Troy City Council President Marcus Paramore on Thursday announced that he will seek the Republican nomination for the House District 89 seat in the Alabama Legislature.

The seat is currently held by Rep. Wes Allen (R-Troy), who has announced that he will run in 2022 for the Office of Alabama Secretary of State. HD 89 represents Pike County and part of Dale County.

Paramore, surrounded by a crowd of approximately 70 supporters on the steps of Troy’s City Hall, advised he was running to “focus on economic development and the protection of traditional conservative values in Pike and Dale counties.”

During his tenure on the city council, Paramore has been heavily involved in recruiting industries including Kimber and Rex Lumber as well as a number of national retailers. Paramore said that he believes that companies, large and small alike, need to hire employees but that current federal government unemployment benefits are incentivizing people to instead stay at home.

“We absolutely must stop giving able-bodied people incentives to stay at home and not go to work,” Paramore stated. “There are great jobs available throughout District 89 and filling those jobs will be essential to getting our economy back on track.”

He also promised that he will protect traditional conservative values and that his campaign will be focused on family, faith and hard work.

“I want to work every day to make District 89 a great place to live and to raise children and grandchildren,” Paramore added. “I am so proud to live here and to have raised my family here. I know that we have so much to offer and that we can continue to grow while keeping our conservative values.”

He and his wife, Leigh Ann, have two adult sons. They are members of the Park Memorial United Methodist Church.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn