In the race for the District 56 state Senate seat, incumbent John Albers is being challenged by local businessman Akhtar Sadiq.

Albers, the Republican already in office, said his focus in this election is the economy and job opportunities for Georgia residents.

“We are making progress, but more work needs to be done to create the best environment possible for job growth,” he said.

In the past 18 months Albers sponsored or co-sponsored several bills during the legislative session including The Social Responsibility and Accountability Act which requires welfare recipients to pass a drug test.

Should he be reelected, he said some of his goals include eliminating the Georgia income tax, opt out of Obamacare and implementing a “Plan B” for traffic relief is the transportation special purpose local option sales tax does not pass.

Albers’s two sons are in school at Roswell High School and Roswell North Elementary school, and Albers said he wants to see an increase in technology in the classroom to help advance Georgia education.

He also serves as a firefighter and said he wants to continue to serve the people in his community.

“I love serving in public office and will continue to work tirelessly for defend and protect freedom, liberty and conservative values,” he said.

Sadiq, Albers’s Democrat challenger, said his business knowledge would be useful in the state Senate when it comes to jobs and the economy.

“I’m an accountant business consultant,” he said. “I have extensive experience as far as my background is concerned.”

The ability to sustain and resuscitate the economic and job situations are key, Sadiq said, and it is going to involve taking a hard look at how businesses are governed in Georgia.

“This will involve a critical analysis of tax breaks,” he said. “While we are in a recession we must stretch every dollar as far as possible.”

In addition to his business experience, Sadiq has served as the United States of America Navy League Treasurer, ambassador for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and special deputy sheriff in Cobb County.

“I am the one putting people into small businesses,” he said. “I want to make sure small businesses are given whatever we can do to promote these small businesses.”

Along with these goals, Sadiq said his number one issue in Georgia is ethics.

“Georgia has low standards. We definitely need strong ethics,” he said. “Lots of things have been said and not done.”

Information: www.sadiqforsenate.com and www.senatoralbers.com.