I believe in Limited Government and the unlimited potential of the Individual.

I have been married for 30 years to my best friend, Lori. We are blessed to have two beautiful daughters. Chelsea is 24 and married, living in Raleigh with her husband, Jon. Both are graduates of NC State. Heather is 21 and a Senior Elementary Education Major at UNC-Greensboro. I am a small business owner and financial advisor for more than 26 years. I have worked hard for many years, pursuing those “unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” that are endowed by our Creator.

But, like you, I have seen those freedoms slowly, but surely, being stolen from our grasp. In recent years I have felt strongly that we are fast approaching a time when Ronald Reagan warned that “…freedom is only one generation away from extinction.” And that this “Freedom isn’t passed in the bloodline to our children.”

My Uncle lives in Winston-Salem and is a Vietnam War Veteran, awarded the Purple Heart for bravery and valor in combat. A couple of years ago, he said to me, “This is not the country I once fought for.” The moment he spoke those words they were deeply imbedded in my heart and I understood, like never before, why I had this undeniable passion, an indescribable boldness - to stand, to speak out, and to fight.

Friends, we must stand and fight and resist like never before, to preserve and protect this Freedom for which so many have fought and died. None of us wants to be the generation that, “in our sunset years must tell our children and our children’s children about a time gone by when men were once free in America.”

This fight begins at our local level of government, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, and this year, we conservatives have a historic opportunity to change the direction of county government by gaining a Republican majority.

As you may know, the current Chairman, Skip Alston, will not seek reelection. I don’t have to tell you that Mr. Alston, along with my opponent, Paul Gibson, have led the people of Guilford County down an incredibly slippery slope for the past 20 years with their liberal tax and spend approach.

The county budget has grown by 95% over the past 15 years while the population of Guilford County has grown by only 16%. Suffice it to say that our commissioners have spent our county to the brink of financial crisis. We ended this past fiscal year almost a billion dollars in debt, we are approaching 100 million in debt service annually on an ever-increasing, out of control, nearly 600 million dollar budget for 2012-13.

All this, on their watch, as they give empty lip service to any concern, year after year, for the progressive deterioration of our region’s economic conditions, including some of the highest levels of unemployment and under-employment since the great depression.

The citizens of Guilford County have endured spending increase after spending increase and property tax after property tax increase as we have lived through the worst economic conditions in 80 years. This irresponsible and reckless behavior, at the expense of hard working Guilford County residents, must come to end. It’s time for new leadership that genuinely cares about all Guilford County residents.

District 5 and Guilford County deserve the kind of leaders that care about the well-being of the future of this county and its people. I have always and will continue to stand for constitutionally conservative, limited government, principles that will directly and swiftly address the issues of our county’s budget crisis.

I am personally committed to working with other fiscally conservative commissioners and private citizens throughout Guilford county, to review each and every department being funded by its tax payers. I am 100% committed to creating a favorable environment for private sector job growth in our county. I will do everything in my power to stimulate job creation, from small business to major manufacturing. We must do everything possible to create an environment where private sector business and new business innovation thrive again in Guilford County.

We must also make quality education of our children a top priority once again. Spending tax dollars on top-heavy administrative staff and more new school buildings is not the solution. Our focus on spending in schools should be at the classroom level, where education really happens. More than 40% of the county budget is allocated to the Board of Education, but the current Board of Commissioners demands little accountability as to how those funds result in education improvement for our children and grandchildren. The Board of Education is given total control of how these funds are spent for new schools, operating expenses, administrative staff, and teacher salaries. This lack of accountability needs to end. The leadership of Guilford County has a fiduciary and moral responsibility on behalf of our children and their families to be exemplary stewards of The People's funds.

So why am I running for Guilford County Commissioner? I believe that I am called, for a time such as this, on our watch, to fight for the people of this great county. With God’s guidance, together, we have an opportunity to make history by gaining a fiscally Conservative majority on the board for the first time in 16 years.

This will not be an easy task! I am asking for your help, so that together, we can chart a new course of fiscal responsibility and vibrant economic growth throughout District 5 and for all of Guilford County.

Thank you and God Bless you! Jeff