Building a Better McDonough | #Xavier Jhonson | Episode #15

In this episode of Chasing Heritage, Chase Hardin sits down with Xavier DeBose, McDonough City Council Member for District 1, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, service, community, and the future of a growing city.

Raised in McDonough, Xavier shares his journey from small-town Georgia to corporate America and back again, explaining why he chose to return home and invest in the community that helped shape him. He reflects on the importance of family, fatherhood, and being present for the people who matter most.

The conversation explores how local government works, why community involvement matters, and the challenges cities face as they experience rapid growth. Xavier discusses infrastructure, development, public services, economic opportunity, and the importance of balancing progress with preserving the unique character of a community.

Together, Chase and Xavier also discuss the growing polarization in modern society, the importance of respectful disagreement, and how leaders can build bridges rather than deepen divisions.

Throughout the episode, Xavier emphasizes the value of transparency, accountability, and long-term thinking, encouraging citizens to become more engaged in shaping the future of their communities.

This episode is a powerful reminder that leadership is ultimately about service, and that strong communities are built when people choose to get involved rather than sit on the sidelines.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

And you just see people smiling and laughing and dancing in the middle of the street and someone singing and playing there and it's just it is the purest form of community that you'd ever see. The other side of that is creating relationships with my other city council folks. It's making sure that we see eye to eye and that we all have an understanding of what our job is. This is where we're more than likely moving to in 20 years. Let's begin to make decisions today so they don't have to make them in 2040.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Thanks for joining me today. And I just wanted to take a moment and really speak to the heart of why I'm here doing this podcast. It's for viewers just like you. I need your support, and the best way for you to do that is to like and subscribe to all of my videos. It allows you to get the first updates when new content comes out and really lets me know that you're enjoying the content. You know, I love uh some of your history, the fact that you have been raised up, you know, here in McDonough, Georgia. Um I myself as well have been raised up here. And uh and I love the city. You know, I love the way it breathes. Um I love walking around, you know, in the city of McDonough. Uh so you know, tell me a little bit about you know, kind of kind of your upbringing here and what that means for you.

SPEAKER_03 1:30

Yeah, so you know, I was raised right here in McDonough, right, uh in in Church Circle, the local housing projects, and it uh it was a very different McDonough then, right? You're talking two or three thousand people. Um my parents before they passed, you know, owned a gas station here, and we just, you know, it was a different, it was a farm town. You know, we so you know you you you you grow up where um the demographics I mean it was very mixed here. It wasn't, you know, it wasn't it wasn't anything crazy, and yeah, you had friends on both sides of the tracks and we had uh a great time. I mean it was uh it was a great upbringing uh here in McDonough. And I think, you know, some of the things that we we look back on, uh, you know, the uh you know, walking on a dirt road or picking plums off of a plumb bush, those are things that we we I mean we we did right here in McDonough. Uh yeah, I go to the grocery store and I'll see Muscadons for sale, and it's probably about ten in a pack for like eight bucks. And I said, we we just picked these off of a bush.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Um and so you know, things they they they inevitably change. And so that's sort of what has happened in McDonough. You know, after I graduated and and you know, did the college thing and started a family, went into corporate America and came back uh to McDonough in 2010. Okay. And um I was in Chicago at the time, and I thought, you know, there's there's no better place to raise a family than McDonough. That was that was my thought. And so I brought my family back to McDonough, and all my kids went to Henry County schools, graduated from Henry County High, McDonough High. Um, but there was a magic that McDonough had that I thought that I wanted my kids to experience. There was a a toughness, there was something about seeing our old mayor walk around the town square and seeing local business owners uh who may have served in public office, but they operated their little small business.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 3:34

Um, and seeing that, seeing how people helped, if you're broke down on the side of the road, you wouldn't be there long because somebody stopped and said, Hey, you need some need some help. It was that southern hospitality thing.

