David L. Bolling, Clinton, has announced his candidacy for County Mayor. He currently serves as a County Commissioner from the Clinton area, and is the City Manager for the Town of Oliver Springs.
“I strongly believe Anderson County is at a crossroads. We continue to enjoy the benefits of the efforts of county leaders for the past 50 years, but we must renew and redouble our efforts to help the county grow for the next 50 years, Bolling said. “As bright as our past has been, we can not lose sight of our future. In today’s competitive environment, Anderson County must work twice as hard to ensure that tomorrow is even better than yesterday.”
The County Mayor is the public face of Anderson County and must take a leadership role in maintaining a vibrant Anderson County, Bolling said. “We can no longer afford for our focus to be day-to-day, and budget-to-budget. Not only do we need to be looking toward the future, we need to be working toward it every single day it, and that is exactly what I’ll do as County Mayor.”
Bolling cited his private business experience and public administration as a unique combination of qualities for the Mayor’s position. “I worked for five years in private business, gaining knowledge of management and finance, and I have been City Manager for three years. I understand both the need for effective government and efficient operations.”
His private and public experience reinforces his belief that effective economic development is the key to so many issues that will continue to face the county, Bolling said. “We have to work even harder to bring in the jobs of tomorrow than others did to bring the first industries to our county. It’s also very important that we work closely with our county’s cities, which are the engines of growth. Their efforts are putting money in our schools, creating jobs, and strengthening our economy, and we need to be a partner, not an adversary.”
Bolling said the next County Mayor also needs to lead the way on attracting new residents to Anderson County. “If we don’t make a concerted effort to draw young families in to the county, it will hamper our ability to compete for industry, school enrollment will decrease, and our tax base will begin to diminish. We need a working organization in place to address residential development, just as we have the Chamber for retail, and ACEDA for industrial development, and as Mayor, I’ll lead that cause.”
Finally, Bolling said, “We cannot lose site of the necessity for efficient government. “It’s important that we remember the responsibility that we have to the citizens of this county. They expect, and deserve, a county government that provides the best possible service, without increasing the burdens that they face every day. As a County Commissioner, I’ve opposed raising taxes, and have pressed for more transparency and professionalism. As a City Manager, I have a record of submitting budgets that not only keep taxes low, but that reduce spending as well. People have to make the best use of their limited resources, and so should government.”
Bolling also said he would be proud – and more than a little humbled – to follow in his father’s footsteps. David O. Bolling was the county’s chief executive for more than 20 years and a prominent business and political leader for nearly 50 years. “I had one of the best examples of dedicated public service and hard-headed, pragmatic decision-making anyone could have,” Bolling said of his father. “He taught me to value hard work, to respect and work for the citizens of this county and to enjoy our home, which he loved. I treasure his presence in my life and the example he set for me.”
“We have many challenges ahead of us, and the people of this county deserve a Mayor who will put progress over politics, cooperation over divisiveness, and vision over the status quo. I believe we have a responsibility to make our future even brighter than our past and, together, we can make that happen.”
Bolling, 36, lives in Clinton with his wife Jennifer, and their two children, Carter and Caroline.
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About Me
- David Bolling
- David L. Bolling is serving his first full term as County Commissioner from District 2, representing the Clinton, North Clinton, Blockhouse Valley and Glen Alpine precincts. Bolling was previously appointed in March 2006 to fill the vacancy of his late father, David O. Bolling who passed away while serving as County Commissioner. Commissioner Bolling presently serves on the Audit Committee, Legislative Committee, Operations Committee, and Revenue Committee. Other Community Boards, Commissions and Committees Commissioner Bolling presently serves on include the Adult Oriented Establishment Board, Public Records Commission, Green McAdoo Board of Directors, Anderson County Community Action Board of Directors, Anderson County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, East Tennessee Economic Council, and the Anderson County Economic Development Association Board of Directors. He is the City Manager of Oliver Springs, and lives in Clinton with his wife Jennifer, and their two children, Carter and Caroline.