As a dentist and small business owner, I have built my career on listening carefully, evaluating facts, and making thoughtful decisions that put people first. If elected, I will advocate for greater transparency by ensuring major county decisions are communicated clearly and early, with meaningful opportunities for public input before votes are taken. Residents deserve to understand not only what decisions are being made, but why. I believe County Council should actively engage neighborhoods, business owners, and community organizations throughout the decision-making process so that policies reflect the needs and values of the people who actually live here.

Beaufort County’s future depends on responsible and well-planned growth. We must take a balanced approach that supports a healthy local economy while preserving the natural beauty, cultural heritage, and character that make our communities special. I support responsible, data-driven development aligned with infrastructure capacity, environmental protections, and thoughtful land-use planning. Housing solutions should prioritize workforce and attainable housing for essential workers, including teachers, first responders and healthcare workers, while avoiding overdevelopment that strains roads, schools, and public services. Growth should serve residents—not outpace our ability to maintain quality of life.

Infrastructure planning must be proactive, strategic, and realistic. I support prioritizing transportation improvements that directly address traffic congestion, evacuation readiness, roadway safety, and long-term mobility needs throughout Beaufort County. Major development approvals should be tied to infrastructure readiness so that roads, drainage, and utilities are not treated as afterthoughts. I will advocate for coordinated planning among county, municipal, and state partners to ensure projects are delivered efficiently and taxpayer dollars are used responsibly. Our infrastructure investments should reflect both current needs and the demands of future growth.

A growing county requires strong public schools to remain economically competitive and attractive to families. I support responsible funding that prioritizes classroom resources, school capacity planning, teacher recruitment and retention, and facility improvements needed to accommodate population growth. As County Council makes decisions affecting development, we must consider the downstream impact on schools and ensure growth does not outpace educational resources. I also believe stronger collaboration between County Council, the school district, municipalities, and community stakeholders is essential to planning for future enrollment and maintaining high-quality education for all students.

Since being elected to Council and starting my term in 2023, 100% of everything I have done on Council has been open, transparent, and accessible to my constituents. One of my campaign promises was to bring more transparency to Council and I have done that by pushing back on the number of Executive Sessions Council has, and I have supported and encouraged our local Chats with Council where we let residents have open, honest dialogue with us. I have always let my constituents know they can call or email me anytime so I can hear their concerns. I am always pushing back on our staff for quick answers and responses as our constituents deserve it. I will continue to work on that because they don't always have the same sense of urgency.

With our county continuing to grow everyday, we have many challenges facing us. While we accept that new business is coming in, we have to control housing because of our struggling infrastructure. I have not voted once for upzoning except for the church on St. Helena and this Council, I believe, for the first time in history, has not upzoned any density. For many years the affordable housing on our island and across our county has not successfully been addressed. From early on in my tenure I actively met with many people in various organizations that offered a variety of opportunities from private to private/public options. I recently voted yes to give 5 parcels to the Beaufort Jasper Housing Trust to build housing for BMH staff.

Now that the eastbound bridge project is in the hands of SCDOT and moving forward, there are two very critical areas to address on the island- the corridor and the Sea Pines circle. Traffic congestion in both of these areas will only continue to get worse. The circle issue has been turned over to the SCDOT as well, however as County Councilman for District 11, I will absolutely stay involved to make sure SCDOT keeps this project a priority and doesn't drop the ball. Once TAC presents their project list and funding proposal to us for the proposed referendum, I will be able to share that with the public and let their voices be heard. Make no mistake about it, infrastructure across Beaufort County needs to be addressed in a serious way.

I strongly supported and voted for the largest pay increase for teachers in the entire state because they are being taxed with having larger class sizes and additional responsibilities until our staffing levels meet the demands of our growth. At the same time, I have, on a consistent basis met with Dr. Rodriguez and other board members to be sure we understand what their needs are and make sure we address those needs in a timely fashion. The school has passed recent referendums to help with funding, and we as a Council need to understand the financial needs of our schools at all times, and bring that information to our constituents for their input.