SPEAKER_04 3:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

And I learned that when I moved up north, you learned that southern hospitality is a real thing. It's not made up, it's it's a real thing. It doesn't exist in some places. And so to to bring the kids back here and to see that and for them to experience that was magical. What I wasn't expecting though is some of the growth that we've experienced. And um with growth, uh, you know, there there comes some pains. Yeah. Um, but it has been a uh a journey. And so you know, I came back and started businesses and you know, helped behind the scenes. Yes. Um, have been approached for years to run for office. And it was um what I said to them ne then at that time was, you know, the most important thing I can do for the city is to be a dad. Yes, sir. Is to be a parent. Uh I wanted to ensure that my kids had access to me and that I was there on the sideline. Um and that nothing came before that. Uh scripture talks about where Prophet a man gained the whole world and lose his soul. And I didn't want to go out in in corporate America and I felt that was, you know, kind of my exodus to corporate America is that they they paid me exceptionally well to do what I did.

SPEAKER_00 4:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 4:57

But I wasn't home. And when I came home after a week of travel, um I was stressed, I was tense, I was tired, uh grumpy with the kids, and I said it didn't matter that we had a beautiful home and enclosed pool, and they had whatever they needed. Yes. They didn't have me. And the times they did have me, it wasn't a great time because dad was griping about whatever. Yes, sir. And so coming back to McDonough was a reset for me. It was an opportunity to smell the roses, an opportunity to walk down the street and see these beautiful buildings and trees and the history, and it was a reset for my mindset to be present and to show up. That's right. And so coming back to this place made me a better dad, a better parent, more aware of uh, you know, what was going on with uh with our kids.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

I I love that. Thank you for you know just just adding a little bit of that context, you know, because things have changed, you know, here in in Henry County over the past, you know, 15 years. And and you know, I would say half of our residents who live here are are transplants. Um so they don't have a connectivity to the history, um, to that old kind of southern way of way of being raised up. And you know, one of the the things that I think a lot of people put a lot of stock in, you know, is that word demographics, right? So how and and what specifically has changed right in in the demographic shift um here in in McDonough and in Henry County.

SPEAKER_03 6:41

So when we when we speak of demographics, so you look at it a f few different ways. Most people will use that as it relates to race.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 6:48

And so uh Henry County is predominantly African American now. That wasn't the case 15, 20 years ago. Yeah. And um with that you see, and and that's with any major demographic shift, whether it's black, white, or hispanic, whatever that looks like, you will see a shift in your local governance. You will see and and where that shift happens, now there are mindset shifts in how we govern and how we will uh build a place.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:17

And what I've noticed in the South is if I won't necessarily say in the South, but in some smaller towns, you have a lot of people that are from there that don't want to get into politics. And so the people that do get into politics are not natively from the area. That's right. They transplant, and that what essentially they do is they bring a mindset and an energy for what they experienced growing up in their hometown to this hometown.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

And um, there was a piece of advice I I received when I uh was running, and they said, well, you know, when you get out and you see other places, you'll see other things that may fit in McDonough. And I pushed back against it and said, Well, not necessarily, because what may work in Louisiana may not work in McDonough. Yeah. That's just as that's just what it is because there are cultural differences, right? That's right. Um, and so we have to be mindful of those things. Well, when you have individuals that are from a town that don't get involved in the politics, yeah, and you have individuals that come from other places that understand the power of your local politics and your local government and how that can shift the energy of a town or a county, then if you're not willing to get behind the wheel, someone else is going to drive the car. You may not like where it's going. And so it doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad, but it's different than what you're used to, yeah, or what you would want to see. Yeah. And so uh that is sort of what led into this local this you know, running for public office now and getting involved because we've just in McDonough, we've seen McDonough grow over the years. And there's nothing more frustrating than seeing the the community that you grew up in, your district, yes, that's not growing at the rate that everything around it is growing. Uh and that's frustrating because you know that their investments are in the community. Yes, yes. But yet this area is not seeing the bare minimum. You're not seeing the maintenance of our parks and the the building of new uh affordable living in these areas, new companies, new retail outlets, new jobs and opportunities. You don't see those. Yes. And it takes a very pointed effort, a very intentional effort to make sure that those things are happening. Right. And um it's the good trouble that we we talk about is pushing back against what that norm would look like to bring something that it may have remnants of the past, but we also look forward to the future. We also look forward to ensuring that our kids and our grandkids have a version of McDonald's where they can prosper and be great and have opportunities. Yes. Uh, even if they move off to college or military, uh my sons have two sons went off to the military, one came back, one is still North Carolina, but um, to be able to come back to a place that raised you and uh and be able to come back and serve and and benefit into the local community. So that is um so when we speak demographics, that's sort of what that is. Again, I don't believe that it's bad, right? Um, but it is different, and this is why all uh should be involved at some level, if not running for a public office, um serving on a committee, um speaking with your local uh politicians to make sure that they're not making decisions without you.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

