Campaign Issues

Simply put, Rob summarizes his concerns into what he calls the Critical 4. He will work hard to improve these areas with the help of the County Commission, other jurisdictions and community groups. 
 

Critical 4: Service, Education, Roads, & Relationships

Issue 1: Service

Service is where it begins and ends. County employees are key to being able to meet the needs of our citizens. Government should be responsive, accountable, and transparent.

Rob will continue practices that work well in our county government and optimize our services where needed.

Probate Court:

1. A caring, capable, and efficient probate court that values your time and recognizes the importance of your situation whether in an adoption, a family member in crisis, or routine matters of document recording and research.
2. Seek innovative solutions to our growing mental health and substance abuse crises. Expand training for jail and law enforcement personnel that increasingly engage the mentally ill in our community.
3. Work with state legislature to better fund our mental health and judicial assets.
4. Improve online information access to aid citizens as they navigate the court service. Move a timely docket to better support our citizens and the legal community. 
5. Ensure we keep our elections fair and accurate. Work to help reduce your time at the polls.

County Commission:

1. Keep our county finances strong. Recognize our financial reserves have dwindled and we need to know where each dollar goes to ensure taxpayers are getting the most value for money. Increasing our transparency will help ensure better government.
2. Develop new ways to diversify and strengthen our local economy which translates into better paying jobs and more opportunities for our citizens.
3. See that all citizens are well-served by essential county services, whether in the courthouse or in their community. Limit the scope of government to ensure we can consistently deliver essential services into the future.
4. See that all citizens are treated with respect. We don't have to always agree but we must have respect for our neighbors.
5. Make principled, data-driven decisions when it come to prioritizing the expenditure of funds. Commissioners should be well-supported with information to make the best decisions possible for their districts and the county as a whole.
6. Review and work to optimize all work flows utilized by daily county government operations.
7. Public safety - nothing else matters if we are not safe. He knows this area well and is passionate about seeing we press for a safer community. Rob will work closely with our Sheriff, 911 Board, District Attorney, and Emergency Management Agency to make crime reduction and safety top priorities.

Issue 2: Education

Education is critical to our future and essential for our continued economic growth.

Our County and City School systems, two and four year institutions, both public and private are part of the educational framework of Tuscaloosa. County. Government must support the efforts of our educators as they mold our future generations.

Another type of critical education is workforce development. This is one of the most important initiatives we can undertake to support our growing local economy over the next decade. the labor market is already tight locally, if trends continue it will only get worse. We must endeavor to develop more skilled labor that is ready, willing and able to work. Let's keep attracting good paying jobs to Tuscaloosa County.

Issue 3: Roads

Roads, traffic, and infrastructure. We all know we have problems and they are not going to fix themselves. When it is quicker to drive from Tuscaloosa to Gordo than it is to drive to locations on 69S from town, we have problems. 

The Tuscaloosa County Road Commission is making headway as we will see a number of projects begin soon, but this is only the beginning.  We must develop a comprehensive growth management plan that looks at all aspects of infrastructure that includes sewer, water systems, and roadways. We know we will have to support continued growth in our county, let's plan for it before it gets further ahead of us.

Issue 4: Relationships

Undergirding the three critical issues above is the fourth: relationships. Relationships will support the bridges to tomorrow and are vital to our future success.  The Tuscaloosa area has grown past the stage of independent, siloed local governments and the importance of cooperative governments is more clear than ever. Rob recognizes each jurisdiction has its unique interests and responsibilities, but this should not mean we can't find common ground on many projects and initiatives thereby magnifying the impact of our efforts.

Building a bright future will require working with the cities of Tuscaloosa and Northport and our smaller municipalities within the county as well. Our higher education institutions, industry, local churches, and community organizations all work together to support the citizens of our county. It truly will need to be a whole-community effort.