Jeff Chapman (politician)

Jeff Chapman (born July 14, 1959) is an American politician and former businessman. In 2004, he was elected to the Georgia State Senate, and subsequently reelected for two additional terms.^[1] He was a Republican candidate in the 2010 race for Governor of Georgia. In 2012, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, where he represented the 167th district. He was not re-elected in 2014.^[2]

Chapman is a fiscal and social conservative and has positioned himself as a supporter of private property rights through his fight against what he considered the inappropriate use of eminent domain. He previously had served on the Glynn County Commission. He was the owner of Chapman Waste Disposal and sold the company to Waste Management in the early 1990s.

Chapman is noted for his opposition to the Jekyll Island State Park land scam, which was struck between developer Linger Longer Communities and the Jekyll Island Authority board of directors — an agency appointed by Georgia’s Governor. That deal provided Linger Longer with millions of dollars in incentives as well as the right to build privately owned timeshares on oceanfront public land. It also gave Linger Longer first right of refusal for any Jekyll development project over the next 25 years.

In his editorial calling for the cancellation of the JIA-Linger Longer deal, Chapman wrote that,

Competitive bidding is a core principle of the free market system and, if followed, would allow the JIA to obtain the best product at the lowest price and for the highest net gain. Doling out exclusive rights to Linger Longer for the next 25 years, as the JIA has done, disrespects free enterprise values, disadvantages other developers, and invites further abuse of public trust.^[3]

Chapman’s editorial put the Jekyll land deal under a public spotlight. Ten days later, the agreement with Linger Longer was cancelled.

Early life

Jeff Chapman grew up in coastal Georgia near the city of Brunswick, GA. During his teenage years he worked summers in Georgia with his grandfather, in the well drilling business. As a young married man, Chapman worked shift-work at a paper mill, formerly known as Brunswick Pulp and Paper.

While working his full-time job at the paper mill, Jeff Chapman started his own company, Chapman Waste Disposal.^[4] Chapman Waste was purchased by Waste Management, Inc. in 1995. Following the buyout, Chapman went on to become a WM Division President.

Chapman holds three US patents for machinery mechanisms.^[5]

After selling his company, he remained active within his community. He served in the Air National Guard, led Boy Scouts activities, and volunteered his time with the Glynn County Republican Party at a time when the Democratic Party was fully in control of Georgia politics. He has also been a recipient of the George Jacobus Republican Volunteer of the Year Award.

Chapman and his wife Angela are the parents of two children. They attend Lakeside United Methodist Church.

Public office

Early years

Jeff Chapman began his political career with his election as Glynn County Commissioner in 1998. Chapman was reelected in 2002 to serve a second term.

Election into Georgia State Legislature

Chapman was elected to his first term in the Georgia Senate in 2004. He represented the Third District, which covers the counties of Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, and McIntosh. Sen. Chapman was reelected in 2006 and 2008. During his tenure in the Georgia Senate, Sen. Chapman has been appointed to serve as vice-chairman of the Senate Veterans and the Military and Homeland Security Committee and as secretary of the Senate Public Safety Committee. He also serves on the Natural Resources and Environment and Insurance and Labor committees. Also throughout his tenure, Sen. Chapman has served on several Senate Study Committees, including: the Jasper Port Study Committee, the Coastal Georgia Sound Science Initiative Study Committee, and the Security for State and County Buildings Study Committee. He was also selected to serve on the Environmental Task Force of the Council of State Governments (CSG), a national forum for state leaders to examine policy issues and identify effective legislative solutions.^[6]

Jeff Champman returned to the Georgia General Assembly by winning a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives on November 6, 2012.^[7]

Gubernatorial campaign announcement

In September 2009, Sen. Chapman announced his entry into the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election.

Gubernatorial campaign platform

Job creation

Chapman believes that the advancement of a pro-business environment is the best way to spur job creation. He believes that keeping taxes low and developing incentives for small businesses are key steps that must be taken to stimulate Georgia's economy. He advocates the development of a more efficient and effective transportation system in Georgia in order to attract investors and encourage businesses to relocate to the state.

Recognizing the job-creating potential of prosperous small businesses, Chapman believes in offering incentives for those small businesses to sustain or expand their operations and create new jobs.

He is a proponent of recruiting major manufacturers, high-tech industries, and service providers through aggressive promotion of the advantages and resources that Georgia offers to the business community and by encouraging incentives for growing firms that add jobs.^[8]

Abortion

Jeff Chapman has been endorsed by Georgia Right to Life. His voting record is 100% Pro-Life.^[9]

Transportation

Chapman seeks to improve statewide oversight of all planning and funding between transportation agencies, bringing more transparency to the accounting practices and decision-making processes followed by transportation agencies. He believes that by promoting better efficiency and higher accountability, Georgia government we will be in a better position to monitor the awarding of transportation contracts, reduce cost-overruns, waste and mismanagement, and get more mileage out of each taxpayer dollar spent on maintaining and improving Georgia’s transportation system, not just for metro Atlanta but statewide.^[10]

Conservation

Chapman is an advocate for natural resource and wildlife conservation. He proposes to make the State of Georgia a leader in conservation through sustainable management of Georgia's national resources, encouraging productive use of Georgia's natural assets, promoting natural resource-based tourism, and improving conservation awareness among Georgia's youth.^[11]

Water

Chapman has been a leading advocate of water conservation. He has proposed a series of practical steps and incentives for homeowners and businesses that will lessen the demand for water, improve the efficiency of its use, and reduce losses and waste. He advocates plans to maximize the capacity of existing reservoirs and explore the potential of using quarries as reservoirs.^[12]

Chapman has said that while the construction of additional reservoirs is an option, he believes that conservation and maximizing the potential of existing dams should come first. He has stated that the building of new dams is the most expensive and slowest solution for Georgia’s water supply problem. According to Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division, dams can cost $4000 per 1000 gallons of capacity, while efficiency measures range from $0.46 to $250 per 1000 gallons saved or new capacity. “Without trying to oversimplify the problem, it is far wiser to repair the holes in the bucket than to just pour more water into that leaky bucket, Chapman has said.”

