White County Commission Q9 Candidate Responses

The Main Street Journal – Sparta has been listening to the community. Over the past several weeks, readers have submitted questions they want answered ahead of the 2026 election—and we’ve taken those directly to your County Commission candidates.

Here is your ninth question, and answers from those candidates who chose to respond.

Do you support growth and development in Sparta/White County? Please explain your position

BRYAN COLE: I do support growth in business and industry for the White County community.

ANDY DAVIS: I support smart growth. Growth can be a good thing for White County. New families, new businesses, and new opportunities can help strengthen our local economy and our community.

At the same time, we have to be careful about how that growth happens. White County has a long history as an agricultural community, and farmland is one of our most valuable resources. Once farmland is turned into development, it’s gone for good. That’s something we have to think seriously about.

I believe growth should be planned and balanced. We need to make sure our infrastructure, roads, schools, and utilities can handle it. And we need to protect the farmland and rural character that make this county what it is.

My goal would be to support growth that benefits our community while making sure we’re not losing the agricultural roots that have been the backbone of White County for generations.

ERICK DILDINE: Yes, of course I support growth and development in Sparta and White County but it has to be the right kind of growth.

Growth is important because it brings opportunities for jobs, supports our local businesses, and helps keep our community moving forward. At the same time, I believe we have to be careful about how we grow. We don’t want to lose what makes White County special our small-town feel, our farmland, and the strong sense of a community home we all value.

I believe growth should be planned, responsible, and focused on benefiting the people who already live here. That means supporting small businesses, encouraging new businesses that fit our community, and making sure our infrastructure like roads, utilities, and public services can handle that growth without putting extra strain on taxpayers.

I also believe local government should be working for the people, not just outside interests. We need to make sure that any development truly benefits our residents, not just corporations looking to take advantage of our area. Smart growth means asking the right questions, being transparent with the public, and making decisions that will still make sense years down the road.

At the end of the day, I want to see White County grow in a way that creates opportunity while still protecting the values and way of life that make this community home.

JAVIER ORTIZ: Yes, I support growth—but it has to be responsible. We want new opportunities, jobs, and businesses, but we also want to protect what makes Sparta and White County special. Growth should benefit the community, not change it for the worse.

Growth is inevitable for a community. Stagnation in any system will lead to entropy. Community leaders have an obligation for its’ citizenry to encourage responsible growth. The alternative is becoming an economic desert and this will lead to the growth of negative aspects. Growth will happen; the only question is will it be positive or negative. The local government owes its’ people dedication to positive growth.

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