That they they know how you feel about a thing, and they may not vote the way that you want them to vote.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 10:57

But they can't say they didn't know how you felt.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:59

And I think that's important as we talk about it moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

This episode has been brought to you today by Just Kingdom Sports, a local organization here in Henry County that provides athletics. This August, they have soccer that will run for eight weeks, where your child can get educated support from trained professionals, they'll get games, they'll get uniforms. It's a really great opportunity for your children to stay busy and be educated in athletics this upcoming August. You can reach them at JustKingdomsports.com or on any of their social media profiles at Just Kingdom Sports. So one one of the things we talked about in a previous conversation, and you just brought it up again, which is this idea that bringing a culture or bringing an idea from where I grew up, which you said Louisiana, so we'll go with that. And so what I see is like Mardi Gras, right? So so can you envision um our town being like Mardi Gras? Where people are throwing beads and uh drumming on trumpets, walking down the street. And uh, share, share a little about that.

SPEAKER_03 12:16

It is interesting that you say that because I actually want that to happen. Okay. I don't want the beads, but I do want uh, yeah, I want I think they call it second line, where they're you know walking down the street. But this was the energy behind that. Yeah. Um there is is it there's such community that encompasses some cultural ideals, right? So when you you you know you get on YouTube and you look at someone doing second line, they're walking through a neighborhood, and you just see people smiling and laughing and dancing in the middle of the street, yeah, and someone singing and playing there, and it's just it is the purest form of community that you've ever seen.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

Share a little more what second line is.

SPEAKER_03 13:00

What is yeah, second line is so you will see, and I don't know the history behind second line, but what you'll see is a group of folks just walking down the street. You may have a singer, you may have a drummer, and they're just dancing and having a blast walking through a neighborhood. Okay. They're just walking down the middle of the street, yeah, dancing and laughing, and you'll hear someone singing a song about whatever, mostly blues, things like that. But it is an energy that you you can't deny. Um there is a uh uh a band that I watch on uh Facebook, and this gentleman, they their band, they go around the country. And I saw them in uh I think they were in Vermont.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 13:46

Now you can't get more from Louisiana than Vermont. Yeah. And they're in a neighborhood, they're just walking through and they're having a blast. Now, even if it's only 40, 50 people walking down the road, we are in a time in our country where our politics have divided us.

SPEAKER_01 14:07

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 14:08

Um at something that we could never imagine. Um there has always been a difference of opinion depending on party.

SPEAKER_00 14:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

We didn't see political violence. We didn't see that. We saw two individuals, and I heard uh the late uh John McCain at a town hall uh years ago when he was running against President Obama, and at the town hall, there was an older lady that stood up and was making some disparaging remarks about President Obama, and he checked her. John McCain checked her and said, No, ma'am, that's not true. He's a good man, he's a good husband, a good father.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 14:47

He says, We want to go to the exact same place, we just want to take different routes. He says, No, ma'am, I'm not gonna let you do that. Have a seat. And he went on to the next person. That type of integrity in our politics now is long gone.

SPEAKER_00 15:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 15:03

Where I respect you as a fellow American or fellow politician, and but I'm not trying to destroy your character.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:12

I'm not trying to, I'm not calling you the enemy. We both grew up in a time where we could have a difference of opinion in our politics and not view the other person as the enemy.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 15:24

Well, that's not where we are today. Um and if we're not careful um and very mindful of how we carry ourselves, we can easily slip into that place. I did 2019.

