"With 245 years of family history in Laurens County, I am extremely invested in what happens here. I love this community and its people, and I am proud to be a part of it. I want to do my part to make sure that Laurens County thrives and becomes a place that industries seek for their projects, and a place families seek to raise their children. Laurens County is on the cusp of something great! Now is the time for us to soar."
LIST OF ISSUES
GROWING COMMUNITY
Growing community encompasses several things for me. With the growing jobs I hope to see here in Laurens County in the future, we will see an increase in population. We want to have good places for people to live throughout our entire county. I will encourage builders to consider our county as an option for their projects. I am not talking about thousand-home subdivisions, I’m talking about quality-built homes spread throughout the county. I want there to be good options for people who are looking to settle in Laurens County for work and play. I also want to build community by supporting local entities in their efforts to improve Laurens County. Items such as the "Think Local" campaign sponsored by the Chamber encourages people to shop Laurens County first. We need to support our local businesses in order for them to thrive and encourage other entrepreneurs to come to our county to make one of our communities their home and have confidence that they will be successful here.
GROWING INDUSTRY
I am excited to begin work with the LCDC and the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce. I believe these groups need support from County Council to help draw industry to our County; bringing in new industry on the LCDC level, as well as supporting and growing our existing local businesses through the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce. Laurens County has made great strides over the last 20 years bringing in new industry. We have several business parks being expanded or built. We have the space and need to attract new industry! Located right in the middle of two major interstates, halfway between Columbia and Greenville, as well as halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, Laurens County could not be a better location. As a councilman, I would commit to work hard with these groups, not asking why didn’t they come here, but being proactive and asking what we need to do to get them to come here. I don’t want Laurens County to sit by and take whatever scraps we can get. We need to be proactive and get prepared for prospective business. The new spec buildings the City of Clinton has constructed, as well as the new business park under construction in Gray Court, are just some examples of what we should be doing countywide to attract industry. I want to sell Laurens County's amazing features to prospective industries. Let's make Laurens County the place to be!
CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THE AG COMMUNITY
​
Laurens County is a huge agricultural community, with 76% of our county forested. That is 345,953 acres of timber. Another 77,888 acres is made up of cropland and pastures for raising animals--that total comes to 93% of Laurens County being agricultural. This is an ag-centered community. I’m proud to say I’m an 8th generation Laurens County farm owner. As a councilman, I will always keep the ag community at the forefront in my decision-making, ensuring that landowner rights continue to be protected as our county grows.
MAINTAING TRANSPANENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY
​
Members of the current Council have done a fantastic job of increasing transparency among our county offices and holding our people accountable as they manage taxpayer dollars in their day-to-day jobs with the county. As a councilman, I will continue to see that this level of transparency and accountability is maintained and that we continue to ensure that every penny spent by the county is done so appropriately.
INCREASING MUNICIPAL RELATIONS COUNTY WIDE
​
My dream as a county councilman would be to see all of the municipalities and smaller communities come together and work as one. What is good for Clinton is good for Laurens County; what is good for Waterloo is good for Laurens County; what is good for Gray Court is good for Laurens County, and everywhere in between. We should all be working together between the County Council and the city and town councils to share ideas and build new growth. Too often things are looked at as being “not our problem,“ but it is our problem. We all live in this county, and as a councilman, I would encourage growth in all the communities, not just District 4 and not just the City of Laurens. I would encourage everyone to invest in all the communities that endeavor to make themselves better and by doing so make Laurens County a better place to live, work, and play.
​
The time is here to move Laurens County into the future. I'm ready to be the person to help do it, but I'll never be able to do it alone. It will take all of us.
Lets Grow Laurens County Together!!!