Q: How do you believe elected officials should best balance the needs of residents with growing development, particularly in more rural areas?

A: It is always the elected official’s responsibility and duty to represent the citizens first and foremost. The major issue is within local municipalities, there are pressures from the county and state level that often tie the hands of elected local officials, especially within ETJ (extraterritorial jurisdiction) areas. It should always be the elected official’s goal to listen to residents on their needs and concerns in order to maintain a healthy quality of life. The major factor with any growth is to help determine if the development will put a strain on neighbors and taxpayers. I believe in property rights and being able to utilize your property in any way as long as it does not hinder anyone else's rights. It must be the goal of all elected officials in the USA to protect these individual rights.

Q: What do you see the primary role of alderman being?

A: The primary role of the Alderman, the Mayor, and the Town Manager is to serve our citizens as a unified body. Within our form of local government, the Aldermen are to represent the citizens, working closely with the Town Manager and our departments in order to accomplish the goals that serve our community. It is the goal of the Aldermen to communicate with citizens and to bring that information up to the board so that the board can be well informed. It is also the role of Aldermen to educate citizens and champion transparency in our community.

Q: How involved should an alderman be in the workings of the Town, especially when it comes to specific departments like police, fire or planning?

A: It’s very important for the Aldermen to work with our town’s departments in order to properly educate and represent our citizens. Our elected town officials, in order to continue to improve our quality of life, need to be knowledgeable and aware of the ongoings within our town. It is equally important, if not more, for the Aldermen and Mayor to encourage involvement from our residents to do the same. If the Aldermen, Mayor, or Town Manager are not involved, they will not be able to supply the education and representation that is needed at our local level. I am a firm believer in leading by example and our citizens need to know that their elected officials and our various departments are working for them, completing their civic duty to represent and serve all of our citizen's best interests.

Q: What is your political philosophy and what is your opinion regarding local government’s role in the life of its citizens?

A: My political philosophy is rooted in the intentions of our founding fathers whose goals were to pursue a free nation that preserves our inalienable rights. The right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. I believe in our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and all of its intent made evident by the declaration of independence. I am a registered Libertarian as I believe Libertarianism aligns closest with our founding father’s intentions. I believe that local governments have the largest role within our country, Constitutionally they hold more power than our state or federal government since at this level true democracy and representation can be achieved. It is the goal of the State and Federal government to protect our liberties and rights from foreign and national threats. It is the goal of the local government to provide representation for citizens as a whole as long as it does not hinder a single individual’s rights.

Q: Stormwater runoff remains a concern for residents. How can Town officials better address stormwater runoff issues, especially when private citizens’ properties are impacted?

A: Kernersville has a stormwater division operated by a professional and knowledgeable staff with several educational programs provided to help educate our citizens on stormwater. Kernersville is in a watershed since we are located at the highest point in Forsyth County, this is especially important as the town has a large impact on nearby rivers and bodies of water that can impact others around us. Our local government goals with stormwater are to work with our stormwater division, educate the public, and encourage the public's involvement to help provide and consider safe responsible actions against stormwater runoff. Where private citizens’ properties are concerned, we must make sure to not violate their property rights and we should continue to help educate them on proper solutions and practices. I believe by working closely with our stormwater division and the public that together we can champion solutions for new construction while addressing existing concerns.

Q: Where do you stand on the use of taxpayer funds for public/private endeavors, like the YMCA community pool or more recently with the Visitors Center with Kӧrner’s Folly?

A: I stand in the potholes in our streets, I stand in the neighborhoods suffering from poverty and crime. I stand with the citizens and business owners who are overtaxed and underrepresented. It is a town’s goal to provide protection for citizens and to uphold their constitutional rights so that we may embrace a better quality of life. Kernersville has over 24,000 residents, over 11,000 households, and we are projected to have nearly 30,000 residents by 2025. It is impossible to represent them by the use of taxpayer funds for public/private endeavors. I don’t believe good ideas need to be forced through the levying of taxes. We can and must rely on our civic responsibilities to provide for our neighbors. Kernersville was founded on the basis of freedom and volunteerism and I believe sticking to these ideals will increase the quality of life for all our residents, not just a few individuals

Q: Is there an issue you would like to see the Town address that you believe needs more attention?

A: Kernersville's the best town in my opinion and our residents prove this daily. We are small enough to know our neighbors, yet big enough to benefit from our resources. We all see some sort of issue within the town, it's natural. The majority of residents have some form of an issue they want to be addressed. The reality is, for various reasons, that many of our residents’ voices are not heard. Our past elections show that we have a range of only 500 - 2,000 voters even though we have around 25,000 residents. This means that less than 10% of our population gets their voice heard. As we grow I feel that we can not properly focus on issues that affect our town until we see more activity from residents. Kernersville’s main priority should be getting more residents involved and represented, I'm confident a few simple steps could accomplish this