Meet the Candidate: Kirk Smith

ALBANY, Ga. — Kirk Smith says he’s a simple man who believes in the simple things.

Security, education, economic development and transparency are all things Smith says would be the cornerstone of his administration, if elected mayor.

The first to file paperwork with the state ethics commission to begin fundraising for the position, Smith said he made his mind up long before Mayor Willie Adams announced his retirement from political life earlier this month.

Still Smith, the owner of Smith Commercial Cleaning and of a private security firm, says he knows he’ll likely be the darkhorse in the race.

“It’s going to be an uphill battle,” Smith said. “But if people want a chance at something better than what they have, you have to have forward thinking people.

“Look at the way we’re living, the way I’m living, the way you’re living.

It’s not supposed to be this way. You aren’t supposed to live in fear,” he said. “Change is viable for Albany to get back to the Good Life City status.”

If elected, Smith said he’d place a strong emphasis on reducing and preventing crime and the perception of crime that plagues much of the city. His feelings on criminals and the crime in general were expressed repeatedly during his bid to replace Sheriff Jamil Saba in 2008.

Though he failed in that campaign, Smith said he intends to push his ideas on how to make Albany a safer place to live through the office of mayor.

“We’ve never seen, the state has never seen, a mayor like the one I’m

prepared to be,” he said. “I fully intend to patrol my community myself, and bring my military-style approach to show criminals that they’re going to have to take their drug dealing and stealing ways other places.”

Smith said he believes in a strong, visible and flexible police force that is easily adaptable to change.

Smith also said that the city government should put more time into working with the Dougherty County School board to develop programs to help cut the dropout rate from our local schools.

“Poverty didn’t come here overnight, it’s here largely because of a lack of proper parenting and teaching,” Smith said. “We should work to develop a program to boost parental involvement and we should meet with the heads of ASU (Albany State University) the local schools and churches to make sure they’re involved the way they should be.”

Smith said that education is the key to breaking “the welfare cycle” because good-paying jobs and industry won’t come to an area where there is a 60 percent dropout rate.

“We have to work with the schools to get the students educated so that they can get out of that welfare cycle,” Smith said. “When I was growing up, I aspired to bigger and better things; I wanted to be better. I don’t think many kids today feel that way and so things won’t get better.”

Smith said, while educational performance and industry are inextricably linked, that he feels the city could be doing more to entice large industry back to Albany.

“Business in this town would change overnight if we could get a car plant or distribution center,” Smith said. “It would drive down costs at Phoebe by reducing the amount of indigent care because more people would have benefits and a decent paying job; the tax base would grow; everybody wins.”

Smith has surrounded himself with what he feels is a capable campaign staff that includes Chris King, his campaign advisor and manager and reported grandson of blues legend B.B. King; as well as Josie Rich.