Zapata backs Dean Allen for District 2, cites practical county leadership

Lauren Zapata cast Richard Dean Allen as the practical choice for Allendale County Council District 2, arguing that county government should be judged by roads, jobs, budgeting and results, not partisan labels. In her letter, Zapata said Allen brings a businessman’s perspective to local leadership and that his more than 28 years of community roots give him a clearer view of what Allendale needs.

That case lands in a county where small differences in public service can shape daily life. Allendale County’s estimated population was 7,355 on July 1, 2025, down from 8,039 in the 2020 Census. The county covers 408.1 square miles, and Census data place the median household income at $32,328, with a labor-force participation rate of 43.6 percent and an employment rate of 39.9 percent. The county is 71.1 percent Black alone and 23.5 percent age 65 or older, figures that underscore the pressure on roads, transportation, public services and county spending in a sparsely populated rural area.

Zapata said local employers are still trying to fill open positions and that good jobs remain one of the county’s biggest needs. She linked Allen’s platform, “Strength through Solutions,” to a broader push for economic revitalization, saying the county needs leadership that can support hiring as well as the infrastructure and transparency that help businesses grow. That argument reflects the scale of the local economy, where retail sales totaled $41,010,000 in 2022, or $5,528 per person, and where the county has just 125 total employer establishments.

The jobs question has already played out in major local announcements. In March 2023, Tin Thanh Group Americas said it would invest $68 million in Allendale County and create 1,031 jobs, with a $1 million Rural Infrastructure Fund grant helping pay for site preparation and infrastructure improvements. In June 2025, Hampton Lumber announced a $225 million project expected to create at least 125 jobs at Highway 321 and Barker Mill Pond Road in Fairfax, its first sawmill on the East Coast. Both projects showed how closely job growth here is tied to roads, site readiness and county-level coordination.

District 2 is the only contested race in Allendale County this cycle, with incumbent James White Jr. seeking re-election against Richard Dean Allen. The statewide primary is set for June 9, 2026, and the general election follows on Nov. 3, 2026, making the seat one of the few local decisions voters will settle at the ballot box this year.