SPEAKER_01 15:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 15:38

Um it was a very dark place because our politics had gotten very dark.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 15:44

And I purposely went into uh a bar that I knew had patrons that did not vote the way I voted.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:55

And I went on a listening tour. I didn't go in there to convince anyone of anything. I just wanted to find common ground. I just wanted to hear. Now that was something that I just consciously said, I can't walk around angry, frustrated, and ready to battle. Yes. That I have to understand someone else's thought process because sometimes sometimes you only have one candidate to vote for.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:20

Right? Yeah. And we'll we all do it. We'll find one thing to hang our hat on, and whatever candidate kind of jumps on that bandwagon, we'll ride with that. Though I may disagree with everything else on your platform.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

Right.

SPEAKER_03 16:32

I agree with this one thing, and so I have to back you.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Yeah. And so do you do you feel like, you know, and I hear what you're saying about national politics, right? About presidential elections, senatorial candidates. But do you feel like that level of difficulty and polarization exists here in in McDonough?

SPEAKER_03 16:56

Absolutely. Okay. It's unfortunate. It um if looking at social media, you'll see that there's been a big blow-up about our new beautiful fountain on the square. Well, that's owned by the county, and the county, you know, um invested in in that, and it's a beautiful investment. There are um thousands of comments that are disparaging against them, wasteful spending, blah, blah, blah. And they're right down party lines. Yeah. Uh it's right down party lines, and it's unfortunate because as a county, we you know, we we have to create kind of this this balanced way of living, yes, um, and this transparency. And they're very transparent in how, you know, it wasn't a surprise of what they were spending, it wasn't a surprise of what they were doing.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Right.

SPEAKER_03 17:50

But when you have some individuals that will say, Well, I don't agree with it, now my disagreement becomes an attack.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:58

It becomes a judgment of your entire service.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:02

Which is just it's just not fair. And so it can be very polarizing here locally, unfortunately. Um with the city of McDonough, I'm blessed to be working with fellow council members and a mayor that um we we have our disagreements. Um we push back against each other, um, but we we try to stay as civil as we can. It it is um I I honestly believe that is the you know kind of the the hallmark of our society is disagreement. And I think that's how we grow.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

Right.

SPEAKER_03 18:34

Um I I may not see it the way that you do, and and it's okay that I tell you that.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

And then it's okay that you tell me sort of where you stand, right? And and we still go and eat some wings after this. And that's okay, life's okay. Yeah. Um I don't have to hate you because you didn't vote the way that I wanted you to vote. Yeah. And unfortunately now the even and I think this is because of some of the mindset of a national politics, locally, God forbid you hold a public office, and people just believe that you're you're a liar anyway. They just believe you're you're you know, you're you're not telling the truth, and you're, you know, and they just put you on a whole nother level. I've had people tell me, you know, well, don't take any bribes. I said, well, I just local politics. I just yeah, I don't I don't want to do 20 years in prison for $5,000 or whatever.

SPEAKER_04 19:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:28

That's insane. So but aga but again, there is this mindset that if you're in public office, that you have to be doing this. Yeah. Um I'm afraid to buy a new car while I'm in public office. Because I don't want someone to say. Yeah, he you know, he took a he took a bribe to get this passed.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Right, right.

SPEAKER_03 19:47

And um so we work to be as transparent as we can and be as honest as we can. I've spoken with several residents, several constituents since I've been in office, and we have some great conversation. I'll tell them, listen, you know, I understand where you stand. I don't I don't agree with what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 20:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 20:02

Um and I can't guarantee that I'm gonna vote the way that you like me to vote.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

Right.

SPEAKER_03 20:06

But I will always make sure you have a voice. Yes. I'll always make sure that you're at the table and that you, the way that you feel about an I an item or an agenda is known. And I think that's fair.

