Editor’s note: The Herald invited District 2 Commission candidates Darlene Ainsworth and incumbent Roger Burdette to participate in an election Q&A. Burdette initially declined but later reconsidered and submitted a letter to the editor outlining his record and priorities. To give readers an opportunity to consider both candidates’ perspectives together, the Herald is publishing Burdette’s letter alongside an edited version of Ainsworth’s profile, originally published Oct. 13.
Roger Burdette
Republican, Incumbent
Letter to the Editor:
I am a Georgia native, Navy veteran, true conservative, husband, father of four, and small business owner. My family has called Effingham County home since 2003 and three of our children attended our amazing schools. I graduated from Valdosta State and Mercer universities. Since 2001, I've built several businesses creating more than 100 regional jobs, including over 70 here. I understand what it takes to build, to lead, to meet payroll, and to help families succeed.
Serving the people of District 2 has been one of the greatest honors of my life, and I am deeply grateful for the trust that families, business owners, and community members have placed in me.
It's easy to criticize from the sidelines without knowing the full story. Leadership requires understanding the facts and showing up during the most critical times. After a near-fatal accident, I participated in Commissioners meetings by Zoom from my recovery bed, declining pain medication to keep a clear mind for county business. I continued serving while mourning my son's untimely death. My family has even endured ridicule over our faith. Through it all, my commitment to this county has not wavered.
You've heard me say "boots on the ground" and some have found it amusing. But I take it seriously. I've visited homes to understand problems firsthand and held repeated town halls on both general issues and specific concerns.
The Goshen Road improvements is one of many examples of how listening led to solutions. The project includes full-depth reclamation and repaving, an added center lane for safety, and space for a multiuse trail. Residents raised concerns about the original design and how much property it required. After meetings at residents' homes and at the Board of Commissioners, we sent the plans back to engineers for a major redesign. The result preserves substantially more private property and saved two oak trees, while maintaining the road's safety and improvement goals.
We've advanced Effingham Parkway and negotiated to redirect more than 80 daily concrete truck trips off Hodgeville Road once the Parkway is completed. I've pushed Scuffletown Road repairs, Gateway Parkway, drainage improvements and paving in Westwood Heights, and many more road projects across District 2. We've added much needed school turning lanes, supported safer intersections, strengthened neighborhood burn rules, and addressed commercial vehicles in inappropriate areas.
We've improved McCall Park and secured 14 acres on Hodgeville Road, which will be a fantastic park with new and unique activities for families. We’ve secured new alternatives that will give Effingham its own water source for the first time and won’t rely on groundwater or other counties. Our board has lowered the M&O millage rate six consecutive years. I also led the library transition, which will save hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars annually. We’re already putting those savings to work with renovations and a brand new, state-of-the-art facility in Rincon.
I have donated my commissioner’s salary since 2001 and have accepted no campaign contributions whatsoever. I'm blessed to do this, and it helps keep the focus where it belongs: serving residents without bias.
This election year has brought much criticism: too much or too little infrastructure and that I haven't sufficiently addressed data center concerns. Some oppose data centers outright while most have asked me to get clarity concerning noise, safety, and how they compare with other industrial uses that bring thousands of trucks per day to our district.
At my expense, I made two additional trips to Georgia data centers, measuring noise on and off site, at nearby schools and neighborhoods, and speaking with adjacent residents. I've engaged Georgia Tech academics and worked alongside others to arrange expert question-and-answer panels, met directly with OpenAI to ask hard questions, requested a Saturday Commissioner Q&A, and initiated bringing in outside engineering expertise. And more work is ahead. Public safety, enforceable compliance, and taxpayer and community benefit remain the minimal standards.
I was raised in a hard-working, blue collar family in a small town full of great people, but it had very little opportunity to offer. Young people, like me, often had to leave to build a future. I want Effingham's children to have the career options after high school or to return home after college to rewarding careers to build their own families.
After the all of the criticism, false accusations, and name-calling, people ask why I continue. The answer is simple: I still love this county and it’s worth it. It isn't perfect, and neither am I. I know the next four years will demand resilience, the will to stand by facts in the face of opposition and do the groundwork in order to make sound decisions.
This isn't just about an election. It's about our way of life, our children, and our children's children. I believe in conservative values and we must continue them, not replace them. Thank you for your prayers, your encouragement, and your support.
— Roger Burdette, District 2 Commissioner
Darlene Ainsworth
Democrat
RINCON, Ga. — Darlene Ainsworth sees Effingham County changing every time she drives through it. New homes are rising, development is spreading and questions about roads, drainage and the county’s ability to keep pace are becoming harder to ignore.
She doesn’t believe growth can or should stop. But the retired Gulfstream supervisor believes county leaders need to take stock of what has already been approved and listen more closely to residents.
