Achievements

During my first term as Henderson County Commissioner District 5, I am proud to have served alongside four other Commissioners to accomplish the following for Henderson County and its Citizens:  

Reduced Tax Rate.

  In 2023, the Henderson County Board of Commissioners passed the largest real property tax rate reduction in Henderson County history. The 2023-2024 Henderson County budget included a tax rate reduction of 13 cents per hundred.  

Fiscal Responsibility.

 Henderson County has created and maintained balanced and fiscally responsible budgets since before my term began in 2020. Fiscal responsibility is a priority of mine and the efforts to maintain this in our County have resulted in Henderson County being in a strong financial state. Our bond rating is excellent. 

Support for EMS, Fire Departments, and Sheriff Department.

 Worked to keep wages competitive with neighboring counties and to ensure that the brave men and women of Henderson County’s Fire Departments, Sheriff Department, and Emergency Medical Services have the life-saving equipment and training they need. Henderson County’s EMS is now fully staffed.  

Support Henderson County Employees.

 Worked with executive staff to ensure that Henderson County Employee wages are competitive. The employees of Henderson County are the strength of our local County government. Having competitive wages has allowed the County to hire and retain well-qualified employees and to support Henderson County employees and their families. 

Purchase of VFW. 

Henderson County purchased the VFW building, off North Main Street, in 2022. A remodel of the VFW is already underway. The VFW will become the future home of Henderson County’s Veteran’s Services Department and will allow Henderson County to better serve and support our Veterans. The VFW will also offer a public meeting space.  

Support for Henderson County Parks and Recreation.

 Supported Henderson County Parks and Recreation in building an inclusive playground, so that children of all abilities can have a safe and fun place to play. Supported improvements to various parks across the County. The Ecusta Trail Project is under construction at this time and will be a health and economic benefit to the County. 

Support for Partnership for Economic Development.

 Supported the efforts of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development to bring in industry and commercial businesses to our County. These businesses provide good paying jobs and opportunities for the citizens of Henderson County. Supported the Henderson County Economic Investment Fund to find and retain good, industrial properties for future projects. I believe these two entities have been invaluable to the recruitment of good industry to our County and I will continue to support their efforts. 

Support Farmers, through AgHC and the Cooperative Extension.

 Consistently supported AgHC financially and their efforts to support our local farmers and to find and retain agriculture related businesses. The Cooperative Extension has been an invaluable service to our farmers and local gardeners. I will continue to support the efforts of AgHC and the Cooperative Extension.  

Support Education.

 Supported building the new Patton Building at Blue Ridge Community College and the flex-space in the Patton Building. I support the use of the Patton Building Flex Space for use by our local industries in training their employees. I support and will continue to support BRCC’s efforts to educate and train our future healthcare workers, nurses, trades, emergency medical technicians, firefighters, and law enforcement through advanced curriculums and industry specific training. The County fire training facility is at BRCC and I have supported improvements to the facility. BRCC is an invaluable resource to our County. My two daughters attended BRCC and their time there was instrumental to their future educational efforts.  

School Security.

Supported efforts to enhance security at Henderson County Public Schools and upgrades to the school facilities. I am on the Joint Facilities Committee for Blue Ridge Community College and the Henderson County Public School System. The Joint Facilities Committee works with the Henderson County School Board and Blue Ridge Community College to determine future capital improvement projects and capital projects to be brought before the Board of Commissioners. Henderson County is blessed with great public, charter, and private schools along with a robust homeschooling population. I will continue to support education in Henderson County.