PHOTO: Chad “Chig” Martin of Enterprise, Alabama recently announced his campaign for Governor! To be placed on the ballot, he must have 35,000 signatures from registered voters on a petition by June 2018. (Contributed Photo | Chad Martin for Governor)
By Marla Jones, Reporter
FORT PAYNE, Ala. — Chad “Chig” Martin of Enterprise, Alabama recently announced that he would seek the office of Alabama Governor as an independent candidate. To be placed on the ballot, he must have 35,000 signatures from registered voters on a petition by June 2018.
Chad “Chig” Martin was born and raised in Enterprise, AL. Martin received a full football scholarship to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has owned and operated Thunder Industrial www.thunderindustrial.com for twelve years in Dothan, AL. He also owns Chig Daddi Entertainment, LLC. He is the namesake for the Chad Chig Martin line of hats sold worldwide at www.hats.com. Martin is a National Ambassador for American Made Matters a non-profit group that promotes buying American made products. He also serves as the frontman and lead singer for Chad Chig Martin and The Alabama Outlaws which recently released the video, 'Dime A Dozen.'
Chad Martin feels strongly about stopping corruption in Montgomery: “The real problem in Montgomery is the constant bickering of Democrats and Republicans. I just don’t understand why these folks don’t find a way to work with each other for the greater good of our state."
"A fair percentage of these politicians are controlled by special interest and we have to figure out a way to take that out of the equation, Martin said.
“Our citizens should be making decisions in this state and not special interest groups. I would like to be the first governor in a long time to go into office not controlled by special interest groups. My platform will always include letting the people vote on important subjects,” he added.
Funding for Alabama is a concern for Martin as well. He says he will fight hard for the citizens of Northeast Alabama: “First of all, I would let the people of North Alabama know that I would proudly love to serve them."
"North Alabama is one of the prettiest parts of the state and we have to always protect our natural resources there,” said Martin.
Martin also has simple solutions to our state's financial issues: “I am proposing a statewide vote on the lottery, casino gambling and medical marijuana. If these are to pass, you will see Alabama’s financial problems in the rearview mirror. This money will go towards infrastructure repair statewide along with many other agencies.”
“I would also use this money for not only education, but for law enforcement,” said Martin.
He then went on to speak about his position on the Second Amendment: “I want to protect your 2nd Amendment Right more than any Governor ever. Not only do I want to protect it, I want to make a streamlined legal process for those that use justified deadly force to protect themselves, family or property."
"I do not want law abiding citizens held up in the court system for an extended period of time. If they are protecting their home, I want quick and swift investigations by law enforcement in these cases,” said Martin.
Martin knows that running as independent candidate will be an uphill battle but he is counting on voters who are tired of the way that the State of Alabama is ran to help him succeed.
For more information on Martin's campaign and how you can sign the petition, visit his Facebook page by clicking here.