SPEAKER_02 20:18

Right.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

Um that your local politics not only listen to you, but they're honest with you about what they can and can't do. Yes. What they can and can't say. Right. Um, and I think that is what we want. I um and it's a tougher conversation. Yeah, definitely. It's a tougher conversation.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

But so you've you've been in office close to a hundred days now, right? And so, you know, with with politics, we hear about the first 100 days in in in office, right? This is a uh important milestone. Yeah. So, you know, kind of kind of share, like what what is it like, right? Having those first 100 days, is it you know, is it what you expected, you know, would you recommend other people to to run for office and and embark on this journey?

SPEAKER_03 21:07

That's a that's a phenomenal question. It is the first hundred days has been drinking out of a water hose. It is, I understand, I didn't understand why years, why uh attorneys would go into politics. You would think, yeah, I'm thinking, okay, we'll go practice law. No, no, no, no. They're going to politics because everything is written legally. Yeah, everything, uh all of the ordinances, everything. It's this legal jargon. And so you learn this new way of speaking, this new way of understanding. Um the other side of it is you get to pull the curtain back. Not only from the operational side of how the city operates. And there are issues that are there because an elected official, I don't have control over staff. I can't go up to a public works person and say, hey, You need to go over and that's not my job.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:02

We have a city administrator and a mayor that handles the staff, the day-to-day.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

Got it.

SPEAKER_03 22:09

So to go in as a city council person or even a commissioner, their job is local policy, ordinances, zoning, voting on contracts, and that's it.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 22:23

You don't go and and you know tell the the landscaping guys, hey, you need to get your stuff together. Like that's not your thing. And that's what I want it to do. Because I'm an operations guy. Right? So you walk in and you see, okay, this is where it's broken. Well, I can't go over there and do that. Now I can work with our city manager. I can work with our city administrator and work with our mayor and and try to get them to see the way I see it and help them develop something that they can go and implement.

SPEAKER_00 22:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 22:52

But that's not my job. And so the first hundred days you walk in and you have all of these things that you want to accomplish and you back up. I'll give an example. One uh one initiative I wanted to uh bring was called Beautify the Blanc for District One.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 23:07

And that was just bringing volunteers together. I wanted at least a hundred volunteers, and we were going to go through District One and help people with their homes, a little painting in the front, cut grass, clean up edge sidewalks, make it gorgeous for District One.

SPEAKER_00 23:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 23:21

Well, it sounds good on the surface until you start to realize well, if you're going to be cutting bushes and you need dumpsters. You've got to have somewhere to put that stuff. And you're going to organize this group. Is the dump going to be open that day? Yeah. Well, what city resources do we need or can we use?

SPEAKER_00 23:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 23:40

And so though I was ready to start this in the beginning, you have to take your foot off the gasle bin and say, wait a minute. There's a little bit more planning that goes into it than just saying I want to do a thing and I'll go do it.

SPEAKER_00 23:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 23:51

Right? Because you still want to honor our staff and the stuff that they have to do in and in and throughout the city. And so that was really important to see how it operated on the back end and why we don't do certain things that I think we should be doing.

SPEAKER_01 24:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 24:10

So it's not that everything has been great.

SPEAKER_01 24:12

Right.

SPEAKER_03 24:12

It hasn't been horrible either. I've really enjoyed learning. I've done a lot of training since. There's a mandatory training the state requires. Yes. And then there are other trainings that the Georgia Municipal Association they offer. And so I went in and I'm a learner. So I want to learn what I can and can't do and what our opportunities are in the city. And so and then the other side of that is creating relationships with my other city council folks.

SPEAKER_00 24:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 24:41

Is making sure that we see eye to eye and that we all have an understanding of what our job is.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

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SPEAKER_03 25:14

I remember one of our first meetings, I looked at our city council and I told them, I said, you don't work for the mayor. You work for the people. That's right. We serve at the will of the people, and the mayor serves at the will of the council and the people, and the staff serves at the will of the council, and that's how this goes. So you have a duty to speak against things if it's not correct.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 25:40

That's your job.

