Campaign Phone
4234349101
I have a vision for a city that includes and works for all citizens. We need to make a concentrated effort to promote affordable and accessible housing and apartments. Rents and sales prices do not reflect the true value of accommodations and are so high that we are losing our workforce who cannot afford housing on such low wages. For this reason, higher wage businesses are needed in our area, and it is incumbent upon the Board of Commissioners to attract these enterprises to our community. Service and retail industries do not provide sufficient employment to grow our city.
We need to reestablish honesty, fairness, and integrity to the Johnson City Board of Commissioners. We are facing three federal lawsuits that the City appears to cons
We need to reestablish honesty, fairness, and integrity to the Johnson City Board of Commissioners. We are facing three federal lawsuits that the City appears to consider the fault of the victims rather than the perpetrator. The Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, who, through unrelated investigations, brought her findings to Police Department management, was denied renewal of her contract. It is the duty of the Board of Commissioners to foster a just and positive operation of city concerns and management in all departments.
As a Commissioner, my goals are to work with federal, state, county, city, and private investors to bring affordable accommodations to city residents and to restore and effectively enforce building codes and designate appropriate and practical zoning. In addition, regulations need to be amended in order to reflect true urban living.
I am constantly working to listen to the problems and issues that affect residents of our city, therefore I change my mind often as a result of my efforts to nail down solutions and improvements. No one has all the answers all the time, and a rigid mindset of preconceived ideas is not effective leadership. It is of the utmost importance that public servants strive to find facts from reliable sources, understanding that issues evolve quickly and we must assimilate details, data, and statistics where they are applicable. It is the responsibility of people at the helm of government, whether local, state, or federal, to ignore the status quo and focus on the best ways to address our challenges.
I retired to Johnson City in 2002. I chose this area because of the natural beauty and the home town feel. I am a Designer by profession so understand the needs for updated building codes and modern urban design. I lived and traveled extensively around the world giving me a knowledge of different living and transportation possibilities. I believe it is important to give back to my community and help better the lives of all our citizens. I live on a fixed income so understand the need to make the city affordable and include everyone. I hope I will have the opportunity to serve the all citizens of Johnson city
Campaign Phone
423-483-8971
I want to see our commission consider the preferences of current city residents. We are currently in a period of high growth for the city, but the city shouldn't be making infrastructure decisions solely to fuel growth for growth's sake. We need to focus on industrial development, job growth, and core city services (roads, fire, police, water, schools). I want Johnson City to be a great place to find a job, live, and raise a family. I have no interest in seeing Johnson City become a shopping/tourist destination in the model of Asheville. We need to preserve our city's values and avoid expensive green initiative projects that do not represent our core values. I would vote no on the proposed shift to alternative fuels for garbage trucks.
Crime, homelessness, and municipal debt. We have increased funding for the police department. We need to ensure those dollars go into developing the actual officers who combat crime. Simply putting cameras around the city is not enough to solve the cities crime issues. We need to address homelessness. We need to consider the effect any city action might have on this issue. For example, improving walkability also attracts homeless foot traffic to new parts of the city. Industrial development can help by renovating abandoned buildings and providing jobs. However, homelessness is a very complex issue and needs to be addressed on many levels throughout the city's services. Finally, we need to balance the budget and cut wasteful spending..
1. Reduce the City's Debt
2. Continue positive improvements in the city's essential services (roads, fire, police, water, and schools).
3. Create high paying jobs through industrial development.
We need to listen to our community. Stop wasting $30k to paint puppy dogs on a wall, $250k to paint butterflies under an underpass, millions on city hall. We need to keep our local government as lean as possible to provide the needed service to our community. We can direct our investments into essential services that our residents rely upon. Furthermore, we need to stop looking to make everywhere a shopping/tourism district. Our zoning choices need to prioritize industrial job growth.
Any given day. I'm an engineering project manager. I spend the majority of my day listening to experts in the industrial automation field and adjusting project plans based upon their input. The worst project managers I know get caught up in fancy buzz words and stop listening to professionals who have been successful in their field for decades. Under my leadership, my part of the company has doubled in size every 18 months and is now four times bigger than it was three years ago. This wasn't due to visionary leadership where I had a great idea and implemented it. I practice servant leadership where I listen to the great ideas of my team and seek to remove any impediments keeping them from being successful.
