Dispute: Candidate says south Georgia is home

Web posted September 26, 1998

By Lawrence Viele
Morris News Service

ATLANTA -- Mark Taylor touts himself as the son of south Georgia.

But court records show that the state senator and Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor has lived in Atlanta for nearly a year.

Mr. Taylor resides much of the time in a ritzy section of Atlanta in a home owned by his father, but lists his official residence in Albany where he owns a house. His campaign spokesman said he lives in Atlanta to care for his son, who is enrolled in a private Atlanta school, and to run a statewide campaign.

His GOP opponent, Fulton County Commission Chairman Mitch Skandalakis, says that Mr. Taylor is falsely banking on being the south Georgia candidate and is leaving his own district unrepresented.

``If he (Taylor's son) goes to school here nine months south of the year, it looks like he lives full-time here and part-time in Albany,'' said Mr. Skandalakis spokesman Edward Leidelmeijer. ``Albany is in a recession ... which begs the question: what is he doing for his constituents?''

Democrats crow that they have the most geographically diverse ticket and thus can better represent the state. Roy Barnes, the Democratic nominee for governor, is from suburban Atlanta. Mr. Taylor is the only statewide nominee from south Georgia. At last month's state Democratic Convention, Gov. Zell Miller ridiculed the Republican ticket, saying the top candidates were all from Atlanta.

Mr. Taylor only lives in Atlanta to supervise his teen-age son, said campaign spokesman Michael Mills, and Mr. Taylor travels quite a bit to Albany. Mr. Taylor's mother takes care of the boy when Mr. Taylor is in Albany, Mr. Mills said.

Mr. Taylor may have spent more time in Atlanta recently because he is courting Atlanta area voters, Mr. Mills said.

``He's in the middle of a statewide campaign so he spends as much time up here as down there,'' Mr. Mills said.

The Taylor residency dispute arose when Mr. Taylor successfully sued his ex-wife for custody of the boy in DeKalb County this year. He divorced his wife in Fulton County in 1988.