RINCON — Jamie DeLoach jumped at the chance to speak to a broad audience of Effingham County voters. He has a message he wants to convey to as many people as possible.

“I would like to start by thanking the citizens of District 3 for allowing me to serve as their county commissioner for the past eight years,” he said. “I have learned a lot — both good and bad — on this journey, but I have enjoyed trying to help people.”

DeLoach is set to join other board of commissioners hopefuls at South Effingham High School on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for a series of candidate forums sponsored by The Effingham County Chamber of Commerce and Effingham Herald. The District 2, District 3 and District 5 seats are up for grabs in the Nov. 8 general election (early voting starts Monday).

DeLoach, a Republican, is opposed by Richard D.M. Garvin, who didn’t respond to an invitation to the event or an interview request from the Herald.

The forum will start with the District 2 race, which features Republican incumbent Roger Burdette and write-in candidate Barry Thompson.

At 7:20 p.m., DeLoach will answer questions and the District 3 candidates, Republican incumbent Phil Kieffer and Democrat Delmons White, will receive the spotlight at 7:50 p.m.

DeLoach said there are plenty of things to talk about.

“We have a lot of projects going on in the county and over the last year we have hired some consulting firms to help us with some Master Plans — such as a Transportation, Water and Sewer, and Parks and Recreation Master Plan — just to name a few,” he said. “The current board of commissioners understands we have big decisions to make for the county’s future and we are trying to get as much data as possible to help us make those decisions. I feel that one component to some of our successes is that we have a good staff that is led by a great county manager, Tim Callanan.

“Tim has done a great job for us during his three years with us and I know he will continue to help lead Effingham County.”

DeLoach realizes that Effingham County residents have an emerging concern that is growing by the day.

“Transportation is definitely a hot topic in our growing county and I would like to thank our citizens again for voting ‘yes’ for TSPLOST (Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax),” he said. “A lot of the road construction that you have seen recently and will be seeing over the next couple of years has been funded by TSPLOST. It will become more challenging for me because my district covers over half of the county so I have to try to spread my allotment of funds out over a large area.

“We are getting some resurfacing done now but I definitely understand there is a lot more to do. Some roads that are definitely on my radar are Old Louisville Road and Gracen Road in the Guyton area, Tuckasee King Road, Silver Hill Church Road, Berryville Road and Union Springs Road just to name a few.”

DeLoach believes Tuckasee King Road warrants resurfacing and widening because of its heavy boat trailer traffic.

“It is always hard determining a list for any commissioner because we only have a certain amount of money to spread around but TSPLOST has definitely been a huge help to our county,” he said.

DeLoach, a banker, said Effingham County is on solid financial footing.

“I am happy to report our bond rating has recently been upgraded to Aa2 from Aa3, which means two more upgrades and we will be at a AAA bond rating,” he said. “A healthy financial profile, expanding tax base and a moderate debt burden are factors contributing to the bond upgrade. One of the factors contributing to our expanding tax base is our industrial growth.

“Contrary to what a lot of people believe, most of the industrial growth is taxed one hundred percent. In our tax base, we need to have a balance between residential, commercial and industrial growth. The commercial and industrial growth offer revenue streams such as property tax.”

DeLoach hopes voters will trust him to continue to help manage Effingham County’s growth.

“I feel as a commissioner I have made some good decisions for this county and I understand I may not have made decisions that everyone agrees with, but I can say I do my homework and I can justify all of my decisions and tell you why I voted the way I did,” DeLoach said. “I can assure you that I have our county’s best interests at heart every time I make a decision and I am always available to talk about any questions or concerns you may have.”

NOTE: Thursday's forum featuring House District 161 Rep. Bill Hitchens and Margo Barbee has been canceled. Barbee has a scheduling conflict.