As the elected representative for the 6th District of Chatham County, I will continue to use my position to ensure that southwest Chatham County thrives and the citizens are engaged in the decision-making process. I believe in consistent engagement & partnership with local leaders & activists, community organizations; through and with these connections, we will foster the development of the 6th District into a better place to live and work!
Tomorrow’s leaders, policy makers, employers and workforce are represented in our youth. Our district has minimal access to activities and locations where our youth can be engaged and enriched outside of school. I will advocate for a sports complex in or near our district as an avenue to engage our youth. Our government has to be intentional in ensuring that ALL of our youth are being poured into, I want to spearhead that drive to include searching for grants and funding for youth events. I believe that engaging our youth will help lower crime while uncovering other challenges that may need to be addressed in our community’s households.
Our district is home to a slew of closed businesses and slow economic development. The vacant commercial spaces provide evidence of this fact. When there are businesses in our district there are employment opportunities for our residents. When there are businesses in our district there is less travel time needed to patronize businesses of choice. I want to make sure our district has no shortage of options for consumers or employers for our district. I believe Chatham County can make some additional investments into our citizens by hosting soft skills training and working with available resources, such as Savannah Tech, to help train citizens to qualify for fair paying professional jobs—not just low paying hospitality jobs.
We can make our community better by investing in the businesses in our district and helping to create new businesses. I want to work with the Small Business Administration, our city, and our state delegation to capitalize on the existing opportunity zone in our area to help rebuild the south side’s business footprint. I will create a “county job registry” that allows companies to work with the county to fill vacancies with local citizens and not commuters.
Our district has had low turnout in elections and in public forums, this is an indicator that there is a disconnect between the citizens and the government. Oftentimes there is a misunderstanding of what portion of government is responsible for certain services (county/city). I want to help bridge that communication gap by encouraging more outreach from the county government to:
1) Keep a pulse on what the community needs, wants and is expecting from their government; and
2) Get the public’s opinion on potential changes, implementations and initiatives the County is looking to implement.
I think we can do that by creating a polling database that can only be accessed by residents of districts based on voter registration and DDS data for addresses. Allow citizens the opportunity to voice what they feel is necessary for the community rather than dictating it to them.
“I am unafraid of conflict or strife and am willing to endure it for the betterment of our community. As a coach/mentor and insurance agent I work with children and their families and business owners and under appreciated employees on a daily basis so I have the ability to see things from a variety of lenses. My military experience has afforded me the opportunity to engage and lead a diverse block people in high stress and highly scrutinized environments. I understand that a good leader listens to those he or she leads. Elect me, Aaron “Adot” Whitely as your next County Commissioner, for District 6 and let me show you true servant leadership.” – Aaron “Adot” Whitely