Johnson City Industrial Development Board Member
Board Member of the Academy of Strings Foundation
Project Manager with 10+ years experience
Active in local community groups including Highland Baptist Church, Unaka Rod and Gun Club, and the East Tennessee Republican Club.
I was born, raised, and am now raising my family in Johnson City. I believe strongly that this is "our city, our home." I'm committed to listening to our community and building the future of Johnson City according to what our residents want our city to be rather than what someone thinks might attract people to our area.
Campaign Phone
423-791-3331
My vision for the future of our city is to strengthen our history to develop a culture where citizens take pride in our area and are more involved in the community, actively enjoying what it has to offer. I want to see more high-quality jobs and housing options so that people can thrive here. Most importantly, I want our citizens to truly find joy in living in this community, feeling connected and fulfilled by the opportunities and experiences available to them. This will help create a vibrant and united city where everyone feels at home. Ultimately this involves getting Growth Right, improving City Services and building our culture.
The biggest challenge for the City Commission is preserving and enhancing our culture amidst the rapid population growth we've experienced, while maintaining high-quality public services and ease of living. Another challenge is keeping taxes low, especially given recent inflation. Additionally, we need to address the homeless culture that has been created and the factors attracting a homeless lifestyle to our city. It's crucial to find compassionate but firm solutions to prevent further growth of this issue while ensuring the safety and well-being of both our residents and the homeless population. Balancing these priorities is essential for our future.
My primary goals as a commissioner would be to get growth right by ensuring wise planning, especially with so many people moving here. Preserving our history strengthens our culture, which is vital for our future. I’d focus on upgrading downtown to create a safe, family-friendly gathering place, and enhancing our Park and Recreation options. Addressing homelessness is a top priority, along with keeping taxes low by restoring dilapidated buildings, blighted areas and vacant land which increases property values and benefits the entire community. These efforts will contribute to sustainable and balanced growth for everyone.
I make it a point to listen to others and not hold too tightly to my own ideas, as their perspectives help me make better decisions. One significant example of this was my decision to run for office. Initially, I was firmly against the idea, but after encouragement from past City Commissioners and leaders, I realized the value I could bring and the importance of civic service.
Another instance where I changed my mind was on a controversial rezoning issue. After receiving input from the community and better understanding their concerns, I realized my initial stance was wrong and adjusted my opinion accordingly to better serve the community’s needs.
Having Served multiple terms on the Johnson City Regional Planning Commission, Johnson City Development Authority, Johnson City Historic Zoning Commission and many local civic and non profit Boards as given me experience on the city administrative side. I also have a unique experience with 20 years in Real Estate and Development in Johnson City leading me to many experiences with the City Building, Development and Planning departments. I also have created several successful hospitality based businesses developing experience in Branding, Developing, Constructing, Hiring and Operating the businesses with excess of 100 employees. Selling Real Estate also gives a perspective of Johnson City from people that have relocated from other areas!
I want to see Johnson City recognized nationally for our quality of life for our residents. This includes affordable housing, high quality affordable healthcare, a thriving downtown, successful small businesses, efficient and affordable public transit, modern infrastructure, and low rates of homelessness and unemployment. I believe that ensuring we maintain focus on improving conditions for all residents and "taking care of our own" will attract employers, services, and events to our city that will continue to add to the quality of life in Johnson City.
Managing the growth of Johnson City is a huge challenge for the Commission. With double-digit growth in 2021 and 2022 that is only now beginning to slow, ensuring that our infrastructure keeps pace without reducing the quality of service and support to our current residents must remain a top priority.
I want the City Commission to improve its accountability and transparency. Whether sharing successes or dealing with challenges, the Commission should strive to communicate well and often with the citizens of Johnson City. Keeping people informed lets them know that you are aware of and working on things that are important to them. As a city commissioner, I will seek to establish positive relationships with local media and to utilize all available platforms to ensure the people of Johnson City know what is going on in their town and what to expect from their Commission.
