“I care about my hometown being successful,” she said. “I grew up in the time of the Good Life City (when there were industries that are gone now). I wasn’t proud to call Albany my hometown, and I know a lot of young people do the same thing.”

To remedy that, Byrd said she would like to use tax incentives to bring in opportunities for high-quality jobs and cultural events. While living in Atlanta, she was able to enjoy many of the cultural and economic opportunities there that unite people — and she said she wants Albany to have the same things.

“I came back home and set out to change my community,” she said.