Question and Answer Session with Andrew Sorrell

This is a question and answer session with Andrew Sorrell wh0 is running for State House, District 3 in The Republican Primary on June 5.

Question and Answer Session with Andrew Sorrell

Andrew Sorrell

1. What are you running for?
   1. I’m a candidate for State Representative, District 3 in the Republican Primary on June 5^th.

2. What area does your district cover?
   1. It covers Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia (north of the Hwy 72), Sheffield, a small section of Florence by ECM hospital and the coliseum, Ford City, Leighton, White Oak, LaGrange, and Hillsboro, Courtland, North Courtland, and Town Creek in Lawrence County.

3. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself
4. I’m a 32-year-old entrepreneur, private pilot, Advanced Scuba Diver, and anti-tax activist (I have defeated $300 million of proposed and unnecessary tax increases in Alabama.) I grew up in Muscle Shoals and attended Webster Elementary, McBride Middle School, and Muscle Shoals High School, graduating in 2004. I graduated UNA with my 4-year Business Management degree in 2 years by testing out of many credit hours, taking overloads, and going in the summers. 
   I started my first business, Infinity Books, Inc. at age 16 in my parents’ screened porch.  That business has grown to 32 employees and two locations.  My second business is Gold, Guns, and Guitars on Florence Blvd.  I started this company at age 28 and am I the process of opening another one on Hwy 72 in Madison.  I have created 40 Alabama jobs and expect to hire another 10 employees this year for my new store.
   I have never run for public office before, although I have been an active volunteer in many local political campaigns over the last 8 years.

4. Now I hear you have a very unique story about how you met your wife, could you tell us about that
5. I met Hannah on a bus in Italy! I walked up the steps and there she was. I thought she was pretty so I took the seat in front of her.  She tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I liked politics. I responded, “Yes, I’m actually planning to run for State Representative next year.”  She was not interested at first, but by the end of our 17-day church history tour I had her phone number.  We began dating once we returned to the US.  She was from South Carolina, so I spent 35 weekends commuting 8 hours each way to see her.  Her parents put me up in a little twin bed in their laundry room.  I rented an airplane and pretended I was flying her over North Carolina to see the leaves changing colors in the fall, when in reality I was flying her back to Muscle Shoals.  When we landed I proposed to her at the TVA Rockpile and then went to lunch at Rosie’s. We were married at her home church in Greenville, SC on June 30^th, 2017.  She has gotten to know the area very quickly as we have been campaigning all over it!

5. What is your wife’s educational background, and where does she work?
   1. Hannah has a Master’s Degree in Organizational Communication. She was teaching special needs at a Christian school when I met her.  When she moved here she decided to work with me at my businesses.  With a campaign going full steam, she was worried we wouldn’t see each other much if she didn’t work with me.

6. Let’s talk about some issues. One of the hottest issues in Alabama right now is Ethics and Corruption. Can you tell me what you’ve done to fight corruption as a private citizen?
   1. I serve on the Republican Steering Committee. This is a 21-member group that is elected by the 475-member Republican State Executive Committee to make decisions for the Party between our biannual meetings. One of my first ever votes on that committee was in favor of a resolution asking for Governor Bentley to step down last year. With pressure from us and others, he stepped down the next day.

7. Where do you stand on the 2^nd amendment?
   1. I sell guns at one of my businesses, so I am a big believer in and defender of the 2^nd I will fully support your Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

8. What about social issues like gay marriage and abortion?
   1. I am the son, grandson, and great-grandson of Baptist preachers. I was raised in a conservative, Christian household.  I am 100% against gay marriage and 100% against abortion.

9. How is the unemployment rate in Colbert County, and what are you going to do to help bring jobs into the district?
   3. The state unemployment rate is 3.5%, and we usually lag about 1% behind the rest of the state. This is completely unacceptable. We have a railroad, a river, an airport, and a highway.  There is no reason we should not be able to recruit business and industry to the Shoals area.  All politicians will tell you that they’re going to bring jobs to the district…however, very few of them have ever created a job.  I have personally created 40 Alabama jobs, and I can assure you that I will work nonstop to bring business and industry into House District 3.

10. What are some projects you have mind for infrastructure and economic development in your district?
    1. I’d like to see overpasses on Avalon Ave. and Montgomery Ave. over the railroad tracks. This is a project that we’ve needed done for 50 years.  We are simply not on the radar of the Governor and Montgomery.  As your next State Representative, getting these overpasses onto the infrastructure list will be my top priority.  I’d also like to see the old Colbert Steam Plant site have a port authority established so our farmers can ship their goods to Memphis instead of trucking it out.  They have told me they could cut their shipping costs by 50%.  There are over 70 barge slips already there that we could use.

11. How do you feel about mental health in Alabama? Do you feel like that department gets enough funding?
    1. Absolutely not. We have a mental health crisis in Alabama.  I’ve met with Brian Libell, the director at Riverbend, and he told me they are about $2 million/year underfunded.  Many of the people in our prisons also have mental health problems.  Many of the school shootings and suicides are from people with mental health issues, and we have to make this a priority in our budget.

12. Where do you stand on Common Core and School Choice?
    1. I support the repeal of Common Core education standards, because I believe it promotes some objectionable material and because education has failed to improve under that system many years after its implementation.  The Department of Education has basically forced states to accept the standards by tying grant money to the standards. I believe curriculum should be customized at the local level to meet the needs of each school district. I believe in school choice.  Parents should be able to move their children from failing schools to a school where their child has a better chance at a good education and success in life.  Forcing students to stay in failing schools is a disservice to the community.  Children should have the opportunity to get the best education available within their geographic region.

13. Where can people go to get more information?
    3. My website is AndrewSorrell.com, or they can find me on Facebook at “Andrew Sorrell for State House, District 3.