Issues

What I Will Fight For

Income-Based Affordable Housing in District 23 is needed now. This impacts every facet of our lives.
It impacts our economy as companies go where their employees can afford to live.
It impacts our historic communities as they get swept away under gentrification.
It impacts our young college graduates as they can’t find affordable homes when they return from college to begin their lives.
We will work to ensure we find solutions to address this need including zoning, funding, and public-private partnerships.

Overdevelopment that overburdens infrastructure and threatens our green space must be addressed now.
We must Manage increases in Traffic, including sidewalks, streetlights, sewers,
Growth Management policies that accommodate growth rationally, not to prevent or limit it. That is growth under control.
With Growth Management, we create and enforce specific regulatory policies aimed at influencing how growth occurs within a neighborhood or community. Policies and standards that address density, availability of land, mixtures of uses, and timing of development for the benefit of both the neighborhood and community as well as the developers.
Effective growth refers to an overall set of broad goals designed to counteract sprawl. These usually include (1) limiting outward expansion, (2) encouraging higher density development, (3) encouraging mixed-use zoning, (4) reducing travel by private vehicles, (5) revitalizing older areas, (6) incentives for affordable housing, and (7) preserving open space.

Improved Public Transportation Service for District 23 means better access to better jobs, shopping, and recreational activities.
As a member of the Board of Directors of the GTA/Greenlink, I understand what is working well and where we need to improve bus service for the neighborhoods of District 23. Currently, 70% percent of all bus routes run through the county but Greenville County doesn’t pay its share.
As a member of the Council, I will prioritize securing a designated funding source for Greenlink service expansion for our community, improved routes, and the frequency of bus service.

Creating & Supporting Business Development in District 23 that focuses on Minority and Women-Owned Business opportunities.
As a Black man who owns and has started several businesses I know that the obstacles facing businesses owned by minorities and women in Greenville County are historic and daunting, but the opportunities for a black person, a woman or a person of color to start a new business is even more challenging.
We must begin by an honest and unflinching evaluation of existing policies and the County’s compliance with meeting its own goals.
We must focus unyielding attention on reforming the system so that minority and women-owned businesses are included in all county economic incentives and contracts and have an equal chance to compete, create and receive the benefits of economic development and opportunity in Greenville.

We will focus on making sure crime is addressed in our neighborhoods by providing sheriffs with the training and social services support needed to serve the community,
Just as important, I will also make sure that we are providing opportunities for 2nd chances to slow recidivism in our communities.

Property Tax reform for Senior Citizens and Low-Income Residents Fair and Equitable Tax Policy for County Residents that protects seniors and long term low income residents from an unaffordable property tax increase that drives people from their homes,
We will fight for a fair tax system by pushing for the same assessment ratio for all,
At the very least, the manufacturing, business, and personal property ratios require a downward adjustment.