CENTRE — A man from Heflin believes Rep. Richard Lindsey, D-Centre, has served long enough in the Alabama Legislature. Republican Tim Sprayberry will be his opponent in the November election.

“That seat does not belong to him, he just occupies it,” Sprayberry said last week. “It belongs to everyone in District 39.”

Sprayberry, 44, said national issues such as jobs, the economy, taxes and immigration are important in Alabama, as well.

“There's an interstate running just west of Cherokee County, and we have water, lakes and access to natural resources and infrastructure,” Sprayberry said. “That's what we need to recruit more jobs, and we need people who are going to get in their with the state folks and get jobs.”

Sprayberry said the area's natural resources – which he said include a state park and Weiss Lake – combine to create an advantage that other parts of the state can't match.

“There is a tremendous amount of tourism just being overlooked and not being promoted,” Sprayberry said, “and there's a huge state budget to promote tourism and some of that needs to be used to promote our district to help our business people and citizens make a living.”

Regarding taxes, Sprayberry said his party was wrong to switch to annual property appraisals. He said if he is elected, he'll immediately get to work correcting that mistake.

“The first thing I will do is produce a bill to go back to having properties reassessed every four years,” he said. “We have to face it – this district is mostly rural, farming doesn't pay what is used to, and these people can't afford for their taxes to go up every year.”

Sprayberry said he does not agree with how his opponent has chosen to direct school spending from his seat as chairman of the House Education Budget Committee.

“I read an article about two weeks ago that reported Auburn University is building a satellite campus in Beijing, China,” Sprayberry said. “My opponent's committee approved that expenditure. That's crazy.”

Sprayberry said instead of collaborating with the “red Chinese government,” Alabama should be spending its education dollars on its own children.

“I'm almost certain we're losing money on that,” he said.

Sprayberry, an Auburn graduate who ventured into politics once before when he ran for Cleburne County sheriff in the 1990s, said his campaign strategy is “old-fashioned.”

“I'm out shaking hands and talking to people,” he said. “I'll be at Leesburg Day on Sept. 11 and October Fest in Centre on Oct. 2. And I'll also be out putting up campaign signs and meeting people in Cherokee County.”