SPEAKER_00 25:41

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 25:42

And you speak to that, and you speak truth to power if and whatever that brings, it brings. But for God's sake, don't sit here and be quiet. Like we're not going to do that. We're not going to do that. And that is a very different energy. A very different energy than what had been there in the past. Yeah. And it wasn't that I was trying to fuss or but I wanted them to know I'm here with you, you're here with me, you know, Wonder Twins unite. Let's, you know, let's go in and let's make this thing phenomenal, right?

SPEAKER_01 26:14

Yes. And uh I know, you know, people here, you know, who live in McDonough are are really invested in in kind of the future and direction, you know, that the city is really moving in. Um so what would be, you know, maybe your top one, two, three priorities, right, that you have as coming into office and you know really making an impact um here in in your new position?

SPEAKER_03 26:40

It is uh that is interesting because well, first, I I want to make sure that our local services are delivered with a level of excellence to every citizen in McDonough.

SPEAKER_00 26:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 26:54

It's not something new, but I want to make sure that if your water has been disconnected, that when you call down at this stressful moment, that you get great customer service and someone that answers the phone that wants to help. That when you um need public works to come out and look at something, stormwater, that you get great service, that if a police pulls you over, and I have to give you a ticket, that they're the nicest, kindest police officer you've ever seen.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 27:23

I want to make sure that we deliver the basics with excellence.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 27:26

If we can't do that, then everything else doesn't matter. It doesn't matter about new buildings and new programs. If the people that are serving the citizens are not operating in a spirit of excellence with what they do on a daily basis. That's beautiful. I want to also make sure that we have structured and controlled growth. Listen, there are there are people who don't want McDonald's to grow. I get it. Yeah. There are folks who wanted McDonald's to stay the way it was 20 years ago. That's right. And so we have to progress as a city. When we think about our tax revenues, everyone complains about our taxes just throughout the entire county. And but there are ways that we can help slow that. And that's through economic development. That's through building and new businesses and companies and things coming to the city.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 28:20

But we have to be mindful of how that happens. Um, our road infrastructure is important, but we have very little control over it locally because our state roads are owned by the state. They're not owned by us, and so we can't go out and widen a road even though we know it should have been widened 20 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

Right.

SPEAKER_03 28:39

We have to wait and partner with other organizations to make sure that these things are done. In the meantime, we have to make sure that we don't grow too fast to overgrow infrastructure, which we've mostly done, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_01 28:58

Right.

SPEAKER_03 28:58

But to make sure that McDonough is a great place to live, work, and play. Yes. To make sure that it's safe, to make sure that we are progressive where we need to be. But we're not in 1995. Right? And we have to be mindful of that. Um, because families want opportunities for their kids, for their themselves to live, work, and play. And we move to those areas that are progressive.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 29:33

Very few people are moving to some little town in South Georgia that still has old school whatever.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

Right.

SPEAKER_03 29:41

Very few people are moving to that.

SPEAKER_00 29:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 29:43

And so we have to be mindful of those things. And so change is coming. And I think that change is fine with most if you're honest and transparent about the change.

SPEAKER_00 29:53

Right.

SPEAKER_03 29:53

If you're mindful about the change, um, to make sure that we're not overpopulating one little tight area too dense. That's a big deal, right? That's right. Uh if it takes me 15 to 20 minutes to get three miles down the road to the grocery store, that's problematic, right? And so there are things that we can do, and there are things that the state has also seen that we need to do uh moving forward. Example, sidewalks. So instead of the smaller sidewalks, the wider sidewalks, well, why is that important? Where more people now are moving on, you know, smaller skateboards and uh uh golf carts and you know those smaller modes of transportation. So imagine a sidewalk system throughout McDonough that connects, that's wide enough for you to just take your little golf cart right over to Publix or to Food Depot. So you don't have to jump in a car and get on the road.

SPEAKER_01 30:51

Right.

SPEAKER_03 30:52

That can cut for some trips 10 minutes, 15 minutes each way. Yes. And just running down to get some milk. Yes. Right? And so those are the forward-thinking things that we have to begin to think about. Um and and more importantly, the fiscal responsibility at City Hall.

