Issues
Issues
Data Centers
Data Centers are the major issue in this campaign because they represent everything that's going wrong with our government at all levels. Behind closed doors, in secret, our Commissioners worked with a multi-billion dollar corporation to bring in a data center which will raise electricity prices, deplete our precious water, destroy farmland, and wreck the quiet, rural nature of Wood County. The current Commissioners continue to give the companies running the project everything they want, even after the public has made it clear they don't want this. Joe has pledged to fight any future data centers.
Democracy
Democracy essentially means that all of us put together make better decisions than any one of us or any small group of us. For too long, Wood County has been run by an "Old Boys Network" of politically connected, wealthy families. Both Republicans and Democrats work together to put into place policies which have been steadily eroding the quality of life for Wood County Residents.
At the July Planning Board meeting, Commissioners sat and listened as a packed room of residents told them not to approve a rezoning from agriculture to manufacturing. They ignored them. Before that, there was a very contentious meeting where hundreds of residents turned out to voice their opposition to Data Centers. The Commission has responded by moving public comments to the end of meetings, after decisions have been made, and limiting all comments to 3 minutes. This is not Democracy. Joe will work to bring the citizens of Wood County back into the decision making process and turn out the "Good Old Boys" who have been profiting off the County for decades.
Good Governance
Under Doris Herringshaw, Wood County paid out a $1.5 ransom after its data was held hostage by a hacker. You can read about it,here. The way this was handled, wasting taxpayer dollars because of incompetence, calling the ransom a "fee," and keeping the public in the dark about the details is typical of the kind of mistakes the current leadership makes every day.
When Joe is in office, he will be open to the public about what the County is doing. Problems like ransomware can be prevented with tactics like frequent secured data backups. The fact that Wood County didn't have that and had to pay out $1.5 million shows that the current leadership is out of touch with what it takes to run an organization in the 21st century.
Sensible Budgeting
Tax breaks and payments in lieu of taxes have, for too long, let corporations get away without paying their fair share of County expenses. When Joe is in office, that will end.
The County Budget is out of balance. It's spending too much, with too little tax revenue. It depends on investments for a large percentage of its annual revenue, but investments can lose money as well as make it. Joe will work to bring the county's budget back into a sustainable profile.
As the state and federal governments cut aid for vital services like food pantries and anti-homelessness programs, we are seeing increasing numbers of Wood County Residents falling into deep poverty. While the County can't make up for all the cuts that have been made at the State and Federal level, we can certainly do more. Making an investment to keep people in their homes pays dividends for everyone in the County.