As a company commander in the Army, I was directly responsible for the well-being, training, support, and employment of over 100 Soldiers and officers. While I had my own ideas of how my company should be run, I knew that I was not the expert on every facet of the company's operations. Before I executed any decisions, I always consulted with my First Sergeant and the Soldiers and officers in charge of each section that would be affected by my decision. If my subordinate leaders gave me input that my thinking was flawed in some way, I trusted them as the experts in their field and modified my thinking accordingly. The military teaches you early and often that you never know everything about anything and should trust those with experience.
I spent thirty years in the military, working for the citizens of the United States. I knew that my actions were always accountable to those for whom I served. I see my service as a city commissioner as a continuation of that accountability. The public is my "boss" and I should never assume that I know better than them what is right for them. I am a homeowner and a small business owner, but also spent years living paycheck-to-paycheck in small rental apartments and homes. I will not forget where I came from or the struggles that it took to get where I am, and will do my best to make those conditions easier for others whenever I can.
Campaign Phone
(423)741-3937
I would love to continue slow growth and keep infrastructure ahead of the growth. We do not want to lose our small town Johnson City feel. I feel like we are on the right track and would not really change our plan. We just finished our 20 year plan on where and how we want to develop our area.
Homelessness and affordable housing. With the prices of everything right now, it is hard to build anything that I would call affordable.
I would like to finish out the West Walnut Corridor. I am looking forward to the people in the John Sevier Hotel being moved to great new apartments. I am looking forward to seeing the redevelopment of the hotel into his something great for downtown. I look forward to improving the lives of the homeless that are in Johnson City and we are making strides toward that with our homelessness coordinator and her assistant. I would also like to see our tax incentive Boone's Creek development move forward in the near future. That would be a boon to our economy and help us for the next 30 years
There is a neighborhood in Johnson City that showed up to tell us the reasons why a group of townhomes should not be built where the City was planning on building them. I ended up voting against it and 2 other commissioner's minds were changed and voted it down.
I have lived in Johnson City for 31 years and raised 5 children here. I have been on the city commission for 8 years and if tried to make our city better where my children would want to stay or move back here when they finished college. Four of the 5 live in the area now. I have been involved in business in addition to being a sports medicine physician and I know how private investment works and I am trying to help our city government be more efficient. I am also a physician who cares about people and I want that to apply to all of the people of Johnson City. I always try to do the best I can for the majority of the Citizens of Johnson City.
Campaign Phone
6187808960
I have a vision for Johnson City that includes affordable housing for everyone and a city government that listens to the concerns of all its citizens. Considering this vision, I would advocate for higher-density housing that helps meet the local housing demand. I also want to ensure that the concerns of those living in these residences are heard, not just the concerns of those who own the buildings.
I think the biggest challenge the Commission faces is reassuring citizens about accountability in our local government. Between the delays and costs of the West Walnut development along with the multiple lawsuits facing the city over accusations of misconduct in the JCPD, I believe the Commission needs to work tirelessly to break down communication barriers between everyday working citizens and local government.
My primary goal would be to ensure everyone has a roof over their head. We need solutions that work for Johnson City, but we also do not need to reinvent the wheel. Several cities in Tennessee and nationwide have implemented effective solutions for their housing shortages. This means more direct stimulus to encourage the development of high-density housing. We need to review local ordinances and zoning regulations that may be preventing smaller, affordable developments for first-time homebuyers. We can find solutions to these problems and the capital to finance the development. We just need the will to prioritize everyone living in the city—whether they are homeowners, renters, or homeless.
Once, when I was working for the discipleship team at a church, we wanted a more streamlined way for church members to sign up for small groups, as our current methods required a lot of manual data entry. I took on the project and built a system for church members to register for small groups online in a way that synced with our church database. However, I was new to building these kinds of systems and had created something that "worked" but was clunky, requiring more clicks than most users appreciate. I sent a demo of the portal to several team members. They graciously informed me that, while they saw the benefit of the system, we needed a better user interface. I took this feedback and streamlined the user experience.
