement about the election before the end of the month.
"Over the last seven months, I have had the honor of serving the residents of Kanawha County as one of their commissioners," Salango said in the release. "We are making great progress in our efforts to attract jobs and improve our county. I want to be in a position to continue to work on those efforts."