Ainsworth is challenging incumbent Roger Burdette for the District 2 seat on the Effingham County Commission in the Nov. 3 election. She wants more public input on development, greater transparency, stronger protections for neighborhoods and a reassessment of county spending priorities.
“I want to take your voice to the commission. I do not want to take the commission’s edicts down to you,” Ainsworth said.
A life rooted here
Ainsworth, 69, has lived in Effingham County for nearly 40 years. She and her late husband, Thomas “Randy” Ainsworth, moved to the Savannah area in 1980 after he found work at Gulfstream. They eventually settled in Effingham County, where their three children grew up.
Ainsworth worked as a technical writer and editor at Gulfstream before becoming a supervisor in technical publications. She retired in 2021.
Her family remains rooted in the community. Her daughter, Stephanie Reese, lives nearby in Westwood Heights, and her younger son, Jonathan Ainsworth, lives in District 3 near Guyton. Her older son, Thomas J. “TJ” Ainsworth, died in September 2026, but his family remains in District 2.
Ainsworth has four grandchildren and considers being their grandmother one of her most important roles.
“A lot of times my most important job title is Tommy’s grandma,” she said.
Since retiring, she has volunteered at Manna House food pantry and worked as a poll worker. She also helps care for her 91-year-old mother, Camille Love.
Listening to residents
Ainsworth said she decided to run because residents deserve a greater say in local decisions. She wants commissioners to explain their choices and listen to the public before making major decisions.
The county’s transition from Live Oak Public Libraries to Statesboro Regional Public Libraries illustrates her concerns. County officials said the change would save money, give the county more control over library operations and free up funds for services, staff pay and facilities.
Ainsworth questioned how the decision was made, arguing that key discussions took place behind closed doors before residents had a meaningful opportunity to weigh in. She also questioned the removal of library board Chair Erica Biezenbos after Biezenbos raised concerns about the transition.
The library dispute began in 2023, when Burdette sought to have books removed because he considered them inappropriate for children. Ainsworth said her concern extends beyond the books themselves to the amount of control county officials exercise over library materials and decisions.
She also wants to support the county’s senior center, which she said provides important services but needs more space. Her mother has used the center, giving Ainsworth firsthand knowledge of its programs.
“We take care of our kids, you know,” she said. “But there’s more and more old people around, more of us.”
Questions about growth
Ainsworth wants county officials to take stock of previously approved development, improve infrastructure and conduct a comprehensive review of zoning regulations. She also favors stronger requirements for hydrology studies to determine where stormwater will flow when land is developed.
She acknowledged she is not qualified to prescribe every zoning change but believes water management deserves more attention. She pointed to standing water and drainage work in her own neighborhood as examples of problems residents face.
Housing is another concern. Ainsworth worries about tightly packed developments with limited parking and little space, but recognizes the county needs more housing options. She wants choices between expensive homes and small-lot rental communities.
Her concerns extend to industrial development. Ainsworth does not oppose every industrial project but wants officials to consider effects on nearby neighborhoods, schools, roads and residents.
Project Camellia, the proposed OpenAI data center, brought those concerns into sharper focus. Ainsworth objects to how the project was presented to the public and wants clear rules and protections before officials consider similar proposals.
She said she might consider a data center under the right conditions, provided residents receive adequate information and protections before decisions are made.
“We have no protection from anything,” she said.
A pause on spending
Voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to renew the county’s 1% special-purpose local-option sales tax, or SPLOST, for another six years. Ainsworth supported the previous SPLOST but questions whether the county should commit to another round of projects before finishing existing ones and reassessing its needs.
Reviewing the proposed project list, she saw what she described as a “use it or lose it” mentality.
“It’s not something that if we don’t do it now, we can never do it,” she said.
She wants county officials to finish current projects and determine which needs should take priority before asking voters to approve more spending.
A different approach
Ainsworth’s criticism of the commission does not mean she dismisses Burdette’s work. She said he takes the job seriously, remains accessible to constituents and works with engineers to address road problems.
“I will never take away from him for that,” she said. “He works hard at it.”
Her disagreement centers on how decisions are made and whether residents have a meaningful say.
Ainsworth said she shared the frustration of Ivy Gibbins, the county Democratic Party chair who was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing after writing profanity about Burdette in chalk outside the County Commission building. But she said she would have handled the protest differently.
“Plain and quiet speaking has not got us heard,” Ainsworth said.
Rather than take her protest to the sidewalk, she decided to challenge Burdette at the ballot box.
“I didn’t pick up a piece of chalk. I picked up a check and wrote a qualifying fee, and asked to get my name on the ballot,” she said.
Ainsworth wants to bring new ideas to the commission and put residents’ concerns at the center of its decisions.
“I think I have a way of looking at things that brings the people before me instead of me before the people,” she said.
