County Council Dist. 4 Dave Shalaby

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

1. What is the role of Anderson County Council? To ultimately represent the voters of Anderson County in the setting of policies, management of operations, and to oversee the general activities of Anderson County government.

2. What are the top three issues facing Anderson County over the next three years? A. Planning for the rapid influx of people and economic growth of the county., B. Conflicts of interest of people within the county council, EMS, and Planning and Zoning boards. C. Roads improvement. In summary, it is time to replace the current leadership with others with renewed energy and different experiences.

3. What are the top three challenges for Dist. 4 over that same time period? The same as we have today. I do not believe we have made much progress on those priorities listed above. Instead, our county council clings on to the ways of the past to determine what policies and ordinances to approve rather than actively work on how to tackle the growth and quality of life issues of the future. We still continue to entice companies to set up shop in Anderson County leveraging the use of a Fee and Lieu system that saddles the county with tax incentives for new companies that will cost the citizens of the county for 30 to 40 years in lost tax revenue. This is what our leadership incorrectly calls Economic Development. Economic development is really something that gets started in an area to create an ecosystem that balances industry, residential, and government services to create an environment that entices growth. FILOTs were a great tool in the 90’s and early 2000’s to create jobs and tax revenue when the county was in need of replacing old industries. Today, people and companies flock to this area because of the economic ecosystem we have established. We do not need to continue paying companies to move here. We need to be judicious when we saddle the future generations of AC with FILOT deals that will restrict tax revenues. We should only employ this tool for industries that we believe would aid in the mix of industries currently residing in the county. Additionally, now is the time to actively engage the county residents to determine how the county should evolve and what infrastructure needs to be built and where. This is why I would work to create a comprehensive long term development plan for the county. This should be done openly rather than in a closed-door meeting. We all want to keep taxes at bay while being able to live and work in a place that can support the needs of the citizens with ample services, recreation/healthy environments, and planned schools and roads.

4. Why are you running for this seat? I am a local business owner employing over 190 people and have seen my business and residence negatively impacted by the lack of planning and understanding of how the county will look, feel, and operate 10 to 20 years from now. I am deeply concerned that the place we both live and work will be rampant with high taxes, congested roads and schools, and poorly delivered County services. We need to develop a more comprehensive plan for infrastructure, schools, building standards, and EMS services. I believe that I can add positive leadership to my district and directly engage with residents on the issues that matter to them. I do not have any conflicts of interest that would preclude me from making the best decisions as directed by our residents.