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Opinion | My vision for a better Alabama

The State of Alabama has received international fame in recent years for all the wrong reasons. Corrupt leadership, pay to play politics, and entrenched Montgomery lobbyists earned us headlines we don’t want to repeat.

I believe Alabama can do better. I believe Alabama deserves better!

It’s time for new leadership in the state. Someone with the skills, energy, and ability to tackle tough issues and bring about meaningful change. Someone with a record of achievement.

We need a governor who represents the future we want. A future of prosperity and integrity. I am that leader.

As mayor of Huntsville, I set a goal to provide jobs, opportunity, and improved quality of life for our city. I worked for collaborative government that would be transparent, accountable and focused on improving roads, schools, and measured growth. I did it for Huntsville, and I can do it for all of Alabama.

I am proud of our record of achievement: creating 24,000 new jobs to include the Mazda-Toyota plant, Polaris, GE Aviation, Remington, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin, and many more. This represents 62 percent of all new jobs in Alabama.

My administration took on challenges in education and improved our schools. We built $500 million in new roads when Montgomery backed out on its promises. We launched one of the most innovative broadband initiatives in the country to bring in Google Fiber and give residents affordable options for the fastest Internet in the world. When state funding dried up, we turned to innovative public-private partnerships to invest in our community. We turned Huntsville into the 7th best city to live in in the nation. Now it’s time to make Alabama a leading state in this country.

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Throughout this campaign, I’ve traveled to all 67 counties, and I see people looking for leadership.

Alabamians want to be at the top of the education rankings instead of hovering at the bottom. Alabamians want jobs for high school and college graduates so they don’t head across state lines to find them. They want safe roads and bridges, prison reform, and they want to see all of Alabama do well, not just certain pockets. I’m the candidate with the energy and vision to take this challenge on.

Alabama has a lot to be proud of, and we don’t need the same career politicians in Montgomery to give us more broken promises and scandal. We need leaders who can move us forward – not live in the past.

I’ve met many business, civic, and community leaders focused on making their cities better, their community better and their state better. They’re doing great things in our state that you won’t find anywhere else in the world – this is the Alabama I have come to know. Proud, resilient, and hard working.

I’m ready to battle for Alabama, and will be honored to lead this great state. It will take a lot of long hours and hard work, and a governor with the stamina to deliver, but I know how to get there, and with your support and teamwork, we can achieve a better Alabama.

If you believe we can do better, then I’m ready to go to battle for you. I humbly ask for your vote on Tuesday, June 5, in the Republican primary.

 

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