Albany firefighter Tracy Taylor makes case for votes in state House District 153

ALBANY — With an endorsement from U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker behind him, Tracy Taylor said he is excited about his run in the Georgia House District 153 contest.

The city of Albany firefighter has several prior campaigns behind him, but though he has not been successful, the Republican candidate, who chairs the Dougherty County Republican Party, said he is hoping that his conservative message will resonate with voters.

He is competing against Democratic nominee David Sampson for the seat formerly held by CaMia Jackson, who did not seek re-election due to moving out of the area. The district is the only district wholly within Dougherty County. The other three state House seats that include portions of Dougherty County are currently held by Republicans.

“I’m running to put get my community the right representation in Atlanta, Georgia,” said Taylor, whose previous campaigns include contests for Albany mayor, Dougherty County Commission and the state Senate. “We have not been receiving state resources to benefit Dougherty County in quite some time.

“We need streets resurfaced, we need bridges fixed. I’m running on community economic development.”

Taylor, who has served on the Albany Community Development Council for several years and as chairman since December 2002, said he would like to bring the government and business world together with residents to tackle tough issues like economic development.

“I can be a liaison between the manufacturers, the communities and state- and federal-level (elected officials),” he said. “I want to be able to bridge the gap and give a chain of command. I think there’s no chain of command in that regard.”

Quoting his former political mentor, U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, whom he briefly considered challenging this year, the candidate said that the debate for the 2023 legislative session “is about who gets what, when and how” in reference to a projected $6.6 billion state budget surplus.

Albany and Dougherty County need to have a champion to make their needs known in Atlanta, Taylor said, and as the Republican chairman since 2018 he has built relationships with party leaders like Walker and Gov. Brian Kemp.

In addition to better roads and bridges, he said the district needs things like community development block grants for housing.

“This district is basically the city of Albany,” he said. “There are a lot of funding projects dealing with housing. There’s a lot of housing programs that need funding. There are a lot of K-12 programs that need funding.

“I want to be up there discussing and voting on the tax cuts and rebates. I stand with the governor on these issues.”

As a first responder, and his wife a school system employee, Taylor said Kemp helped out those groups with incentives during the pandemic, and it is time to help others who are also dealing with high inflation.

The candidate said he also hopes to be a “champion” in another area — the decriminalization of marijuana. And he thinks the state’s strength in agriculture could make it a leader in growing the crop.

“As Americans, in time I think that will come,” he said. “We live in the biggest agricultural state in the nation. We can use so much of that revenue for health care.”

Taylor said his relationships with the state’s leaders also can help bring investment in manufacturing, an industry that has seen losses like two tire manufacturers, in recent years.

“We need to return to that,” he said. “We need leaders who are there when industries are looking to locate. I can be a voice for that so the citizens of Albany can have a job. I have a proven track record verus my opponent.

“I’ve been out here. I’ve been serving them. People know me. That’s why I am the better candidate for southwest Georgia.”

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