Editor’s Note: These articles are part of a series of questionnaires profiling candidates running for City Council Post 2 in the upcoming Richmond Hill municipal elections. (Tuesday, November 4). Answers were edited for length and clarity. Follow the Bryan County News for more election coverage.
About Kevin
Originally from Toms River, New Jersey, Kevin Bowes moved to Richmond Hill with his wife and three sons back in 2019. Bowes is a retired police officer, and currently works as a tax professional at Bowes & Sullivan Tax Group, of which he is the founder and CEO.
In the community, Bowes serves as vice chair on the Downtown Development Board of Richmond Hill, and as chairperson on the Bryan County Planning and Zoning Commission.
Why are you running?
“I believe I have the right qualities for the particular position itself…there’s no notoriety, no entitlement [in the job]. I want to participate at a higher level, I want to serve the people. This town has been affected by floods, has been under taxation, there’s so much going on. It’s expanding greatly, and I believe that my well-rounded knowledge [can help].
I don’t want to be a politician, I’m here for public service, for civil service.”
What sets you/your ideas apart?
“What sets me apart is the level of service I’ve currently done. I’ve been involved since [I moved here]. And you’ll never see me stop. You can look back a year, two years, three years, I’ve always done the exact same thing over and over again. I’m highly consistent in what I do, I’m incredibly honest…I don’t tend to make many friends that way, but people respect my honesty and integrity. My fiscal knowledge is pretty good, considering the fact that I have a tax firm.
I’m also practical. What affects the people living here certainly affects me just the same. I'm not a millionaire. I don't live in a super huge house, I don't throw millions of dollars to the public for certain things. I am very active in this community itself. And I do it for the right reasons, because I believe that it’s necessary for a person to get involved in what they believe in.”
From your perspective, what are the three biggest issues facing the city of Richmond Hill?
Public safety
“Public safety has to be key, we need the right manpower to objectify the response. We need more hiring [of public safety officials], more training, more personnel.”
Infrastructure
“As the expansion grows, we have to make sure we have to put the cart before the horse. We have to make sure that the sewer system, the water, everything is sustainable before we decide to build thousands and thousands of different apartments and homes…And there needs to be more affordable homes [as well].”
Control over expansion (commercial, residential)
And with respect to [growth], I believe that one of the things we can do on controlling, especially when it comes to tying into infrastructure and expansion, is the installation of impact fees. And I'm adamant about impact fees…where expansion pays for expansion, growth pays for growth. Everybody has to pay their fair share.”
Editor’s note: Impact fees are one-time charges imposed by local governments on new developments to fund public facilities and infrastructure, such as roads, water lines, and parks, intended to serve the new growth.
How has social media affected local government, if at all?
“It’s made people more aware, but unfortunately, sometimes hyper-aware; They don't get the necessary knowledge properly. So therefore people have to understand that trusted sources are necessary to review before making their informed decisions.”
“For that matter, more and more times, people are throwing things out without proper research, and it skews the objective objectivity of people. It becomes subjective because they believe that a person's knowledge is truth when, of course, you know it might not be researched [properly], it might be skewed, or might be improper.”
“I love face-to-face conversation, because it's real, it's involved and it's human. Social media is great when it comes to, you know, advising of your stance, your platform, who you are, you can get a textual background, even videos nowadays, on what's going on…the problematic [parts] are the sidebar arguments from people where they don't know the proper knowledge necessary to make a formative argument.”
Where do you see the city of Richmond Hill in 10 years?
"I would love to see this city keep its Southern charm, its Ford-esque charm, but at the same time, invite people in to stay for a while, have a good time, and if they want to leave, leave, if not, you know, plant their roots here, just as my family did."
“I would love a town where my children can come back to and call their own home, without thinking it's become a disaster. So I want to make sure everything is intact and proper and moving forward properly.”
“I would love to maintain its course and do the best that I can, even after my term if I get it to ensure the city stays as good as it is.”