Editor's note: This is the first of two candidate profiles for Bulloch County Commission Seat 1-B. Jacquavias "Jac" Roberson is featured today. Anthony Simmons will be featured Wednesday.

A challenger seeking election to the Bulloch County Commission Seat 1-B would like to see more opportunities in the area for young people, better roads and more health-care resources in rural areas.

Jacquavias "Jac" Roberson, 22, is a Bulloch County native challenging incumbent Anthony Simmons in the upcoming Democratic primary.

A funeral director and operator of Roberson Funeral Home on U.S. Highway 301 North for the past two years, Roberson has worked in the funeral business since age 12, for local funeral homes as well as others across the state, he said.

In seeking the county commission seat, he has an interest in industrial and economic growth in the area.

"There are a lot of changes I want to see in Bulloch County," he said. "I'd like to see new development in the county, something that will lure new citizens to the area."

Programs that encourage youth to learn, grow and become productive citizens are important to a community, he said.

"Our youth are our future - tomorrow's leaders," Roberson said.

Encouraging youth as well as other citizens to participate in community activities is vital to development, he said. More outreach centers in rural areas would be a project he would like to pursue if elected.

Also, Roberson feels Bulloch County needs more medical resources in rural areas such as Portal and Register. Driving to Statesboro from remote locations in the large county is difficult for many, including the elderly or those without transportation, he said.

Road improvements are also on his list of priorities if elected, he said.

Roberson, who is single, is a Statesboro High School graduate and received a degree from the Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Services in Decatur, Ga. He enjoys following civic and social issues in the community, and in his spare time he likes to travel, sing gospel, read and write. He volunteers with Habitat for Humanity.

He is a member of Whitesville Full Gospel Worship Center, but attends services at several area churches, he said.

He said he is president-elect of Georgia Association of Innovative Funeral Directors and is a member of national funeral director organizations. His candidacy for the Bulloch County Commission Seat 1B is Roberson's first time running for an elected office.

Holli Deal Bragg may be reached at (912) 489-9414.