Forsyth County has natural assets—Sawnee Mountain, the Etowah River corridor, our trails, our tree canopy—that once gone, do not come back. We are approving their replacement with subdivisions and strip malls at a rate that should alarm every resident who has watched this county change over the past decade.

Environmental protection is not a luxury issue. It is a quality of life issue, a public health issue, and a long-term fiscal issue. Degraded watersheds, lost tree canopy, and overwhelmed stormwater systems cost money. The bill just comes later, after the developer is long gone.

What I will do:

• Oppose development approvals that lack credible environmental impact assessments. "We'll manage the runoff" is not an environmental plan.

• Advocate for meaningful tree canopy protection ordinances—with replacement requirements and penalties that actually deter clear-cutting for subdivisions.

• Support the preservation and expansion of public green space, trails, and park access in District 3, particularly in areas facing the most development pressure.

• Push for stormwater infrastructure investments that keep pace with development density, rather than approving density and deferring the infrastructure costs to future budgets.

• Oppose any rezoning of protected green space or environmentally sensitive land for commercial or residential development.

This county is beautiful. We are choosing, one approval at a time, to pave over it. I intend to be the vote that says no.