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| ]Taylor is a native of ]. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from ] and received his Juris Doctorate from the ]. Taylor represented Albany in the Georgia Senate until his election to lieutenant governor in 1998. Taylor joined Republican and Democratic Senators in supporting then-Governor Zell Miller's HOPE Scholarship program. Taylor also strongly endorsed smaller primary school class sizes and increased teacher pay. Finally, he earned some praise from gay advocates by single-handedly | ]Taylor is a native of ]. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from ] and received his Juris Doctorate from the ]. Taylor represented Albany in the Georgia Senate until his election to lieutenant governor in 1998. Taylor joined Republican and Democratic Senators in supporting then-Governor Zell Miller's HOPE Scholarship program. Taylor also strongly endorsed smaller primary school class sizes and increased teacher pay. Finally, he earned some praise from gay advocates by single-handedly | ||
| Taylor is married to the former Sacha Wilbanks of ]. Taylor has one adult son, Fletcher. He is a member of the Porterfield ] in Albany. |
Taylor is married to the former Sacha Wilbanks of ]. Taylor has one adult son, Fletcher. He is a member of the Porterfield ] in Albany. | ||
| ==As Lieutenant Governor== | ==As Lieutenant Governor== | ||
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| In 2005, Taylor announced his candidacy for governor of Georgia. He has focused his campaign on education and healthcare isues, which he feels that the current governor, ], has not adequately addressed. Taylor will face current Georgia Secretary of State ] in Democratic Primary occuring in July 2006. | In 2005, Taylor announced his candidacy for governor of Georgia. He has focused his campaign on education and healthcare isues, which he feels that the current governor, ], has not adequately addressed. Taylor will face current Georgia Secretary of State ] in Democratic Primary occuring in July 2006. | ||
| The primary campaign has so far been a bumpy road for the Lt. Governor. shows him trailing Cox by double digits in the primary, and running far behind Perdue in the general election. Two-thirds of the Georgia House Democrats have endorsed Cox over Taylor, and she is raising more money than he. His campaign was also rocked by news that his that left one man dead. Finally, his gubernatorial campaign is hampered by that he may run for reelection instead. | |||
| ==Taylor in the news== | ==Taylor in the news== | ||
Revision as of 02:17, 27 November 2005
Mark Fletcher Taylor is currently serving his second term as lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Georgia. Taylor, a Democrat, is also a candidate for governor of Georgia for the 2006 election.
Biography
Taylor is a native of Albany, Georgia. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Emory University and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia. Taylor represented Albany in the Georgia Senate until his election to lieutenant governor in 1998. Taylor joined Republican and Democratic Senators in supporting then-Governor Zell Miller's HOPE Scholarship program. Taylor also strongly endorsed smaller primary school class sizes and increased teacher pay. Finally, he earned some praise from gay advocates by single-handedly blocking the anti-gay Defense of Scouting bill.
Taylor is married to the former Sacha Wilbanks of Lavonia, Georgia. Taylor has one adult son, Fletcher. He is a member of the Porterfield United Methodist Church in Albany.
As Lieutenant Governor
Under Taylor's influence, the statue of limitations on violent crimes has been removed. Taylor has also advocated the Peachcare family insurance program, which was recently scaled back despite his efforts. In addition, Taylor worked to promote the HEROES Act, which provides financial assistance to Georgia members of the National Guard.
As a State Senator
Prior to becoming Lt. Governor in 1998, he represented Albany and Southwest Georgia in the State Senate, and he served as then-Governor Zell Miller’s Floor Leader. Taylor supported then-Governor Zell Miller's HOPE Scholarship program. Recently, he has further focused on education by supporting increases in teachers' salaries and fighting for smaller class sizes in grades K-3.
Taylor also led the effort to bring Peachcare to Georgia so that children from working families could have affordable access to healthcare. Over the years, he has also worked to make sure that women's health insurance coverage is equitable and he is currently working on Georgia RX -- a program that costs taxpayers nothing while providing affordable access to prescription drugs for the elderly (over 55) and uninsured Georgians. He has also been working with state EMS officials and hospitals to implement a statewide trauma network.
Keeping families safe has consistently been one of Lt. Governor Taylor's top priorities. In the early 1990s, he worked to pass tough laws against domestic violence and he also pushed through the Nation's toughest violent crime law -- Two Strikes -- that has punished violent criminals who are repeat offenders. He is also responsible for the State's first DNA database that, today, has solved over 300 previously unsolved rapes and murders. He built on this success by establishing post-conviction relief to make sure the right person is in jail.
In 2002, he helped remove the statute of limitations for prosecution in violent crimes, such as rape and aggravated child molestation. Two years later, he pushed through the State’s first child endangerment law that is deterring abuse and neglect of children. Also, in 2004, he made sure Georgia has the harshest punishments for those who dare to commit a crime against a child by enabling judges to add an electronic monitoring device (GPS Tracker) to their sentences.
Gubernatorial candidacy
In 2005, Taylor announced his candidacy for governor of Georgia. He has focused his campaign on education and healthcare isues, which he feels that the current governor, Sonny Perdue, has not adequately addressed. Taylor will face current Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox in Democratic Primary occuring in July 2006.
Taylor in the news
Taylor has recently become a chairman of Put Help in the Helmet an organization to provide immediate relief to all Katrina-Rita affected First Responders, including fire, rescue, law enforcement officers, nurses, and Emergency Medical Service professionals along with Sen. John McCain and Sen. Joe Biden.
External links
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