Q1: What do you consider the top two major issues facing Sharps Chapel and Union County? How do you plan to address these issues?
1.) Union County should “focus” on the attributes that make us unique to other areas.
1. Norris Lake-keep it clean & protected.
2. Big Ridge State Park
3. Country Music History
4. Wilson Park & The Veterans Wall
5. Close proximity to a major city. – Knoxville
6. Rural Living
Instead of trying to copy other counties we should focus on strengths (see above list). We are in Wonderful position to have steady growth if we advertise our strengths. To build a Strong county you have to have a Strong Foundation. We are a great place to work, play & retire. But placing business in rural settings isn’t the avenue to take. We have an Industrial Park for businesses.
Q2: In Tennessee’s 2022 county profiles, Union County’s overall rank is 89 out of 95 counties (www.gov/tcc/data-and-research/county-profiles.html). What policies and programs do you support to improve the county’s situation?
2.) Union County needs to Focus on:
A. Health care for the citizens
B. Should establish a 24-hr Urgent Care Center in our county. This center would help stabilizing an injured person or a person in critical condition due to health issues.
C. Education needs to be broadened to include training for a changing economy. Examples: Technical-computer skills
Vocational Ed. – Examples: Heat & Air - certification
Welding – certification
Plumbing – certification
D. Union County should also focus on the reasons people move into our county & why do people move away from our county. The more we know about what our strengths are the better we can stay on that path. Also, we as a county need to know about our weaknesses. What do our citizens want? What are their economics? What can our government do better?
Q3: What is your position on bringing some sort of planned development to Union County to ensure economic development is balanced with the environmental impact it may cause?
3.) Tourism is the major source of revenue for Union County. Our Lake, Big Ridge State Park, the local marinas all provide plentiful outdoor activities for travelers. Any industry considering our county must be examined closely to make sure it doesn’t hurt the local communities or environment in our county. Industry should be recruited that will provide safe, secure and long term benefits for our county. Also, the citizens of our county have a right to know when an industry or company is considering a move here.
Q4: How would you solicit input from the community you serve? And, likewise, keep the community informed on a timely basis?
4.) I fully support the citizens having a voice in the activities of their government.
Public meetings are one avenue to keep the citizens informed of any major developments.
Using local news outlets provide another way to inform the public.
Q5: Explain why you are the best candidate for this position.
5.) I welcome citizen input BEFORE making decisions that affect their communities and our county.
- Experienced Leadership- has overseen budgets during tough economic times, both at the state and local levels.
- Believe in a Balanced Budget, Reasonable spending and low taxes.