BOC POST 2: Jody Thompson

Please summarize your background.

I was born and raised in Jackson County, inbetween Commerce and Maysville. My parents are Nelson and Barbara Thompson who are also from Jackson County. My wife, Brandy, and I have spent 11 years and we have two children, Natalie, 7, and John Aubrey, 3. I graduated from Jackson County High School and am currently attending Lanier Tech pursuing additional education and a degree in management. My hobbies include playing guitar and bass guitar and martial arts. I have studied several styles of Jujitsu and Aikido from many of the best teachers in the world. I have been in management for 15 years, working as a manager, district manager, sales management trainer and business owner. I have earned many awards for excellence and have taught sales training to hundreds of other management professionals. Over the last four years, I have served the people of Jackson County as the District 2 commissioner. I earned my commissioner certification within the first year of office and have certifications in leadership from the Association of County Commissioners. I am also a graduate of Leadership Jackson.

How has your background prepared you for the post you are seeking?

My background in management has given me experience with working with people and handling large budgets. I have developed great relationships with both the citizens and the county staff. This has been beneficial in getting the people involved and relating their concerns to staff in a very proactive manner. My extensive experience working with people of all walks of life certainly has improved relationships within our county. The citizens have helped with getting right-of-ways for road projects and that is directly related to having a commissioner that is responsive and they trust.
Over the last four years, I have gained valuable experience from dealing with the stressed finances in the county government and making the necessary changes needed to improve that situation. Now the finances are much better than before and the people have a government they can be proud of. Also in my background as a commissioner, I have experienced and successfully managed the highest volume of land use requests the county had ever seen. From that I learned our code better than most and have utilized that knowledge in making the changes needed in that code to best benefit the people. I have also been able to find creative funding to get much-needed projects completed and not impact the budget. Both the completion of the Commerce Health Department and our library system are great examples. Sales tax was used to aid in the funding needed for these projects. County inmate labor was used for countywide library improvements and for the Commerce Health Department construction. This saved thousands of dollars for the taxpayers. My position has allowed me to gain experience in negotiating with the State DOT to get more roads paved and funding to offset the costs related to these roads. That same experience is now getting the dangerous intersection at Hwy. 98 and B. Wilson Road improved using federal funds, not local.

Why are you the most qualified person for this position?

My qualifications rest in the enormous progress I, along with the entire board, have made in Jackson County. I have proven to the people that I can complete projects timely and under budget. I have no political strings controlling me and there is absolutely no conflict that would hinder my decisions. I ask the hard questions and give the hard answers. I have recognized the wasteful spending and was willing to go against the grain and ask the difficult questions others would not. This is not a position for someone who is happy with the way it used to be, Jackson County has changed for the better. I have made great strides to keep our government transparent and professional. I am the most qualified candidate because I have a proven record and I am running for the people, not for myself.
What do you consider to be the key issues facing the campaign? If elected, what would be your plans on how to address these issues?
The issue that will pose the most difficult challenge is the fund the staffing of the new jail. Currently those positions will cost about $4 million in staffing fees. If there were no other cuts, this alone would increase taxes far beyond any increase in the last decade. This is a challenge only an experienced, trained leader can steer. This will not be a single year impact. These positions are vital and will impact the budget from here on out. There is not an easy answer to this challenge.
Another key issue we are facing is the updating of our Unified Development Code and our Comprehensive Plan. As anyone has seen from our meetings, I have a very detailed understanding of the code. Very few leaders have taken as much time as I have to understand and comprehend the importance of the code. This is what shapes the future of the county and cannot be taken lightly.
The last issue that is vital to the county is the completion of the animal shelter. If the county had understood the value of this when it was first proposed, the shelter would have almost paid for itself by this point. With such a shelter in place, the costs related to the recent “puppy mill” case would have been substantially lower. The success of this shelter will rely on the strong relationship I have developed with rescue groups such as the Humane Society.

What is the greatest challenge facing the person elected to this position and how would you address it?

The greatest challenge for this position is to be able to serve the entire county and not one single group. I will continue the way I have always handled it. I came into this race independent and I will remain that way. When a city or a group has approached me with any concern, I bring it before the entire board and lobby how I would for anyone. I only consider requests that are heard publicly. Any promises made by former commissioners in closed-door meetings are brought into the light and if the public does not agree with it, it doesn’t happen. So far the county government has developed wonderful relationships with our city and school governments.

What course would you like to see the county take as it grows over the next decade?

Over the next 10 years, I would like to see the county become a tourist spot and further develop its commercial potential. We have such a beautiful county with so much heritage and history. I would love to see the small towns be revitalized with dollars from tourism and travelers. Just in the last four years, we have made vast improvements to our parks and roads. Both of these areas are vital to maintaining our economic growth. Economic growth is not only industrial based, it is also commercial. The sales tax increase will open more revenue options to give relief for our taxpayers. This is a great thing for everyone in the county.