Succeeded by Jeff Jones Name Jeff Chapman Nationality American Role American Politician | Occupation Former businessman Spouse Angela Chapman Religion Methodist Party Republican Party | |
Born July 14, 1959 (age 64)
Brunswick, Georgia, U.S. ( 1959-07-14 ) Residence Brunswick, Georgia, U.S. | ||
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. 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.
Contents
- Early life
- Early years
- Election into Georgia State Legislature
- Gubernatorial campaign announcement
- Education
- Awards and recognition
- References
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
Jeff Champman returned to the Georgia General Assembly by winning a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives on November 6, 2012.
Gubernatorial campaign announcement
In September 2009, Sen. Chapman announced his entry into the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election.
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.
As a State Senator, Chapman supported the establishment of charter schools that allow flexibility and more local control [SB 39, 2007-08], 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], and backed the Career Academies Act, which provides for the chartering and funding of career academies [SB 68, 2007-08].
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. 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."