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Brief Bio
Jared Madison is a Beaufort resident, hospitality industry worker, writer, civic researcher, entrepreneur, and candidate for Beaufort City Council. He is the founder of Nexus Engineering, an urban systems and policy research company specializing in local government, infrastructure, housing, economic development, and civic technology. Jared writes for Lowcountry Weekly and is the author of The 30 Day Guide to Inner Peace. He serves on the board of The Pat Conroy Literary Center as well as the Ci
email
teamjared@letsgojared.com
Growth is not the problem. Unmeasured growth is. Beaufort should require cumulative-impact and infrastructure capacity reviews before major development approvals rather than evaluating each project in isolation. Roads, drainage, fire and emergency capacity, water and sewer, traffic, housing affordability, tree canopy, wetlands, and neighborhood character should be included in said review.
Developers should pay a fair share of the infrastructure costs that their projects create, and Council should slow or phase development when capacity is not present. Residents should have the ability to actually see the data and have meaningful input before approvals, not after.
Beaufort should be extremely cautious about data centers due to the fact that our natural resources are one of our greatest assets. I would not support placing a large facility near wetlands, flood-prone land, marshes, or areas requiring significant tree clearing or new infrastructure corridors. Any proposal should undergo rigorous review of water use, stormwater runoff, energy demand, noise, generator emission, and long term-environmental impact. If a facility cannot operate without compromising our natural systems or shifting cost to residents, it should not be approved. Growth should fit Beaufort, not force Beaufort to fit the project.
Immigration laws should be enforced, but how we enforce them matters. Local law enforcement should cooperate with federal authorities when legally required and when there are legitimate public-safety concerns. South Carolina law already provide mechanisms for cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
However, I do not believe our local police should become an extension of indiscriminate immigration sweeps or practices that undermine due process and community trust. I grew up here, Beaufort is a community where people know their neighbors, and everyone is treated like family. We can enforce laws while still treating every person with dignity, humanity, and respect; that’s how I was raised.
The Waterfront Park should be treated as critical infrastructure, but an approximate $66 million project should not become a black check for local taxpayers. I support breaking the project into fundable components and aggressively pursuing federal grants, state and resilience grants, while building the requited local match from eligible tourism revenues, capital funds, reserves and outside partnerships.
Local dollars should leverage outside investment rather than carry the entire project. I would prioritize safety critical repairs first and then I would pursue phased construction. Given the design, permitting, and funding still required, I believe a realistic goal is six year with portions reopening sooner where safety applicable.
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