Let's be honest.
This is an important moment in our county's history. We're growing, fast. The world is changing, fast.
The people of Putnam County deserve to chart their own destiny, to be able to grow sustainably without sacrificing our identity and all the things that make our county so great.
If we're going to do that, we have to elect leadership that is adaptable, leadership that is transparent, leadership that listens. We need to be able to keep what is working without being afraid to innovate on where we can do better.
That's exactly why I'm running, and that's exactly the kind of leadership I will deliver as County Commissioner for District 10.
So what am I going to do about it?
Here's the part where I could write a bunch of culture war nonsense.
I could make some pie-in-the-sky promises.
You deserve better than that.
As a county commissioner, I can't save the world. But here's some things that I can tackle:
Affordability
Putnam County rates as one of Tennessee's least affordable counties in terms of housing. We can't keep treating this as business as usual.
Whether its a Habitat model or finding ways to use county land for housing that people can afford, we need to start exploring creative solutions to housing, because business as usual has put us at the bottom of the list.
We all know nothing is getting cheaper. We deserve leadership that will work actively to make sure a roof over our heads isn't what's breaking the bank for our people.
Transparency
Our local government's approach to transparency isn't good enough.
Budget amendments get passed before the public is allowed to know what they are.
Citizens get arrested for approaching their commissioners after their phone calls go unanswered.
Putnam County could lead our state on what it means to run a transparent, accessible government so that every resident feels informed and empowered, so that we all get a say in charting the future of our county.
Keeping County Taxes Low
The truth is, Putnam County has enough tax revenue to chart its own path.
We can improve the lives of our citizens without raising taxes just by spending our money more where it matters.
I pledge to evaluate every dollar of our county budget with the same metric: does this improve the lives of every single Putnam County resident?
No to AI Datacenters
I'm a technologist by trade, so I understand the excitement behind a new technology like AI.
The truth is, though, AI datacenters are bad for communities. They wreck local water supplies. They drive up utility costs for residents. They don't create jobs for folks that live here.
Nobody knows for sure what the future with AI looks like, but one thing is for certain: Putnam County shouldn't gamble on an economic bubble with those kind of consequences.
No to ICE Detention Centers
The Federal Government has already tried to build facilities in our neighboring counties. Their citizens and their sheriffs decided it wasn't right for them, and it isn't right for Putnam County either.
Together, we can build a stronger Putnam County.