Professionally, I believe what makes me most qualified is my work in ministry and information technology. My ministry experience allows me to work with people from various walks of life. This affords me a deep empathy for all individuals, regardless of their station in life. I value my experience in information technology because it has equipped me to absorb new information quickly and use that information to solve real-world problems.
In my personal life, I frequently organize communities, whether by coordinating small groups at church or organizing monthly community dinners. I believe that forming a strong local community serves as a vital bedrock for any city and its local government.
Campaign Phone
(423)791-8552
My vision for Johnson City, TN, is to create a community where citizens enjoy a high quality of life and an environment that allows them to grow, thrive, and prosper. I envision a safe, vibrant, and family-friendly city for all generations, where local government serves and represents its citizens by addressing their needs and concerns. This city will build on its successes while making plans for its future. The changes I would continue to advocate for include smart and sustainable economic growth, adequate infrastructure, expansion of our transportation network to incorporate walking and biking, workforce housing, redevelopment of Downtown and South Johnson City, and 21st-century workforce development to advance Johnson City.
One of the biggest challenges for the City Commission is facilitating smart and sustainable economic growth that our city can manage while providing a quality of life for its residents. It is important to have adequate infrastructure, including roads, sidewalks, bike lanes, schools, housing, water, sewer, police, fire, EMS, and parks and recreation. We need to continue serving the citizens who are here while finalizing and implementing a strategic growth plan in preparation for what’s to come.
My primary goals as a commissioner are to remain faithful to the call to lead in community and public service, to be committed to doing whatever it takes to advance our city forward, and to stay connected to its citizens and stakeholders. While providing educational and workforce development opportunities, promoting smart and sustainable economic growth, and ensuring infrastructure readiness are also important goals of mine, these cannot be achieved without first being dedicated to completing the necessary work and connecting with the members of the community.
After spending several years working with various city stakeholders throughout the country on healthcare construction and development projects, I had a life-changing encounter with God that led me to transition from a successful career in Corporate America to full-time ministry and community service. There were family members and others in my network who encouraged this decision, knowing that my calling was to lead in serving the city I call home—Johnson City, TN. For 15 consecutive years, I have led numerous efforts to mobilize our city to combat poverty through education, mentoring, and social services. As a result of these efforts, many individuals and families are now housed, stable, and contributing members of our community.
I have over 25 years of combined leadership experience in business, non-profit organizations, local government, and the faith community, where I currently serve as an active leader in each area. I offer a much-needed diverse perspective and representation that adds significant value to decision-making and planning for the greater good of Johnson City. I have proven my ability to build relationships with community stakeholders and leaders, provide executive supervision, manage projects and budgets, and oversee construction and development. I am committed to working hard to stay informed about matters affecting Johnson City at all levels while promoting a transparent, team-oriented, and solution-focused culture among constituents.
Campaign Phone
4233612157
My vision is a safe and prosperous City, that continues to grow but grow in the right way. We have grown very fast and I don’t think we were prepared, but I also do not see a plan being put in place to handle everything Such as infrastructure and traffic. I would like to see decisions made that benefited the entire city and not individuals. My biggest concern is downtown homelessness, and vagrants, creating some violence and nothing is really being done to address it. This is causing downtown businesses to suffer somewhat, and we cannot let it continue, I have lived here my entire entire life and I’m a little bit concerned about the downward trend we’re having and I would like to see some reversal of that.
