The Three angels who prepared me to serve
Angel One: My father, Lloyd Booker — Forest Park.
My father taught me what community truly means. Anyone who knew him knew he was a kind spirit who believed in showing up for people. Service wasn’t something he talked about it was something he lived every day in Forest Park.
Angel Two: My Aunt, Angela Witherow — Jonesboro.
My aunt showed me what strength, faith, and resilience look like in real life. She helped anyone who needed it family, neighbors, even strangers. Truthfully, to her there were no strangers, only people who needed compassion.
Angel Three: My grandmother, Joann Harps — Forest Park.
I called her Ma. She taught me discipline, intelligence, and leadership. My grandmother worked with the Fulton County Commissioner and City Manager’s Office, and she taught me how government actually works. She showed me how to read budgets line by line. She taught me the importance of policy, governance, and accountability. Every week she had the Wall Street Journal delivered to her home. She believed in reading and understanding the world for yourself.
She always told me:
"Never be a victim to the saying that if you put something in a book, Black people won’t know it because they don’t read."
That lesson stayed with me
That is why today I read everything agendas, policies, budgets, bills, and reports. Leadership requires knowledge. It requires understanding the facts, not just repeating what people want to hear.
Because of these three angels, I was raised with values, ethics, and a commitment to service.
Those lessons shaped my professional journey in entrepreneurship, legal studies, project management, human resources, nonprofit leadership, consulting, media, and business finance.
In those roles I have worked on:
• Conflict resolution
• Strategic planning
• Program development
• Policy review
• Stakeholder collaboration
• Delivering measurable outcomes
These experiences required operating within structured governance systems and developing real solutions not just talking about them.
So when I say I’m ready to serve District 1, it’s not a slogan.
It’s a lifetime of preparation.
My name is Tamala LaShae-Harps, and I am running for Clayton County District 1 Commissioner.
