COVINGTON, Ga. — Chief Tax Appraiser Marcus Jordan said he is running for tax commissioner of Newton County.

Jordan, 48, announced his bid Wednesday. He will be a candidate in the Democratic primary in May 2020.

“It has been my honor to serve as chief tax appraiser for the past five years,” he said in a statement.

“I believe my commitment to taxpayer service and professional staff development will enhance the interaction between citizens and the essential duties of tax commissioner if I am elected.”

Dana Darby became the tax commissioner in September, filling out the unexpired term of longtime Commissioner Barbara Dingler.

Darby, a 20-year employee of the tax commissioner’s office, said she intends to seek a full term.

Magistrate Court Clerk Roosevelt Winters is also running for the position.

Jordan is a Newton County native who graduated from Newton High School in 1989. He has worked in the tax appraiser’s office for 20 years, including 12 years as the assistant chief appraiser.

He said the chief tax appraiser requires Jordan and his staff to attend state-mandated training, and he thinks the same should be required of employees in the tax commissioner’s office.

Jordan said he plans to improve the office’s website and create a citizen comment section to respond to taxpayers and their concerns.

Jordan is a U.S. Navy veteran with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Luther Rice College & Seminary in Lithonia. He and his wife have four adult children and three grandchildren. They are longtime members of Sims Chapel Baptist Church.

In announcing his candidacy, Jordan said he joined the tax appraiser’s office during a time of unprecedented growth in 1999 with 700 to 800 new construction permits a year. The boom times ended during the Great Recession, but he said the county is recovering and there has been an increase in the median value of homes.

However, Jordan said there is a “continuing imbalance” between residential home values and commercial and industrial properties where growth is needed.

Jordan said he thinks a 20-year history of understanding the county’s property tax ups and downs, and his experience working with the public, would help him on day one as tax commissioner.

“I have no doubt of the caliber and integrity of the tax commissioner’s staff and will work to enhance their ability to serve the public in a professional manner,” he said.