SPEAKER_01 31:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:09

Making sure that we are doing um uh skills assessment of our employees to make sure that we're not hiring people that we don't need to hire uh such as private contractors to do basic things that our city workers can do to make sure that we're good stewards of the finances of the people so that we can have you know stable budgets, money in the bank, we don't have to worry about robbing Peter to pay Paul just to deliver basic services, and that we have enough foresight to look 20 years down the road and say, hey, this is where we are, this is where we're more than likely moving to in 20 years, let's begin to make decisions today so they don't have to make them in 2040.

SPEAKER_01 31:53

Yes. That's beautiful. Wow, thank you for just adding all of that together. You know, one of the things that I saw just by being a resident here in McDonough, um, and and I feel like it had a major impact on the mayoral election, but the red signs that say stop the mega development, 1,500 plus housing units, strip mall, I don't know, whatever the red signs said, right? Can you give some context to like what that is? Is that a problem? Do people have anything to be worried about? Gotcha. Um, because the signs look a little worrisome.

SPEAKER_03 32:34

Oh, they they yeah, absolutely. So there's a development off of um or property off of Zach Hinton across from McDonough High School and uh the post office, where there was a developer that that wants to build. Well uh they were calling them a McDonough Municipal Complex.

SPEAKER_00 32:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 32:52

And essentially um a thousand apartments, 190 townhomes, think 180-room hotel, okay, uh retail outlets, yes, and a some sort of municipal building that McDonough would use in that area. And let me say this first the citizens' uh complaints are absolutely valid. Yeah, it is a major uh development in an area um that is uh already dense. Yes. Um this development would bring a lot of traffic to the area on Zach Henton is just a two-lane road.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

Right.

SPEAKER_03 33:36

Without any of that built today, at the right time of day, probably two or three times a day, it's gonna take you seven to ten minutes to get from racetrack road to CVS at the right time of day.

SPEAKER_01 33:53

Yeah, which is less than a mile.

SPEAKER_03 33:55

It's less than a mile.

SPEAKER_01 33:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:56

And so to put something there that's going to bring you know an additional probably 20,000 cars a day into the area is not smart. Right. It's not smart. Right. Um so that had to go to the state, um, the Atlanta Regional Commission to do a uh a study. And the regional impact study looks at the entire area and it looks at how would this development impact this area. Right. And if you're going to go forward with it, this is how you go forward with it. Um these are the things that would that we'd recommend. They're not a deciding body, a determining body, they just give recommendations.

SPEAKER_00 34:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 34:42

Well, that study just completed literally a week and a half ago.

SPEAKER_00 34:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 34:46

And uh, you know, it's over a year in the making. Right. Um and and they have, I mean, pages of recommendations. Um the reality is is that development is is good if the citizens are involved. Yes. If transparency is there. And I think a lot of the frustration with the community is that there was no transparency. It was very much, well, somebody put in an application and for rezoning, and this has to happen first, and then we can say this after this happens. Yes. And when that happens, and listen, if you're a private property owner, you can sell your property to anyone.

SPEAKER_01 35:30

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 35:31

Um, that's your right. And there's a developer's right to buy it and to seek for a development in that property. But if you're in the city, you have a duty to talk to your neighbors.

SPEAKER_00 35:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 35:47

You have a duty to speak, and I think that it could have gone a lot smoother had we had discussions. Now, the way that the process goes, it comes back, the recommendations come back, um, and if they choose to move forward with a petition for rezoning, then there are public meetings, the public gets to come in and speak and support our opposition, and then the council votes on the rezoning. Well, that process is is beginning to take up now because we've gotten the recommendations back, and public, you know, once they start scheduling these things, if the developer still wants to move forward, then those public hearings and things will take place. What's important is we look at the density of the area, we look at our natural resources, we look at the quality of life shift for communities. There's um College Street, there's um Bryan Street, those are very small just two-lane streets with I mean, can you imagine, you know, an additional 1,500 cars a day in that area as cut throughs?

