On the Issues
“Growth is the issue that people are most concerned about and I have a proven record of supporting responsible growth as a member of the planning commission for the last seven years. Finding solutions to relieve the traffic congestion is my top priority, I want all county residents to have more time to spend with their families and less time sitting in traffic. Other important issues that I want to focus on are bringing good quality jobs to the county, fully supporting our public safety, ensuring that our parks meet the recreational needs of all residents, lower taxes, and to establish a cooperative relationship with our cities so that we can all work together in the best interests of every county resident”.
Growth and Development
Rapid growth diminishes our quality of life in many ways; traffic, crime, over-crowded classrooms in our schools, and the taxes that we pay.
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Impact Fees
I firmly believe that new developments should bear the cost of the impact to the county to provide services to support the new development.
Read MoreTransfer of Development Rights
Transfer of development rights will allow higher density development without going through the re-zoning process. Read More
Annexations
The current state laws for annexation favor the cities and leave the counties with little to no recourse. We need changes made to the annexation laws to create a level playing field. This is a property rights issue.
Read MoreTraffic and Infrastructure
The population of Cherokee County grew by 51.1% from the year 2000 to 2010. That level of growth is not sustainable which is why our infrastructure, primarily our roads, do not meet the needs of the population.
Read MoreEconomic Development
Cherokee County is perfectly positioned for job growth, in fact the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) projected that Cherokee will lead the Metro Atlanta area in job growth through 2040.
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Public Safety
We are fortunate to have the best across the board with our public safety. Our Sheriff’s Office National Accreditation is a professional standard that only 3% of the law enforcement agencies nationwide have achieved. , our County Marshall’s office and our E-911 Communication Center are nationally accredited, our EMS Agency was awarded Agency of the Year and our Fire Department is ranked in the top 4% percent nationwide. In 2018, our Fire Department earned an ISO rating of 2. Homeowners, renters and business owners will benefit from this accomplishment with substantial reductions in their property insurance.
Read MoreFiscal Responsibility
Cherokee County has the lowest tax burden in the region and the fifth lowest out of 159 counties statewide. Cherokee County has the second lowest number of employees per capita in the metro area.
Cherokee County is fiscally responsible and managed well. The county has the lowest debt burden per capita in the region. Every government needs to have a reserve fund, just like us, for those rainy-day unexpected expenses. It is recommended that a county maintain a reserve fund between 10 and 15 percent of their operating expenses, Cherokee County has a reserve fund of 25 percent of our operating expenses. The higher percentage of reserve funds has contributed to the county's AA+ Investment Rating, which means lower interest rates.
I will support fiscal responsibility, a balanced tax digest and lower taxes here in Cherokee County.
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