Last night I sat in that room for hours. I listened. I watched. And I felt every word spoken by the people who showed up to make their voices heard.
A little girl stepped up to that microphone. A farmer who works this land every single day. A friend. Neighbors. Real people with real stakes in what happens to this county we all call home. They came because they believed their voices mattered. They came because they trusted that the people elected to serve them would listen.
And yet — the decision made tonight was not the one our community deserved.
I want to be clear about something: I do not take this lightly, and I know many of you don’t either. Zoning and land use decisions shape the future of Washington County in ways that go far beyond a single vote. They determine what our neighborhoods look like, what our farmland becomes, what kind of place we are leaving for the child who stood at that podium tonight.
I want to sincerely and publicly thank Commissioner Jerome Fitzgerald for voting NO. Thank you for being a voice of integrity in that room.
We can do better. We should do better. And I believe we will.
I sat in that meeting because I care — not as a candidate making a moment, but as a member of this community who is tired of watching decisions get made that don’t reflect our values, our needs, or our voices. If tonight showed us anything, it’s that elections matter. Commissioners matter. Every single vote on that board matters.
If you want to see change in Washington County, this is your moment. Vote this season. Support your Democratic and Independent candidates. Let’s put people on that Commission who will actually listen — the way Commissioner Jodi Jones listened tonight.
This is our County. Let’s fight for it. 