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As Election Day approaches, the Georgia House of Representatives District 72 candidates were invited to a political forum on Oct. 15 at the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce. 

Incumbent David Huddleston (R) was not able to attend the forum as he had a conflicting engagement. His opponent, Rodney Moore, was present and was given an opportunity to answer questions prepared for the forum.

Moore is a native of Georgia, an author having written two books, and an Air Force veteran.

The forum was hosted by the Troup County-LaGrange Chamber of Commerce and live-streamed by the LaGrange Daily News. Moore was given 90 seconds to answer each question, with two minutes for opening and closing remarks. 

Some of the questions covered in the forum include:

House Bill 1015, lowered the personal income tax rate from 5.49% to 5.39%, given the tax policy directly impacts state revenues. What other tax policies would you support to balance Georgia’s budget while promoting economic growth?

“I’d like to see them do away with income tax altogether for the state and bring other revenue forward,” Moore said. “The way they wrote the tax bill was … you can go to a lower tax bracket, but now everybody gets stuck in that 5.39%, so I think we should just illuminate it and just have other revenue coming up, like have casinos come in We don’t have casinos here in the State of Georgia. You should put five, one on each corner in the state.”

House Bill 1105 mandates local sheriffs to report the immigration status of detainees. What are your views on the role of law enforcement local law enforcement, especially in immigration enforcement, and how do you balance public safety with community trust?

“My ex-wife was from another country, so I understand immigration, and she came here legally. We went through the process, and if they’re illegal, they should be reported. But I’m not saying they should be deported, just reported that they’re here, and let’s have them get the paperwork to stay in the country because they struggled to come over to this country,” Moore said.

House Bill 1192 aimed to pause tax exemptions for data centers, citing infrastructure stream, but it was vetoed due to concerns about disrupting business investments. What is your stance on balancing between offering tax incentives to attract businesses and managing infrastructure demands that they create? How would you assess the economic impact of such tax incentives on the state’s infrastructure?

“If a business comes to Georgia, let’s give them a five-year tax break, and then if they have so many employees or so much revenue, let’s make them unionize to raise up the middle class,” Moore said. “Back in the 80s, the unions were busted, you know, from the FAA strike, and you could slowly see the middle class disappear. We need to bring it back.”

“The Safe at Home Act requires landlords to provide safe housing and limits upfront rent charges. Do you support new tenant protections, and what other housing policies would you advocate to ensure safe, affordable housing for all Georgians?

“This just happened this past weekend. We have a landlord who’s renting a house out, and she makes it impossible to rent. It’s like there’s no way, so the tenant should be protected to a certain extent. For when a landlord lies, they should be protected in certain areas,” Moore said.

Proposed workforce licensure reforms aim to streamline the application process for professionals. What is your stance on making it easier for professionals to obtain licenses in Georgia? How would you ensure that reducing licensure barriers maintains quality and safety standards across industries?

“I think we should keep it the same because the school is really hard. I know somebody who went to cosmetology school, and it’s really difficult to learn how to cut hair. It should be the same because the more you know when you get in the field, the better off they are.” Moore said.