FAQ
Q: What do you view as the purpose and role of the County Commission?
A: The County Commission serves as the legislative body responsible for the county’s purse strings. The board’s primary role is to ensure fiscal stewardship by overseeing the budget, and providing the infrastructure (roads, schools, and public safety) necessary for Hamilton County residents to thrive. I see the Commission as the bridge between our local community and the resources needed to enjoy a civilized life. As your next Commissioner, I will work to ensure that District 10 receives its fair share of reinvestment of our property tax dollars.
Q: What are your areas of special focus and/or expertise and what initiatives would you undertake as County Commissioner?
A: One of the largest side effects of our county’s lagging infrastructure is the simultaneous neglect of our school system. For decades developments were pushed through without any regard for school capacity or zoning and transportation logistics. Now we are reading headlines about students being bussed further away from their homes because the closest schools are at capacity. I will work to initiate an annual summit where for the first time ever the entire school board and the complete county commission will come together in a publicly accessible workshop. Until our leaders are collaborating with one another, this county will continue to flounder on how to move forward in the most sensical ways.
Q: What would be your top three spending, savings, and economic development priorities?
A: Regarding spending, I will prioritize road construction and maintenance, properly funding our school system, and explore improving fire service coverage in the unincorporated parts of the county. I will work towards a government that becomes more efficient by seeking out redundant administrative costs. As a county we must increase our efforts to attract high-skill, high-wage industries that allow residents to live and work here, instead of just commuting through it.
Q: As County Commissioner, what measures will you champion to protect the individual Constitutional liberties of all Hamilton County residents, such as freedom of speech, peaceable assembly and exercise of religion?
A: I will continue to champion transparency in all Commission dealings to protect free speech and assembly. I’m excited with the progress of two meetings a month being moved to 5 PM, but this is just a start. Next, the county commission needs to resume meeting every week in order to preserve the public’s ability to access them on public record in a regular cadence. Committee meetings should also be live-streamed on YouTube just as the agenda and regular sessions are. In some instances, conversations had in the committee meetings are more informative than the voting meeting that is made available online.
Q: What legal means, if any, would you support to protect the most vulnerable in our county, including the lives of the unborn, the trafficked, the poor and homeless, and the elderly?
A: I support policies and initiatives that value the sanctity of life at all stages. I believe in offering a hand up rather than just a handout to our homeless community. If we strengthen our initiatives towards mental health and addiction recovery, we will make a more profound impact on the root causes that contribute to homelessness and repeat incarceration.
Q: Should government laws, ordinances, regulations, etc. follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments? Why, or why not?
A: I believe our legal system is rooted in the same moral framework of the Ten Commandments, which emphasize honesty, respect for life, and property rights. While our government must remain neutral regarding specific religious denominations, I believe that our laws are most effective when they reflect these foundational principles.
Q: How would you address the use of automated speed cameras within the county (including those in school zones)? What oversight and transparency measures should be required to maintain public trust? Do speed cameras contradict constitutional protections within drivers’ rights such as due process and the right to confront one’s accuser?
A: As a former reserve police officer and clerk of court, I view automated speed cameras with heavy skepticism regarding due process. Speed cameras are more often used as revenue generators rather than safety tools. I believe in the right to confront one’s accuser, and if you’re being cited it should be handed to you by a law enforcement officer that witnessed the alleged infraction. If the true purpose of a speed camera is to correct or curb risky driving behaviors, that lesson is better applied by a police officer at the time of the infraction rather than an envelope in the mail a month later.
Q: What policies would you support to prevent and disclose potential conflicts of interest between developers and members of Hamilton County’s zoning and planning committees, and how would you ensure that land-use decisions are made transparently, ethically, and in the best interest of residents rather than private interests?
A: I believe all committee members should be subject to filing an annual public financial disclosure. Members should recuse themselves from any vote where they have a direct financial tie to a project or subject matter. Zoning meetings should be held at times and locations that allow for maximum resident participation.
Q: What strategies and/or resources does the county currently have to better pace growth in Hamilton County so infrastructure, roads and emergency services can keep up with development? How would you use these tools to address this issue?
A: The public, and the county, have invested a tremendous amount of time to create Plan Hamilton. I feel that we must give it a chance to see how it impacts growth. I also feel that we have to start evaluating development on a broader scale and distance for its impact. Areas with multiple proposed developments need to be analyzed for their impact as a whole, not individually.
Q: Do you support having a separate planning commission for the unincorporated areas?
A: The split of the planning commission into separate urban and rural boards is a risky move that echoes the 1919 bankruptcy of James County. While rural frustration with city-centric planning is valid, isolationism threatens regional infrastructure and economic growth. Instead of a costly planning island, I support a unified board through specific reforms that include: geographic quotas mandating representation for unincorporated districts, expert-citizen balance mixing technical professionals with local residents, rural impact assessments formally evaluating how developments affect agricultural land, decentralized hearings with meetings held with the affected communities, and inter-agency transparency ensuring coordinated planning for roads and schools.