SPEAKER_01 36:57

Right.

SPEAKER_03 36:58

Right? Can you imagine an additional 15,000, 20,000 cars a day on Phillips, uh I mean on uh Zach Hinton?

SPEAKER_01 37:07

Right.

SPEAKER_03 37:07

Trying to get back out to 75 or get through the city. So there's a lot. There's nothing that will happen immediately.

SPEAKER_01 37:16

Right.

SPEAKER_03 37:17

This is something that you're probably looking five or six years or more. There's infrastructure components that we have to do just to continue growing as the city.

SPEAKER_00 37:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 37:28

That nothing can go vertical over there because we don't have capacity in some of our areas, like sewage. Yeah. We have to, we gotta build it, we gotta, we gotta increase capacity. And so a lot of those things have to happen first before anything else can be done.

SPEAKER_01 37:44

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 37:44

That's not to say that smaller developments can't happen.

SPEAKER_01 37:46

Right.

SPEAKER_03 37:47

But my goal is to make sure that as this moves forward, that our citizens have a voice and a seat at the table, as well as a developer, as well as the city and the folks that we pay, the experts, the staff, because I'm not a planning guy, I'm not a I'm not, you know, I'm not a builder.

SPEAKER_01 38:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:07

Right? But we have community development folks that are experts that we pay salary to, that work for McDonough, and they work to ensure that the best interest of McDonough is there. And that's the that's the staff sign. Then you have the elected official sign, where we now have the ear of the constituents. What I have to explain to some citizens, though, is because you're in opposition, doesn't mean it stops it from moving forward. Yes. Right? Um, it may mean that, but it doesn't necessarily mean that. And my job as an elected official is not to go and vote how you tell me to vote.

SPEAKER_01 38:43

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 38:44

That's a puppet, right? And that's just not what you elected me to do. Yes. And so I want to make sure that they have a voice at the table and that I do the research that I can present to the constituents very clear and fair, and that I can advocate for what constituents need and want, and advocate for the developer. Why? Because this is potential revenue for the city. But I'm not worried about revenue for the city if it's going to destroy the quality of life for those that are already made the investment into McDonald's.

SPEAKER_01 39:16

Yeah, that's a really beautiful way of explaining that. And you know, it definitely adds a lot of clarity, you know, to kind of a you know a muddied, you know, situation. Um, you know, I but I do want to speak to just how I got to meet you and how you approached me. Um, you know, you were very kind and and you weren't there as a politician, you you were there as a person who loves the city of McDonough. Um so having leadership like yourself, which is active, you know, honest, um, engaging, but also you've been raised up in the values and what it means to be a city of McDonough resident. So I'm proud to have you in the District 1 seat. I appreciate it. Um very confident that you will make a great impact, right? In in a positive way, uh, that brings people together and really does stick to the values, you know, of what Henry County and and being a McDonald's resident is. So I appreciate it. Um but I want to thank you for joining me today and just having this amazing conversation. Uh really knowledgeable person you are, and I love just kind of getting to more know more about you and and your goals that you have for this city. Um if you want, go ahead and share a little bit, you know, of how people can get in touch with you or a way to contact you at the city, you know, really anything you want to share in closing.

SPEAKER_03 40:34

Good stuff. So uh to reach out to me, you can uh touch base at um mcdonna d1.com, which is a site I've created just for our constituents in this area. Um my uh city phone number is uh 404-295-2350. Uh you can find me on social media um at uh McDonough D1. That's at McDonough D1 on social media. Um and listen, any way that I can serve, I'm I'm here to I'm here to serve and help and show up and try to do what we can to do at the McDonough way. You know, so I appreciate you taking some time with me today.

SPEAKER_01 41:12

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. All right, everyone. We just wrapped up another amazing episode here on Chasing Heritage. As always, if you like the content, please follow us and subscribe. This is the only way that we're able to continue having the best interviewees. We have some exciting people upcoming, and so this also puts you first in line to get notifications and make sure you never miss anything on Chasing Heritage.