Henry Luis Rey, Jr. is seeking the Bryan County Commission District 3 seat, currently held by incumbent Glen Willard who is also running for the position again.

Rey is a registered nurse and works part-time for the Schulze Eye and Surgery Center in Savannah. He has also been in the Air National Guard for 23 years.

While he’s never held office before, he said now is the time to get more involved.

"I can bring the views and the values of the people in the community," he said, noting he coaches the U-8 soccer. "I deal with the community regularly, as both a coach and a parent. I hear what the opinions of the community are. A lot of people have a lot going on, but I work part-time and am a stay-at-home parent."

Rey said he’s interested in issues such as recycling, development, community walking trails and increased recreation opportunities.

"Recycling is really big for me. Being in the military, we have to recycle. The options at the Spur don’t offer recycling across the board," he said. "I’ve seen how other communities do it, both in Georgia, other states and overseas. Our children are being taught the importance of recycling in school, but in the community there’s nothing to show them how to do it. For a small community such as this, it really could expand."

Rey, a native of Savannah, has lived in Richmond Hill for the past 13 years.

"We came here for the historic value and the quiet housing options that were here, I think that’s what the essence Richmond Hill is – the recreation, the boating, the parks," he said. "My kids go to school here and I deal with a lot of the parents and their concerns. I’d like to be a voice for those feelings and concerns from the community."

Rey said he’d like to see neighborhoods connected with walking and biking trails and noted that, while there is a great deal of children’s programs, the growth has made it hard for parents.

"Parents can’t even get to registrations in time to get their child signed up before the programs are filled," he said. "I’d like to increase the amount of children’s programs. The new park will also definitely help, but there needs to be more opportunities for children to get involved."

Rey, who lives in Keller down Hwy. 144, said he thinks there could be other options before a four-lane expansion of the road.

"They need to fix some of the existing development before they create more," he said. "And I think most of the neighborhoods down Hwy. 144 don’t want more commercial development farther down."

In the military, Rey said he has worked with quality assurance. Currently, he is in the 165th Airlift Wing of the Georgia Air Force National Guard based in Garden City. He said he’s worked on aircraft maintenance and helped with major disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Rey’s wife Shelli is an oncology RN at Summit Cancer Care. They have two children, Hailey, 8, and Rachel, 4.