RINCON -- Delmons White is no stranger to Effingham County, having pastored here for more than 40 years. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards. 

White said he has been in the community affairs nearly all his life. He has served on the board of directors for the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority and Victims Witness among others. He has also been through Leadership Effingham and Leadership Southeast Georgia.

"Volunteerism is something I do a lot,” he said.

White explained the reason for running for the District 5 seat again. He and incumbent Phil Kieffer initially squared off in 2010.

"I see the need for a different type of governing,” he said. “We need to have people in various positions in government to make sure that we don't lose connection with community — the citizenry. I find there's a need for more connectivity."

White said there is a need to “push the pause button on the growth” in the county order to bring some stability. He said he wants to try to bring about a sense of unity.  

When asked about the growing problem of truck traffic in the county, White said, "We've got to take control of what's happening. It's gotten out of control. Our growth is out of control." 

White said county first responders are dealing with traffic concerns when they try to get to patients or to hospitals.

“We have a major problem now that we've grown so fast until the infrastructure's not in place,” he said.

White said he's in favor of slowing the rezoning process in the county in order to look at the pros and cons of requests to see if they will benefit or harm the community. He urges looking forward — beyond the moment — to see what the effects will be. He said he hears that people should be able to do what they want to with their land but countered that people should also have the right to not have industrial developments in residential communities.

The county's accelerated growth is also impacting our education system, White said, to the point that, like much of the country, it is struggling to fill teaching positions. He said that Effingham County School District Superintendent Dr. Yancy Ford has talked about the struggle to recruit new teachers and he added that personnel shortages also exist in the Effingham County Sheriff's Office

White, who served in the Army and Air National Guard, is the father of Dr. Torian White, principal of South Effingham High School.

White said he is not a politician but a concerned citizen who wants to be in a position to facilitate change. 

"I want to see some changes that will be for the benefit of our citizens,” he said.

He also said he would like to see people get away from political parties and start looking at individuals and what they stand for when they go to the polls.