They say they lowered our taxes this year, did they?

We all feel the pain at the pump, grocery store and everywhere you spend your hard earned money. We are in double digit inflation with no relief in sight. It is imperative that commissioners consider the residents & businesses of PBC. Every effort should be made to trim county budgets and provide relief where possible. Wasteful or reckless spending must be stopped. With rising home prices the county is getting an unexpected boost from property taxes. 

Will they use this opportunity to lower the mileage rate?

There is a growing belief that code enforcement can be weaponized against business owners. This issue cannot be ignored. Businesses struggled the past 2+ years to comply to ever-evolving C-19 ordinances and regulations. This awakened many business owners to the fragility of their position. Now many are facing new Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) metrics instead of Best Management Practices (BMP). Can they lose their company to a frivolous complaint? What is their recourse? Who will stand in the gap?

In addition to rising prices we are facing shortages on items we have long taken for granted. I would have never imagined baby formula would make the list. 

Even if you can afford to buy an item, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find. PBC can feel like a protected bubble but we must be vigilant in preserving our precious resources.  We are the largest agricultural county east of the Mississippi and need to work together towards sustaining ourselves. 

We are showing low unemployment yet everywhere we look there are "Now Hiring" signs. Short-staffed businesses are struggling to function at full capacity. This is especially apparent in the skilled trades industries. Even if they manage to find a "warm body" to fill a position they struggle to train and retain new and long-term employees. Business owners from all walks say "No one wants to work." 

We must ask ourselves why and what will bring a sense of pride and accomplishment back to the workforce.

Finding the right person or department to help with a problem can feel impossible for residents. People receive a lot of "that's not my job" or "wrong department" run around. The sense of apathy is palpable to the citizenry. As a commissioner I will make it a priority to  help navigate county bureaucracy in order to resolve issues. I will use my position to bridge the gap between citizens and government.

There is no doubt we, as a nation, as a world, have been put through the ringer.  So many are tired of the arguing, isolation and anxiety of "what's next?"

We have people, young and old, who have lost hope for the future. Where there is no hope, there is no safety. You cannot legislate morality, it is cultural. I, for one, have had enough of the negative partisan divides thrust onto us daily. My neighbor is my neighbor and you are my people. 

Let's Save PBC.