Regional Cooperation

Regional cooperation works. Strong counties don’t succeed alone. Jamie Devine believes in practical regional cooperation—working with our neighboring counties, cities, and towns to solve shared challenges like transportation, economic development, public safety, and environmental protection. By collaborating instead of competing, we can stretch taxpayer dollars further, attract better opportunities for our residents, and build a stronger future for the entire region.

Economic Development

Richland County’s efforts to create new jobs and recruit new industry into the county has been at its most successful level in history over the past few years. During his time on the school board, Devine has supported big economic development projects, along with other major improvements. Economic development should create real opportunity for the people who already call our county home. He supports responsible growth that attracts good-paying jobs, supports local small businesses, and invests in the infrastructure our employers and workers depend on. By continuing to work with our schools, local businesses, and regional partners, we can grow our economy in a way that strengthens our communities, expands our tax base, and protects the quality of life that makes our county a great place to live and work.

Relationship Building

Devine is a bridge-builder and has forged important relationships with local leaders – from school board members to municipal officials and beyond. These relationships are critical for increasing regional cooperation and addressing common issues among government entities and communities.

Revitalization of Key Corridors

Devine is committed to working to revitalize business and residential corridors in the county that have been neglected or have been awaiting improvement. One of his goals is to complete area master plans to guide quality growth and development in those areas. He also is committed to addressing law enforcement and security concerns in communities across the district and county. Residents should be confident that they and their families are safe.

Affordable Housing

It is critical to make sure that everyone has a fair opportunity to secure affordable housing. While growth and development are needed and should be embraced, it is not acceptable for some people – many longtime county residents – to be priced out of the market. Ensuring that an adequate amount of affordable housing is available contributes to the diversity of the county, helps reduce homelessness and increases security. Affordable housing provides the working poor a safe and secure place to live.

Mental Health

The decision to move people dealing with mental illness out of state-run institutions and close many of those facilities has led to the unfortunate consequence of many people needing services to address their illness ending up on the street, homeless and in Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. While it might not be a popular subject, he will pursue ways to assist people with mental illness from the county perspective.

Education

I’ve spent years on the Richland One School Board, and I’ve seen firsthand that our schools don’t exist in a vacuum. What happens at the county level shows up in the classroom every day; whether it’s housing instability, traffic and transportation, public safety, or access to jobs.

Too often, these decisions are made in silos and our students feel the impact.

I’ve also seen where better coordination makes a real difference. When we get zoning, infrastructure, and community resources aligned with our schools, it helps students show up ready to learn and gives teachers a real chance to succeed.

Supporting public education from county council means being intentional about the decisions we make; how we plan growth, where we invest in infrastructure, and how we connect families to services; because those choices directly impact our classrooms.

It means making sure our communities are strong, stable, and have the resources they need so our schools can do what they’re supposed to do: educate and prepare the next generation.

If we’re serious about workforce development, safer neighborhoods, and real opportunity, then we have to be serious about public education. It’s all connected and I’ll continue doing my part to make sure county government is working with our schools; not separate from them, but in partnership.