The biggest problem at the moment seems to be enforcing the laws around homelessness, and just the overall cleanliness And SAFETY of downtown. This HAS to be addressed.also think we need a very comprehensive plan put in place to address the sudden growth And our infrastructure.One major thing I do hear from a lot of people and I’ve experienced myself as the difficulty of trying to build a business. Trying to get permits and just trying to build a business is literally like trying to pass an act in Congress and I would like to be a representative for other business owners and potential business owners to try to streamline and simplify this process we are not PRO BUSINESS enough and I hear this complaint throughout the community all the time
My primary goal would be to make smart informed decisions based on fiscal responsibility. I have run my own business, which is a dental practice ,for 26 years and I am familiar with making tough but smart decisions. I would like to see peoples tax dollars used in a very efficient way that benefits EVERYBODY .I would also like to see some ordinances enforced for downtown safety. I would also like to create An atmosphere of fun and positivity and let families really enjoy living here and promote our city
I am not a close-minded person by any means, but once I study a situation from both a financial aspect, and just a logical aspect, I rarely change my mind. I am not above making a mistake and listening to other people ,of course ,but most of the decisions I’ve made running my office for over 25 years Are based in my CONSERVATIVE beliefs, and my belief in simply doing the right thing. As far as any political decisions ,it would have to be done based on conservatism principles, and also following the constitution, as far as rights and liberties cannot be infringed upon. One thing about me: I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I do NOT “FLIP FLOP” And say one thing and do another. You will always know where you stand with me .
First and foremost, I am very strong in my Christian faith. It guides my life !I am not above making a mistake,just like any other person, but I do try to live the best that I can and serve others. I love my family more than anything and I love helping and serving in any capacity. I do have a soft heart sometimes of course, but when it comes to financial decision-making for the betterment of any entity, sometimes difficult decisions are made; but the numbers never lie. I have run a large dental practice that I started basically from scratch and built into a multi million dollar entity. I do not say this in a”bragging “ way,but only to explain that I know how to run and organize large entities.Iwould apply the same knowledge to the city.
Campaign Phone
423-483-9164
As a City Commissioner, my vision for Johnson City is to continue building a prosperous, connected community that encourages economic growth, modernizes infrastructure, and strengthens public safety. I will continue to advocate for improvements in our transportation systems, support local businesses, and enhance city services to ensure long-term system viability and stability. These changes will help maintain the city’s appeal as a great place to live and work while ensuring we are prepared for future challenges. Strategic investments and community input will guide our way forward. I believe this approach will ensure that Johnson City remains a great place to live, work, and grow for years to come.
The biggest challenge is balancing growth with preserving the unique character that makes our community special. Johnson City is experiencing significant growth, which brings many opportunities. However, it also increases demands on our infrastructure.
As Commissioners, we must ensure this growth is managed responsibly, maintaining fiscal discipline while investing in key priorities like transportation, public safety, and community services. We also need to keep addressing affordable housing, ensuring that all citizens, regardless of income, can access safe, affordable places to live.
It’s a complex balance, but I believe that by working together, we can navigate these challenges and ensure that Johnson City continues to thrive.
As City Commissioner, my priorities are smart growth, infrastructure improvements, public safety, and quality of life.
Smart Growth: I support responsible development that brings jobs while preserving Johnson City’s character and long-term vision.
Infrastructure: Improving roads, utilities, and transportation is essential to meet the needs of our growing community.
Public Safety: I will continue supporting law enforcement, building on progress with the Special Victims Unit and more officers to address crime and addiction.
Quality of Life: I will invest in outdoor recreation and programs benefiting residents of all ages.
These priorities reflect my commitment to practical governance and lasting improvements for Johnson City.
In 2008, I faced a turning point, deciding whether to leave a stable job to start my own business. I had a solid plan and entrepreneurial drive, but the uncertain economy posed significant risks. Seeking advice from friends and colleagues with differing views, some encouraged me to move forward with confidence, while others urged caution due to the economic challenges. Listening to these perspectives helped me carefully weigh the risks and opportunities. In the end, I chose to take the leap, trusting my vision and the calculated risk. This experience reinforced the importance of considering diverse viewpoints before making major decisions.
Currently serving as Commissioner, I bring valuable experience that benefits Johnson City. My background includes working for a large multinational corporation in the USA and Canada, which provided me with leadership and organizational management skills. As an administrator at Milligan College and a business owner, I’ve honed my abilities in resource management and strategic planning.
My vision as Commissioner is to maintain momentum in fostering economic growth, enhancing public safety, and improving residents’ quality of life. I’ll focus on infrastructure upgrades, support public safety services, and work with the business community to create jobs and opportunities, ensuring Johnson City thrives for years to come.
