Invest in People. Create Opportunity. Build a Stronger Daviess County.

My vision is simple: Use our community’s resources to create greater economic opportunity for our citizens while building a stronger economy and broader tax base.

Strengthen cooperation between Daviess County Fiscal Court and Owensboro through increased County participation in joint economic initiatives and shared City and County occupational and net-profits revenue.

Show existing and prospective business and industry that we are truly two governments working together as one to benefit the entire community.

Build on our colleges, schools, workforce, agriculture, and business community to develop regional leadership in:

• Industrial AI & Automation
• Industrial Cybersecurity
• Drones, Autonomy & AgTech
• Healthcare Technology & Career Advancement

Focus on our strengths and aggressively market them  to existing and prospective business and industry. 

Invest $1.5 million from existing economic-development funds:

• $1 million Workforce Advancement Fund: Help working people gain skills, credentials, and higher incomes.
• $500,000 Career Launch Fund: Help first-time students pursue college and skilled trades.

Contribute 1/2 of my annual commissioner salary and invite community partners to participate.

Long-term goal: A $10 million endowment providing $5,000 scholarships to 100 individuals annually.

Require measurable accountability for public investments, including jobs created, wages paid, local residents hired, private investment generated, and new tax revenue.

The public needs to know what the return is on the investment of public dollars and that they are being spent in the best way possible to improve our local economy.

Design the Economic Mobility Partnership to create pathways for people earning $20,000 to reach $30,000, those earning $30,000 to reach $40,000, and so forth.

Economic development should measureably improve people’s lives while strengthening our community’s economy.

Promote transparency, public hearings, open discussion of difficult issues, and meaningful public participation.

Important issues should not be decided behind closed doors. Accountability is not always easy, but it is necessary in order to build confidence in our county government.

Build public trust.

Identify and market our economic strengths.

Invest in programs to increase the earnings of our people.

Publicly measure the results.

Make economic mobility the ultimate measure of success.