Ben L. Casey • Age: 61 • Resides: Kingsland • Marital status and immediate family: Married to Sherry Casey. We have four kids and five grandkids. • Previous elected office: County Commissioner for two four-year terms, one four-year term (non-elected) on the Planning and Zoning Board, one three-year term on the PSA Board, and two four-year terms on the St. Marys River Management Board. • Education: Graduated 1980 Camden County High School, studied at Valdosta State, Brunswick Junior Collage Certificate in Industrial Electronics and Electricity, Licensed Georgia State Unrestricted Electrical Contractor. • Occupation and employer: Retired from Anheuser-Busch Inc. in November 2022 after more than 26 years. Owner of Vacuna Farms LLC, a small you pick blueberry farm. • Church and community affiliations: Kingsland First Methodist Church Kingsland First Methodist Church Harvest House Food Pantry Introductory Statement Ben Casey is the youngest son of Thomas Green Casey Sr. and Marianna Winn Casey. He was raised on a farm just south of Kingsland, but has lived in Ware and Nassau counties. Married to Sherry Nevill Casey, together they have four adult children and five grand kids. They currently reside on part of the old farm where Ben was raised, owning and operating Vacuna Farms LLC, a small you pick blueberry farm. They are members of the First Methodist Church of Kingsland ,where they volunteer in the nursery and food pantry. Mr. Casey was educated in the Camden County School system, graduating in 1980. He studied at Valdosta State College before transferring to Brunswick Junior College, where he enrolled in their co-op program for Industrial Electronics and Electricity. Mr. Casey holds an unrestricted electrical contractors license from the state of Georgia. Mr. Casey has worked in all manners of construction and maintenance from residential home building to industrial plants, mainly in the electrical and instrumentation fields. Recently retired from Anheuser-Busch Inc. after over 26 years as an electrical/instrumentation technician, Mr. Casey also has experience in chemical, food, lumber, plywood and the pulp and paper industries. Mr. Casey began public service when he was appointed to serve on the Camden County Planning Commission from 2013-16 representing District 5 with the last three years serving as chairman. Mr. Casey was then elected to serve as District 5 Commissioner, taking office in 2017 and has been chairman of the Board of Commissioners after being elected by his peers in 2023. Mr. Casey also serves on the Camden County Solid Waste Authority and the St. Marys River Management Committee. What is the most pressing concern in your district and how do you intend to address it? There are several, but road and rightof-way conditions are a top priority. In the past, the county would only pave three or four miles of road each year. But by using different methods, the county can resurface many more miles of road each year. In 2023, 15 miles of road were resurfaced. For the last few years, we have used a system that evaluates the road condition and grades the roads. We use this grading system to determine which roads are in need of resurfacing and what type of preservation can be used. For District 5 the following roads are a priority: Colerain Road (partial), West Cypress Avenue, West Pine Avenue, West Holly Avenue, Cedar Street, Gum Street, South Cherry Street, Vacuna Road (partial), Dowling Drive, Whippoorwill Circle and Cambridge Circle. There are also many dirt roads within District 5, and I will continue to push for these dirt roads to be built up with more material as needed. Countywide we have improved over 50 miles of dirt roads by adding rock, asphalt millings or other material to make the roads more drivable before, during and after a rain event. Oakwell, Oak Hill Church and Springhill Church roads are some that have received material to build them up. As we have added this material to the roads, calls for maintenance has decreased. Not only do the roads need to be maintained, but the ditches and right of way must also be taken care of. Part of this was the county taking back control of right of way mowing from the PSA. We have been more proactive in cleaning ditches and brush from the rights of way, but there is still much to do. Drainage issues caused by beavers is another issue that we are working on. What do you plan to do as a commissioner to bolster economic growth in Camden County? The commissioners need to work together with the Camden County Joint Development Authority and the cities to grow the economy. With the JDA, the funding must be increased to enable them to pursue projects. As part of the budget for 2025, the funding for the JDA will increase to $750,000 from $684,000 pending approval of the county budget. There may also be SPLOST funds made available to the JDA as well. There is a need for more industrial property for the JDA. The property between U.S. Highway 17 and I-95 north of Kingsland and south of Woodbine is ideal for warehousing. But we must not forget the western and northern parts of the county. To the north and west of Kingsland are large tracks of land that the owners are in the planning stages for development. On the north end of the county there could potentially be a mega industrial site between Dover Bluff Road and Horsestamp Road with four miles of frontage along I-95. We need to prepare for any expansion of the Georgia Ports Authority and try to lure some of the potential growth south from Glynn into Camden. However, water and sewer and wetland issues will be a challenge. For water and sewer, there are three options: 1. the county can fund the Camden County Industrial Authority, which was set up to provide water and sewer to the north end; 2. partner with Water Utility Management; or 3. partner with Brunswick Glynn County Joint Water and Sewer Commission. Under my direction, we have had discussions with the two entities above, and if the project is big enough, they seem to be willing to work with Camden. As for working with the cities, the county must be willing to partner with them on future TAD developments as we have in the past. Camden Spaceport remains a much ballyhooed project and a topic of discussion in Camden County Board of Commissioners meetings. What is your stance on the future of the spaceport and how do you plan to address it if elected? The only way the spaceport will happen now is if a company buys the property and uses the county’s launch license because the county is prevented from buying the property needed. My opponent has stated that he wishes to have another referendum, I assume for the county to be able to buy the property. I disagree with that position. Now, if a company does happen to secure the properties either through lease or purchase agreements and wishes to use the launch license, then the county should work with them and charge for the use of the launch license or even sell the license to them.