Career firefighter and land-clearing business owner Spencer Johnson, 30, has been running since spring as a Republican candidate for Seat 1-B on the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners. As such he challenges Commissioner Anthony Simmons, a Democrat who has served since before Johnson was born.

“One thing I would like to bring up is my opponent has had 34 years, and we’re not really happy with how things are and where things are going and all,” Johnson said in an interview last week. “All I’m asking for is for four years. If I can get the opportunity to show that I’m a good candidate, after four years if you still think I’m not good, vote me out, but at least give me that try to show you that I will be a great representative.”

That was actually his closing remark, the “anything else?” in an interview in which he was asked topical questions. With early voting underway toward the Nov. 3 general election, the Statesboro Herald is spotlighting both District 1, Seat B candidates, with Simmons’ story slated for the Tuesday, Oct. 20, E-edition and both for the Thursday, Oct. 22 print.

A clarification: Simmons informed us that he has actually served 32 years, having sat out two years back when the county adjusted the terms for a staggered rotation. The 34-year figure has appeared in a previous Herald story and on the county’s website. He was first elected in 1992.

The way the board is set up now, District 1 encompasses about one-third of the county’s population and elects two commissioners to four-year terms, with one seat up for election every two years.

Spencer, who?

Spencer Johnson grew up in Jenkins and Candler counties and is a graduate of Metter High School, but he has resided in Bulloch County for seven to eight years. He and his wife, Erin, make their home just outside near Portal and have a 4-year-old daughter.

His further education has consisted of professional certifications and continued training as a firefighter. He now works for Southern Industrial Protection, which provides contracted fire protection to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America. He previously served with the Statesboro Fire Department for seven years and was a volunteer with the Bulloch County and Metter departments.

He also owns and operates Johnson Land Management, founded in 2020, using heavy equipment to do land clearing and demolition.

Why’s he running?

“Like every other citizen,” he said, he doesn’t have a lot of money sitting around and became concerned about rising county taxes.

“I’m not rich,” Johnson said. “I mean, I do well for myself, but the taxes are increasing more and more and more and we’re getting excuses of ‘We’ve got to catch up on our infrastructure because we outgrew our infrastructure’ and this and that, and the cost of living’s gone up and all this other stuff, but it’s put back on the citizens to pick up the slack instead of the commissioners making hard decisions.”S

He isn’t promising to reduce taxes but would make it a goal.

“I’m not going to run on lowering taxes because I can’t promise anything until I get in there,” he said. “I (need to) get in there where I can see the big picture, but my goal is to either stop the rise of taxes, or lower it,” Johnson said.

That, he said, is an area where he is “willing to make hard decisions” and cut budgets when needed.

“I’m not going in there to be friends or try to be buddy-buddy with the commissioner next to me,” Johnson said. “I don’t care if I make them mad. … I’m there to represent the citizens and try to make things better for the citizens.”

He added that he would hope to get along with the other commissioners and staff, but wouldn’t be afraid to say “no” and to call out anyone “taking advantage of resources that are meant for citizens.”

Taxes vs. services

Both candidates were asked how they would balance taxpayers’ desire for lower taxes with needs and demand for county services – and if there are ways taxes should be cut or alternative funding obtained.

The Seat 1-B Republican candidate credits Chairman David Bennett for not giving tax breaks to new industries during his first two years in office. Johnson said he understands the push in the past to bring in jobs and investment. But county officials should now ask “at what cost?” and require industries that will put more strain on county infrastructure to help cover those costs, he said.

“So what I aim to do is put it back on those that want to come here,” Johnson said. “They have to pay their fair share, and the bigger that you are, the more that you should be willing to help your community that you’re entering into.”

An example he noted has to do with the Amazon fulfillment center, opened in 2023, near Pooler in Chatham County. After local officials insisted, he said, Amazon purchased or contributed to the purchase of a new ladder truck for Pooler’s fire service.

Road paving & upkeep

What are the candidates’ views on road paving, dirt road maintenance and how the county should prioritize projects?

“We should update the roads at the worst conditions first and then work our way down to those that are less priority, also the bridges, storm drains, dirt roads,” Johnson said. “But I do feel like District 1 does not get the representation that they deserve, and it shows if you look at other parts of the county that get the attention. Their roads are well paved; their roads are well painted; you can see the lines.”

Driving one stretch of paved road in District 1 on his way to work, he had needed to “drive by Braille,” he quipped, feeling the edges of the roadway by the bumps.

As a landowner, Johnson agrees personally with those who say they don’t want the county telling them what to do with their land.

“But I do believe that if the dirt road is causing problems for public safety, to be able to serve and protect the county, that is the issue and that is the priority. …,” he said. “Then we need to make these hard decisions to get these roads paved. I’m not for taking land, I’m not for telling people what to do … but maybe find a middle ground … that both parties will be happy with.”

Data centers?

“I’m not for them, but I’m not against them, and when I say that, I have my reasons,” Johnson said.

He would be against those data centers he has heard about that use a lot of water or energy, make a lot of noise or have “pipes that leak into the ground water.”

However, these problems have been fixed in regard to other data centers, he observed.

“But I’m still very skeptical of them because they’re just so unknown, they’re new,” Johnson said. “I don’t think Bulloch County should be a guinea pig for any of it. … When you rush something, that’s when you make major mistakes. Let’s learn what these other counties have done (around) the country and figure out where they went wrong and how we in Bulloch County can do right.”

Then he added that he’s “kind of for them” because if a data center “paid their fair share” that could bring the county “a lot of money that could help our budget and that could cause the taxpayers to not have to pay so much in taxes.”

But the county would need to place strict requirements on data centers and enforce those rules, he said.