If you elect me, these are the Principles that will Guide me:
--any money spent by Chowan County comes out of your pocket, either through direct taxation and fees, or indirect taxation (grants from Raleigh, Washington) It is my goal that your money be spent frugally and wisely, with no waste--and that county services benefit the most people…not small interest groups.
--you are being taxed by two local governments…Edenton and Chowan.
There should be NO duplication of services (ie. you should not be taxed twice to pay for the same service.) Folks in town should not pay more than folks who live outside the town limits for county services. In the last 5 years county property taxes on my campaign treasurer's in-town house have increased 88%. I have done a study that shows county taxes for folks who live in town have increased by an average of 74% since 2005. You are paying the county's bills; you deserve to have someone speak up for you when spending issues are being discussed.
--County Commissioners are public SERVANTS. The ideal commissioner has the financial resources and time available to SERVE the people they represent.
I will NOT accept the $500 per meeting that commissioners are paid by the taxpayers; instead I will return all county commissioner pay to the county general fund.
I will not accept any campaign contributions. This way you can believe that no one has bought influence with me.
I will inform you what is happening at the county level in the following ways:
--Personal availability. Beginning in October, and if elected, every Saturday morning thereafter I will be available from 9-12 at the Robin Sams Galley, 315 South Broad Street in Edenton to meet with you and discuss any question or complaint you have about the county
--Cell Phone I have a separate cell phone devoted only to calls from folks on county matters 506-1930
--Email I have a designated email account devoted only to county and county commission matters john@johnsams.org
--BLOG I will maintain a web log at www.johnsams.org and www.albemarleweb.com to inform you how I view the issues and about events which you should be aware
--Videos of County Commissioner meetings should be archived on the internet. I will work hard to make this happen (other counties do it, why not Chowan?) I see no reason a citizen should not be able to sit at home on his/her computer and find and view a particular portion of any commissioner meeting (indexed to the agenda) with a few clicks of the mouse.
--Facebook and Twitter If elected and if these on line communications services will improve communications between you and me, I will establish accounts and use them. (I may need some help :)
--It should not matter what your station in life is….every citizen should receive equal treatment in his/her dealings with Chowan County. The average citizen should have no better nor no worse access to your county government than the well-connected businessperson, millionaire, or local politician.
County Government operations should be TRANSPARENT. Except where regulated or prohibited by law YOU should be able to find out anything and everything that the county is doing. Governments are instituted by the People to handle those things that are too difficult or time consuming for private business or individuals to do on their own. The People then appoint representatives (county commissioners) to develop the policies to manage county government. Governments must report fully and truthfully to the People so they can give their representatives guidance for overall policy. This system cannot work properly unless the People know all the facts. Every county department’s operations should be TRANSPARENT to the People, including departmental budgets, employee salaries and relative pay comparisons to surrounding counties.
5. BUSINESS and INDUSTRY. The County must put out the welcome mat....
Small business is the primary job incubator in America. We need to do everything in our power to attract and RETAIN small businesses and industry. It is easy to forget those businesses that are already here, but retaining them, encouraging their growth and the jobs they already provide is far easier than attracting new businesses. We need not to burden our businesspeople with unnecessary layers of government red tape, arbitrary rules, and business taxes that decrease our attractiveness when compared to other communities our size.
What is Right is not always the same as what is not illegal. The average citizen can tell when something government does is Not Right, even if it is technically legal. Chowan County should always do what is morally right in the eyes of the People, who are the true owners of county government.