Sylvania H.S. senior Jerod Sharp qualifies for city council run

By Tyler Pruett, Managing Editor

tyler@southerntorch.com

Jerod Sharp-Cropped
Jerod Sharp, an upcoming senior at Sylvania High School, qualified this week to run for Sylvania Town Council.

SYLVANIA, Ala. — Earlier this week, Jerod Sharp qualified to run for Sylvania Town Council Place 2, establishing himself at 18 years old as one of the youngest city council candidates in DeKalb County history. Sharp is starting his senior year at Sylvania High School, and just turning 18 made him eligible to run for the council seat. Jerod has a lot of pride in his community, and is eager for the chance to serve the citizens of Sylvania.

Sharp is the son of Matt and Cherrie Sharp, and is a very active student at Sylvania High School. He served last year as the Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President, President of the Beta Club, and played varsity basketball as well as tennis. He also served as the National Beta Club Reporter from 2013 to 2014.

While running for Sylvania Town Council, Sharp also plans to seek a position on the SGA at Sylvania High School. Sharp is among the youngest candidates to qualify for office in DeKalb County history. The State of Alabama defines the guidelines a candidate must meet to run for municipal office: a person must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen, a state resident for at least 90 days, and registered to vote.

Sharp sat down for an exclusive interview with Southern Torch after qualifying. He said one of the reasons for deciding to run for city council is to serve the citizens of his town and motivate younger citizens to get involved with local government.

“I feel like Sylvania has been very good to me,” Sharp said. “Everyone was very supportive when I ran for National BETA office and got that office. Growing up in Sylvania has had a significant impact on me, and I want to have a significant impact on it.”

When it comes to his personal philosophy on government, Sharp said he believes the government, even at the local level, should be for the people and to serve the people.

“When you are elected to any office, your biggest priority has got to be your constituents or your citizens,” Sharp said. “It’s a public service.”

Sharp said he wants to focus on generating revenue not just for the town, but the citizens of Sylvania as well.

“We can always generate better revenue by paving the way for new small business,” Sharp said. “I also want to look into the possibility of bringing in chain restaurants to create jobs. These things will also help us create better revenue and improve the infrastructure for all citizens.”

Sharp said he would also like to see more public involvement in his local government. Sharp is hoping his campaign and election to the town council will help increase involvement from younger generations in city government and politics as a whole.

“I’d like to better get the community involved in town hall meetings. I’d also like to get the younger generation involved,” Sharp said. “Like for example if a student receives an award at the high school, let’s honor them in the council meeting to increase the involvement.”

Jerod Sharp will be on the municipal ballot for Sylvania on August 23 and will face Tom Hale for the seat. For more information on Sharp, visit his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/JerodSharpCouncil/.