On the issues

  Responsible Growth

As your County Commissioner since first being elected in 2018, I have been dedicated to pursuing a more responsible approach to growth in our county. I have taken a stand against high density development in places citizens do not want it, and against development without first providing the proper infrastructure necessary for responsible growth. I need your help in protecting our county from being taken advantage of by individuals whose primary focus is their personal economic gain and not responsible growth. I need your help to protect and preserve Sumner County against those who have only their best interests in mind, and not that of the hardworking taxpayers they are supposed to represent.

With your help, I will continue to dedicate myself and work hard to ensure that your tax dollars are used wisely, promote responsible growth, protect our precious and beautiful countryside, help reduce burdensome increases in traffic, stop reckless rezoning, and ensure that our fragile infrastructure is not overloaded due to improper planning and the frivolous use of your hard earned money on projects that benefit only the chosen few at the expense of the greater community.

As a lifelong resident of Sumner County growing up along the shores of Old Hickory Lake, I recognize that we need to protect all of the beautiful natural resources, open spaces, and historical treasures our county has to offer. As your neighbor and a resident of District 16 for almost fifteen years, I’ve been able to enjoy the immense and captivating beauty of the Louisville Highway and Long Hollow Pike corridor that must be protected and responsibly managed for proper growth.

  Transparent Government

Some of my accomplishments fighting on your behalf for transparent government include:

• Exposing a corrupt policy of County Employees discouraging government email use in an attempt to avoid open (public) records requests.
• Fighting for open records transparency by ensuring Commissioners' issued government email addresses, are public records to their constituents.
• Successfully ensuring committee meetings are video recorded and available to the public to watch in which they previously were unavailable.

Our government should only work in the interest of the people, not in the special interest of those in government. Every voice of every citizen deserves to be heard. Many of our voices have been silenced in the past due to actions of our previous county commission, and as your County Commissioner, I have fought hard on behalf of citizens to make sure that you have had a voice and seat at the table.

  Economic Development

Empirical evidence shows that residential development represents an ongoing fiscal drain. While residential development contributes the most significant revenue, its net budgetary impact is negative. It always creates a deficit. The mantra from uneducated elected officials of "more rooftops" is never the answer to fiscal stability or prosperity. Commercial and industrial development net revenues offset this shortfall. Commercial and industrial land generates significant revenue from property taxes since it is assessed at higher rates. Additionally, agricultural lands pay more in local tax revenues than they receive in services.

Since property taxes are the primary source of revenue for our county, we should be looking for balanced ways to increase opportunities for commercial businesses to relocate to Sumner County that will help increase tax revenues since businesses are taxed at a higher rate than residential properties. Recruiting companies and industry to relocate to Sumner County will also provide opportunities for advanced careers for members of our community and help decrease the flow of traffic in and out of Sumner County during peak rush hour times.

As tax cuts enacted by previous presidents and congresses have proven, when private citizens and businesses can keep more of their hard-earned dollars, they are incentivized to reinvest in their businesses and communities. I believe that the role of government should be to create a fair atmosphere that allows private sector businesses to flourish and not have to unfairly compete with taxpayer-funded initiatives that are in direct competition with the private sector.

  Low Taxes

As your County Commissioner, I have represented the voice of the people by speaking out against tax increases caused by irresponsible growth. I fought and voted against taking more of your hard-earned money for a second property tax increase in 2019, totaling over 38%, in less than five years, burdening homeowners with more debt caused by high-density development and reckless rezoning.

In the future, I would not favor a vote to increase the rate for your property taxes, and in a lot of cases, I feel they are unnecessary. I understand that the county needs taxes for its vital services, but I am not in favor of a tax increase in most cases. Most of Your previous County Commissioners voted to increase your personal property taxes by over 38% in the past two election cycles (2014, 2018). They voted to keep citizens from speaking out against the increase. Many families were negatively affected by these increases, and trust in your government leaders to provide a forum for fair debate was significantly eroded.

As your County Commissioner, I will continue to represent what's in your best interests on the County Commission, and not what's best for "special interest" groups, or those seeking to profit personally with their votes, at the expense of the hardworking taxpayers they are supposed to represent.

I want to thank you for voting for me, Jeremy Mansfield, as your District 16 County Commissioner.