Troy Phillips, a 10-year combat veteran, has announced his candidacy for the District 4 seat on the Hall County Board of Commissioners, the seat currently held by Jeff Stowe.

Stowe announced in January that he will seek another four-year term. He was first elected in 2012.

Stowe and Phillips will compete in the Republican primary set for May 24.

Phillips is a Gainesville resident and served in the Persian Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“The 10 years I spent in the Navy prepared me for this role,” Phillips said. “I was responsible for millions of dollars in equipment and men’s lives.”

He said serving in the Navy also taught him how to live by the motto of honor, courage and commitment. Phillips said he has integrated this motto into his own lifestyle, and if he’s elected, his goals are to bring those concepts to the seat. He doesn’t have specific goals in mind, but broad-minded concepts he’d like to see achieved.

“I want to make the city of Gainesville, as well as Hall County, more business-friendly,” Phillips said. “I want the people of Gainesville to have jobs. Not just jobs, but good-paying jobs.”

Currently, he works as a dispatcher for Choice Facility Services and Construction. It’s his responsibility to assign crews to major construction projects, coordinating crews, making sure the materials needed are in order and other administrative duties like keeping up with Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements.

Phillips graduated from Johnson High School in 1988 and is also a graduate of Colorado Technical University with a master’s degree in criminal justice management.