The Problem

Rural Georgians work hard — and we deserve the same foundation for opportunity that urban Georgia takes for granted. Good roads. Reliable internet. Strong local economies. But decades of underinvestment have left our communities behind, forcing talented young people to leave for places where opportunity exists.

That vacancy has a cost beyond economics. Communities without diversified, thriving local economies have little leverage when outside interests come calling. When a data center developer arrives promising jobs and tax revenue, a desperate community accepts whatever terms are offered. A community with real economic opportunity can afford to ask harder questions — and demand better answers.

How We Got Here

Workers in Wayne, McIntosh, and Long Counties often have no choice but to drive an hour or more to Glynn or Chatham County just to find jobs that pay a living wage. Broadband gaps that have been documented for years remain unresolved while families and businesses go without.

Meanwhile, the natural assets that could anchor a sustainable local economy are under threat. The RYAM pulp mill discharges up to 50 to 60 million gallons of effluent daily into the Altamaha River — one of the most biodiverse rivers on the continent. When an administrative law judge ruled in 2016 that the discharge permit violated Georgia water quality standards, EPD defended the weaker interpretation in court — and the courts agreed, leaving the Altamaha's pollution legally unaddressed. Four EPA Superfund toxic waste sites in Brunswick have left PCBs in the blood of residents — disproportionately Black residents — for decades, with cleanup still incomplete. In McIntosh County, the Gullah-Geechee community of Hogg Hummock watched their county quietly rezone their land to benefit developers, then spent years fighting their own government in court to stop it — and ultimately prevailed in January 2026.

In some Georgia counties, data centers can be approved automatically in industrially zoned areas — with no ability for elected representatives or communities to weigh in on water use, energy demands, noise, or long-term ratepayer costs. Eight Georgia counties have already imposed moratoriums because they lacked the tools to evaluate these proposals before voting. That is a policy failure the legislature should fix.

What I Will Do

Real economic investment and environmental protection are not in tension — they are the same thing. Clean water supports our fishing families. Healthy marshes support tourism. Responsible development protects the tax base that funds our schools and roads. I commit to fighting for both:

• Fix our roads and close the broadband gap — reliable internet is infrastructure, the same as highways

• Expand skills training, trades programs, and workforce development so workers build careers without leaving home

• Connect our district's natural and cultural assets — Sapelo Island, Harris Neck, the Altamaha corridor, our Gullah-Geechee heritage — to sustainable economic development that creates local jobs and keeps tourism dollars here

• Restore the water quality standards EPD defended weakening and push for legislative oversight of permitting decisions that harm our waterways

• Require data centers to obtain special use permits — not automatic approvals — so communities can investigate the facts, hear from residents, and demand safeguards before any vote is taken

• Work to ensure every county has the tools it needs — covering water use, energy demands, noise, traffic, and community impact — to make an informed decision on data center proposals before any vote is taken

• Work alongside the Altamaha Riverkeeper, Southern Environmental Law Center, One Hundred Miles, and the Georgia Water Coalition to ensure legislative and legal advocacy work in tandem

McIntosh County's history as an international timber hub and a commercial fishing powerhouse is a map of what this district is capable of with the right leadership. Communities that are thriving don't have to accept whatever development comes their way. They get to choose.

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