Union City’s success did not happen by accident.
Over the past decade, private investment, new businesses, industrial expansion, infrastructure improvements, jobs, and population growth have transformed our city.
Today, Union City is one of Georgia’s fastest-growing cities and, according to GoBankingRates’ 2024 ranking, the fourth-fastest-growing suburb in the nation.
I’m proud of that progress. But growth brings both opportunity and responsibility.
As mayor, my responsibility is to ask the harder questions: Where should development occur? What does it mean for residents and infrastructure? What safeguards are necessary? And how do we make sure our residents are part of the future we are building?
Growth is not the problem. How we manage it is.
That’s important as we consider data centers and other emerging technologies.
There are legitimate questions about where these facilities should be located, how they should operate, and what standards should govern them. Those questions should be welcomed.
People ask questions because they care about their community and want progress done right.
Recent polling reinforces the importance of that conversation. Data shows, 84% of Georgia voters support requiring data centers to pay their own infrastructure costs, conserve water, and reduce impacts on local communities. The message is straightforward: Georgians are asking for accountability and responsible development alongside innovation.
I believe we can welcome investment while protecting quality of life and demanding accountability.
We cannot overlook how we make decisions in an increasingly digital world.
We cannot continue thinking with eight-track mindsets while living in a cloud-based world.
The challenges facing communities are increasingly complex, interconnected, and data-driven. Yet local governments too often make decisions with fragmented information, outdated systems, and tools that were never designed to help us understand the scale and speed of modern growth.
The invisible must become visible.
That means understanding where change is happening, why it is happening, what it will affect, and what may happen next.
This is where GIS, artificial intelligence, real-time data, and digital twins become increasingly important. These tools can help communities understand the relationships among development, infrastructure, transportation, utilities, public services, environmental conditions, and residents.
This is not technology for technology’s sake.
It is about leadership.
It is about giving elected officials, planners, staff, residents, and community partners better information so we can make better decisions.
In Union City, we call our vision R3: Reclaim, Renew, and Reimagine.
- Reclaim means recognizing the value already in our community and making the most of it.
- Renew means strengthening the infrastructure, neighborhoods, businesses, public spaces, and institutions that support our future.
- Reimagine means having the courage to envision what Union City can become, not trying to become somebody else’s city, but building the best version of our own.
That philosophy should guide how we approach data centers and every other significant development opportunity that comes before us.
We should continue updating zoning and planning policies so these facilities are located appropriately and developed according to clear community standards. Growth should be guided by a long-term vision, not simply urgency of the next development opportunity.
Planning is not an obstacle to growth. Planning is what makes responsible growth possible.
Developers should be partners in that vision. Where appropriate, community benefit agreements can allow major developments to contribute through infrastructure, workforce development, education, public safety, connectivity, or other community priorities.
At the same time, accountability matters.
Data centers should pay their fair share for the infrastructure and services they require. We need clear, enforceable standards addressing water use, energy, noise, lighting, traffic, and other impacts.
This is not about being anti-development. It is about being pro-community.
Responsible development can strengthen our tax base, public services, job opportunities, and economic resilience.
There’s also a cost to standing still. Companies looking to invest want certainty and communities prepared to make thoughtful decisions are better positioned to compete. If we fail to establish a responsible path for emerging industries, investment will simply go somewhere else.
Preparation means more than updating an ordinance or approving a development plan.
It means preparing communities with the information, technology, infrastructure, and leadership necessary to understand what growth will mean before it arrives.
That is what safeguards are really about.
Safeguards are not walls designed to keep opportunity out. They are guardrails designed to make sure opportunity moves in the right direction.
I want growth that strengthens our financial foundation, expands opportunity, improves infrastructure, supports residents, and allows us to continue delivering the services our community deserves.
We do not have to choose between economic growth and community protection. We can pursue both. In fact, that is what responsible leadership demands.
Union City has never been afraid to change. Now we have another opportunity.
We can Reclaim what makes Union City special. We can Renew the foundation supporting our success. And we can Reimagine what is possible for one of Georgia’s fastest-growing cities and one of the nation’s fastest-growing suburbs.
The question is whether Union City will grow. We will!
The question is whether we will have the vision, discipline, planning, safeguards, and community partnership to make that growth work for everyone.
I believe we can, and we must.
The invisible must become visible. We must see what is coming, understand what it means, plan for it, safeguard our community, and have the courage to act.
Growth is not the problem. How we manage it is. And we must build it, together!
Remember, I love you and there ain’t nothing you can do about it!!!
