Decision 2024: Meet Tangie Herring, candidate for Georgia House District 145, Democratic Primary

MONICA- Good Afternoon. Today we have Tangie Herring who is running for Georgia House District 145. Thanks for being here.

TANGIE- Thanks for having me.

MONICA- I’m excited to have you here today. I have a few questions starting off. What do you think is the biggest issue or challenge that needs to be addressed and how do you plan on solving that if you are elected?

TANGIE- Well, I think public safety is the number one thing right now. We need to make sure that we’re supporting our law enforcement by looking at raising their pay, providing providing technology that’s state of the art, and then also making sure that we give them the resources that they need to be successful. We also might need to look at having a mental health professional that partners with our law enforcement so that when they come across a situation that deals with mental health, that they have someone there that can support them. I was also thinking about looking at having different ways we can support people who are having mental health issues along with those who have addiction problems, because sometimes our crimes that happen in our communities have to do with mental health and substance abuse. So looking at putting more funds into those types of programs as well. But I do also want to make sure that we continue to do things for our youth, to make sure that they don’t get caught up in a life of crime. And that’s why I truly support the MVP program. The work that the Mayor’s office is doing, along with Jeremy Grissom is awesome. I think it’s a model for the state of Georgia. They won an award for that. So those are some things that I would also like to support in making sure that our communities stay safe. I think that violent criminals should pay the price for their crimes. They should not be able to be on the streets and commit more crime. So looking at ways that we can make sure all of our citizens are safe, that’s very important to me.

MONICA- How has your background and experience really set you up for this role?

TANGIE- Oh, my background. So of course, I’m a 28 year classroom teacher, which I loved and adored teaching, but I also did a lot with women’s health and also neighborhood revitalization. So there’s a plethora of things that encompass who Tangie Herring is. But in education, I taught for 28 years, and I know that here in the state of Georgia we have $13.3 billion going towards public education. We need to make sure we keep those funds in public education, supporting our teachers and making sure that we look at the pay scale for our teachers so that we can get new teachers coming into the profession and also keeping the teachers that we do have. Looking at smaller class sizes, looking at instruction, making sure that we have the funding so that our school systems can provide the instruction that our students need and be able to differentiate for those students. And then also making sure that our schools are safe. Those are some things that are very important to me, and I am so honored to be able to say that I have some of the support, some of the most stellar educators in leaders in our community that support education, such as our former Superintendent, Dr. Curtis Jones, Dr. Thelma Dillard. I also have Darryl Morton and also Dr. Lisa Boyd. So I’m privileged to have their support and I look forward to making sure that teachers, students and parents have a say in their child’s education.

MONICA- Typically, Democrats have been in the minority for several elections. We’ve seen it for the position. How do you think you would be effective as the minority?

TANGIE- Well, this is my second race. A lot of people don’t understand that. I first started running for District 143, and then after the lines were drawn, I was placed in District 145. So I’ve been doing the work since August, meeting with local leaders, meeting with stakeholders in the community. And so I feel like if you have you form those relationships with people in the community and you’re doing the work for the people and you’re willing to serve the people and not be served, that you can get the work done. And we see that today when we have the at Ocmulgee Park. I mean, that is remarkable to see that we have legislation, a bipartisan effort to see that we have that park here as a national park in the state of Georgia. So I think that with the right people in place, including myself, I have a unique opportunity to make sure that we get the work done for the people of Georgia and especially Middle Georgia. So I’m very excited.

MONICA- Thank you. Now for the full interview, you can head on over to 41 NBC.com and to the other candidates as well. Thank you for joining us.

TANGIE- Thank you for having me.