Steve Flowers: Wes Allen worthy and unique
Alabama’s 54th Secretary of State Wes Allen is doing a very good job in his first term as Secretary of State of the great State of Alabama. When he ran for this office, I said he was by far the best qualified person for this important post. This constitutional office is a real working position. It has a myriad of duties with dozens of employees to oversee. The primary reason that I knew he was the most qualified person was the fact that he had been the Probate Judge of Pike County for almost a decade. Although the Secretary of State wears several hats, the administering of elections is one of the more important duties and the highest profile of this job. I also knew Wes Allen to be a young man of integrity. I have known Wes most of his life. His dad is State Senator Gerald Allen, who has represented Tuscaloosa and surrounding counties for over 30 years. I was already in the House of Representatives when Gerald came to the House in the mid 1980’s. Gerald and I bonded. He gravitated to me because he knew that Senator Richard Shelby and I were friends. Gerald was and still is a great admirer and friend of our revered and retired U.S. Senator Shelby. Both Gerald Allen and Richard Shelby hail from Tuscaloosa. While we were in the House of Representatives, Gerald asked me several times to go to lunch with him in Tuscaloosa. He wanted me to meet his son of whom he was very proud. Finally, I journeyed to the Druid City where we ate at a famous meat and three restaurant on 15th Street. His son, Wes, joined us. Wes was everything Gerald said he was, very friendly and delightful. That was 35 years ago. Little did I know that Wes would one day sit in the same House seat that I was in when Wes and I first met, which is House District 89, representing Pike and Dale Counties. Wes was a student at the University of Alabama and a walk-on split end on Gene Stallings’ Alabama football team. Dabo Sweeney was Wes’ position coach. While Probate Judge of Pike County, Wes conducted more than a dozen elections without a single error. He was and still is a pillar of the Troy/Pike County Community. I have watched him be a Christian conservative leader in the First Baptist Church in Troy. He was at every one of his children’s ballgames and coached their teams most of the time. While Probate Judge he was chosen to be President of the Probate Judges Association. In 2018, he left the Probate office and was elected overwhelmingly to the legislature. He served successfully alongside his dad for four years. I do not think we have ever seen a father/son duo serve simultaneously in the legislature in state history. When Wes Allen was elected Secretary of State in 2022 and was sworn into office in January 2023, he set another unique precedent in state history. He became only the third person in Alabama history to serve in all three branches of State Constitutional Government – Judicial/Legislative and Executive – Judicial as Probate Judge, Legislative as a member of the House of Representatives 2018 to 2022, and now Executive as Secretary of State. Only two other men have accomplished this in Alabama government, George C. Wallace and John Purifoy. Governor George C. Wallace was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives from Barbour County in 1946 at age 26. He served one four-year term and then went back home to be a Circuit Judge. In 1962 he was elected to his first of five terms as Governor of Alabama. The only other man to do what Wes Allen and George Wallace had done was John Purifoy. John Purifoy had a prolific career in Alabama politics. He was a farmer from Wilcox County. He was born in 1842 and served in the Confederate Army. He was elected Probate Judge of Wilcox County in 1880, and later was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives. He was elected Secretary of State from the legislature, like Wes. He served as Secretary of State from 1915 to 1919. He was Alabama’s State Treasurer 1911 to 1915 and State Auditor from 1892 to 1896. Wes Allen is not only a worthy Secretary of State, he has a unique place in Alabama political history. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at steve@steveflowers.us.
$30 million allocated for Coastal Alabama projects
Governor Kay Ivey and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship announced approximately $30 million for 25 projects in Coastal Alabama. The projects will be funded by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GoMESA). According to the Department of Interior website, “The Office of Natural Resources Revenue disburses GOMESA revenue to state and local governments for each of the four GOMESA states. The numbers below show the disbursements to the states and their local governments. Disbursements are made the year following the year of receipt and are subject to sequestration.” Alabama Recipient Fiscal Year 2024 Disbursement 2009-2023 Disbursements State of Alabama $39,864,143 $190,647,881.07 Baldwin County $4,671,961 $21,960,919.79 Mobile County $5,294,074 $25,701,097.66 Alabama Total $49,830,178 $238,309,898.52 These projects focus on environmental education and outreach, sewer and stormwater infrastructure, water quality improvements, recreational access improvements, and other important projects that are included in the original intent and authorized use of GoMESA funds. “I am thrilled to be joined today by many of our local leaders to announce 25 GoMESA-funded projects,” said Governor Ivey at the press event. “Working closely with Commissioner Blankenship and his team at the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, we have secured more than $30 million dollars to fund the projects that improve and beautify this region we all love. With this announcement, more than $210 million dollars in GoMESA projects have been awarded during the Ivey Administration.” “One of the main themes for this year’s projects is Environmental and Nature Education and Outreach. Teaching future generations about the importance of protecting Alabama the Beautiful and all her natural habitats, wildlife and fish is critical. Several of these projects will make improvements at museums, education facilities, aquariums and along the waterfront – all to educate Alabamians and our visitors from far and wide,” added Governor Ivey. According to the Governor’s office, “GoMESA provides funding for the four Gulf Producing States and their eligible coastal political subdivisions (CPS) to share 37.5 percent of the qualified revenues from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas leases issued since December 20, 2006. With approval from the Governor’s Office, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources administers the funds. Mobile and Baldwin Counties receive separate GoMESA disbursements directly from the Federal government.” “The GoMESA projects announced today will go a long way to continuing to improve the environment and quality of life in Coastal Alabama. I appreciate the work of the staff at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and our project partners as they work to leverage GoMESA funded projects with the good work happening with Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill projects and other funding sources,” said Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship. “The nature-based education, water quality improvements, and public access expansion projects announced today will have a long term positive impact.” 2024 State of Alabama Funded GoMESA Projects City of Creola Park, Conservation and Education Project $1,000,000 Exploreum Traveling Exhibit Gallery Refurbishment $829,012 Dauphin Island Programmatic Dredge Permit $300,000 Loxley Municipal Park Wetlands Acquisition Project $650,000 Fairhope Flying Creek Nature Preserve Phase II $1,328,400 Summerdale Miracle League Ballfields $1,538,000 Dauphin Island Middle Beach Access Improvements $1,500,000 Orange Beach Schools Sea, Sand, and Stars Education Project $979,864 Meaher State Park Headquarters Camp Store Project $1,100,000 Mobile County Cedar Point Boat Ramp Phase II $2,753,440 Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Manatee Sighting Network $182,461 Town of Perdido Beach Comprehensive Drainage Improvements $307,670 National Maritime Museum Improvements (Mobile) $2,250,000 Saraland Water and Sewer System Upgrades $1,523,700 Blakeley Park Waterfront Access Improvement Project $1,970,500 Mobile Riverfront Park Enhancements – Phase II $3,023,667 Dauphin Island Sewer Collection System Improvements 2024 $2,965,981 Daphne Sewer Lift Station Permanent Bypass Pumps – Priority 1 $499,500 Daphne Sewer Lift Station Permanent Bypass Pumps – Priority 2 $445,500 Mobile County/TNC Coden Bayou Land Acquisition Project $753,575 City of Prichard Sweeney Lane Bridge $650,000 Honor Park – A City of Spanish Fort Project $3,000,000 Alabama Aquarium Improvements (DISL) $200,000 USA Lower Alabama Beach Education Facility $250,000 GoMESA Administration $398,641 $30,399,911