In an editorial on the subject, Chapman stated, "retrofitting all outdated appliances and fixtures with water efficient models could provide an additional 35 percent savings in household consumption. The State should initiate a pro-active program, with special emphasis on the metro region, which rewards home and business owners with tax credits upon the installation of water efficient fixtures. Along these same lines, the State should provide incentives for new development to include water efficient measures, such as designing homes and neighborhoods to capture and reuse storm water and gray water on site."

Second Amendment

Chapman believes citizens have an inviolable right to use firearms for purposes of self-defense, sport shooting and hunting. He is a member of the National Rifle Association. His effort to protect 2nd Amendment rights have earned him the National Rifle Association’s A+ rating, the highest endorsement that a candidate can receive. Chapman has already made efforts to support the 2nd Amendment by supporting legislation which strengthens the citizen’s right to bear licensed concealed firearms, and eliminates certain previous restrictions on those rights during times of national emergency [SB 291, 2009–2010].^[13]

Property rights

Chapman is an advocate for individual property rights, and is determined to eliminate the current legal loophole in Georgia law that allows land to be seized in the name of eminent domain.^[14] Chapman has previously made steps towards increasing individual's property rights; As Chairman of the Senate Study Committee on Eminent Domain and Economic Development (2005–2006), Sen. Chapman developed foundational principles to protect Georgians from government takings for economic development. He introduced Georgia’s first private property legislation, preventing the abuse of eminent domain[SR 652, 2005-06],^[15] sponsored the Landowners Protection Act of 2009 [SB 75, 2009–2010]^[16] and supported the Landowners Protection Act of 2008 which limits the liability of landowners who permit hunting, fishing, and agritourism on their property [SB 449, 2007-08].^[16]

Taxation and tax relief

Jeff Chapman is a strong advocate of keeping taxes as low as possible. On the federal level, he supports the Fair Tax to repeal the federal income tax and abolish the IRS. On the state level, he favors dramatic reform of Georgia’s tax system, including ultimately replacing the income tax with a sales tax-based system. Senator Chapman has a long history of supporting tax relief for citizens and businesses. As Glynn County Commissioner, he initiated a roll back of the inflationary portion of the tax digest each year and eliminated the practice of passing tax increases without a public hearing process. As Senator, he introduced the Community-Based Giving Tax Credits bill that will reduce unnecessary government bureaucracy and make charitable dollars go farther. [SR 1247 Study Committee, 2007–2008] Chapman also supported the Taxpayers’ Dividend Act to restrict increased state spending and place requirements on increased appropriations.^[17]

Education

Chapman has acknowledged the necessity for a high quality educational system. He believes in eliminating the micromanagement of Georgia education by local, state, and federal mandates. He advocates replacing the current management approach with one that is localized and site-based. In doing so, he has said that he hopes the state of Georgia can attain an educational system which rewards creativity and can operate within its current and future resources. In Chapman's view,

The most efficient, productive and cost-effective way to accomplish this goal is to replace top-down, bureaucratic micromanagement of individual schools with site-based decision-making and localized systems of accountability that actually work. Put simply, a community’s teachers, administrators and parents are in a far better position to identify their school’s needs and add measurable value to the learning process than an educrat in Washington or Atlanta who confuses quality education and school compliance with mounds of regulations.^[18]

Chapman has also advocates ways for schools to operate more efficiently through such measures as the automation of administrative functions to reduce paper shuffling and labor hours; full use of competitive bidding to ensure that high-quality supplies, equipment and services are purchased at the lowest price; and promoting more efficient cash-flow management.^[19]

As a State Senator, Chapman supported the establishment of charter schools that allow flexibility and more local control [SB 39, 2007-08],^[20] sponsored the Equal Access to Extracurricular Activities Act, which opens access to public school extracurricular activities for home schooled and private school children [SB 85, 2007-08],^[21] and backed the Career Academies Act, which provides for the chartering and funding of career academies [SB 68, 2007-08].^[22]

Awards and recognition

After completing his first year in the State Senate of Georgia, Jeff Chapman received the George Jacobus Glynn County Republican Volunteer of the Year Award. Senator Chapman was also voted Man of the People by the Glynn County Republican Party.^[6] He also received the Friend of Medicine Award from the Medical Society of Glynn during his first term as State Senator for his efforts to enact meaningful tort reform. Chapman has received numerous awards for standing strong for the public interest, including the 2008 Democracy Award from Georgia Common Cause, Senator of the Year from the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island State Park, the 2008 Leadership Award from Georgia Conservation Voters, and Legislator of the Year from ARC of Georgia for his support of people with disabilities. Georgia Magazine recognized Jeff Chapman as one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians of 2008. Its 11th annual edition noted that “Chapman lends a strong voice to diverse issues, earning a reputation for his support of people with disabilities, and as a proponent of eminent domain reform. He isn't afraid to oppose members of his own Republican Party on certain issues.^[23]"

References

External links

• Chapman's campaign bio
• Governor campaign website