Your house, your land, and your property belong to you.
The government should acknowledge this. I believe property rights are fundamental and that the county government should never view a private property owner as an impediment to another person’s development plans.
In my role as County Commissioner, I will advocate for transparency, fairness, and accountability when the county makes decisions regarding private property.
I will fight against the misuse of eminent domain; I will insist that all private property owners have access to clear information prior to decision-making; and I will ensure that the county government treats its residents fairly and respectfully.
The ability to own property means a great deal to me. Government should not be able to decide that property that I worked for, paid for, took care of, farmed, constructed a house on, or planned to give to my children is available for public use just because some governmental official has determined that there is a better way to utilize that property.
The idea of private property is not merely a proposal. It is a right. The use of eminent domain by the government allows it to exert tremendous control over a single citizen.
Therefore, I believe the government’s authority to exercise eminent domain must be limited to those instances where it is truly needed for a public purpose.
As such, I will vote against any attempts by the government to remove private property based solely upon the desire of a private developer, corporation, authority or politically connected entity to acquire that land.
The burden of proof should rest with the government to demonstrate that removing someone’s property is an absolute necessity. Not with the property owner to demonstrate why he/she should retain ownership of something which is currently his/hers. Prior to supporting any county action utilizing eminent domain,
I require clear answers to the following questions:
If the government cannot provide satisfactory responses to these questions, then my response will be no.
I do not believe the government should be able to look at your property and declare that another person would be able to utilize that property more effectively than you can and consequently eject you from your property.
Residents are typically notified of decisions regarding their land after the decision-making process has progressed considerably.
I would like to see property owners become involved at a much earlier stage. If a county project, agreement, infrastructure upgrade or development proposal will significantly impact a resident’s land, residents should be provided with understandable information and a reasonable opportunity to express their views.
To achieve this goal, government should:
Government should not require residents to consult an attorney in order to understand what government plans to do with their land.
When county infrastructure projects affect private property, there are times when legitimate conflicts arise between the public need and an individual’s right to use their own private property.
When this occurs, I anticipate that the county government will act in good faith towards those individuals who may be adversely impacted by the project.
In acting in good faith toward these individuals, I believe that the county should:
The county government is staffed with attorneys, engineers, consultants, and administrators.
Individual property owners should have a reasonable opportunity to both understand and respond to the actions taken by the county government.
Fayette County is made up of farms, forests, families’ private property and lands that have been handed down from one generation to the next.
Economic development should never be at the expense of those who are currently living on the land.
In order to help make the best decisions about how to develop our area I would like to see:
Growth and property rights do not have to be enemies.
Good planning should respect both.
Public Office Should Never Require Secret Loyalty
As an elected official, I believe signing a nondisclosure agreement to hide public business from the people is wrong.
If I am acting on behalf of Fayette County, my duty is to the taxpayers, not to a private company, developer, contractor, consultant, or political insider asking me to keep public matters secret.
Government should follow the same rules it requires residents to live by.
Taxpayers should be able to rely on their county government to follow all relevant procedures and have a clear understanding of everything that is occurring when the county owns property, enters into development agreements, purchases land, or builds.
The idea of property rights means nothing if the government thinks that the rules it creates are for everyone but itself.
Property ownership is the result of years of hard work, financial investment, and responsibility.
For many Fayette County families, property ownership is also a representation of their family’s historical legacy.
County government should consider decisions regarding private property as seriously as possible.
As Commissioner, I plan to take a simple approach to this issue: