Five things you need to know about Cara McClure
Cara McClure, the Democratic candidate for Public Service Commission Place 1 ran unopposed in the June 5 primary. But now that the primaries are over, the real battle has begun. McClure now faces incumbent Republican Commissioner Jeremy Oden in the November 6 general election for the PSC seat. With that in mind, here are the five things you need to know about Cara McClure: 1. She’s an entrepreneur by nature Nurturing her entrepreneurial spirit, McClure’s parents allowed her to work for their family’s cleaning service while she was in elementary school. There she made cold calls to apartment complexes and small businesses, she also sold candy door-to-door she says in her campaign bio. 2. She is a co-founder of the Magic City Chapter of Black Lives Matter group. After a dispute between group members on whether or not to join with the national Black Lives Matter group, the Black Lives Matter in Birmingham group split into two separate entities from which the Magic City Chapter of Black Lives Matter was formed. McClure was a co-founder of the second group, which voted to join the national coalition of BLM groups. “I’ve been with that group [Black Lives Matter in Birmingham] since Day One,” McClure told AL.com. “I didn’t like how the women were treated. I said we really need to join the national group, and they voted no. We’ve put together an awesome group. We’re not just out there screaming. We want real change.” 3. She’s a dedicated activist. Beyond her work with the BLM movement, McClure also helped launch Showing Up for Racial Justice Birmingham — a group that works to undermine white supremacy and to work toward racial justice through community organizing, mobilizing, and education. She also spearheaded “Black Mama’s Bail Out Day” in Birmingham, which raised money to help bail out incarcerated black mothers to help reunite with their children and families ahead of Mother’s Day. As a recent Glamour Magazine article that featured McClure pointed out, “if elected, she would become the first African American—male or female—to serve on the commission in Alabama. Her hope is to represent the people she’s been fighting for throughout her life: ‘the marginalized and poor black and brown communities that are underrepresented on the commission,’ she says. ‘Those who don’t have a voice or seat at the table.’” 4. She was briefly homeless. Following a marital separation McClure and her son were left homeless. Rebounding quickly and using her personal struggle as a tool, McClure founded her own apartment locator service, ASAP Apartment Locators in January of 2013 to help individuals and families find their ideal homes, which she continues to operate today. 5. She and Kari Powell are leading a double-team effort for PSC Places 1 and 2. In addition to creating McClures branding, Kari Powell and McClure are leading a double-team effort for PSC Places 1 and 2 traveling, campaigning and speaking together at events. Both running as Democrats, they seek to bring fair and affordable utility rates to Alabama.
Five things you need to know about Jeremy Oden
Incumbent candidate for Public Service Commissioner Place 1, Jeremy Oden faced one major challenge in the June 5 primary; his opponent Jim Bonner. Bonner gained a lot of media attention after being censured by the Alabama Republican Party for questionable social media posts, and the fact that he shares a name with former Former Congressman Jo Bonner (even though they’re not related). Oden ended up narrowly winning in the primary with 50.34 percent of the vote to Bonner’s 49.66 percent. Now that the primaries are over, Oden will face political newcomer, Democrat Cara McClure in the November 6 general election for the PSC seat. With that in mind, here are the five things you need to know about Jeremy Oden: 1. He was a member of the Alabama House of Representatives for over a decade. Oden was first elected to serve in the Alabama House in 1998, representing District 11. He served there until 2012 when he resigned in order to take the PSC Place 1 seat. While serving in the Alabama House, Oden was a member of the Energy Council, giving him first-hand experience in dealing with the energy sector in the state. “In a house seat you have to always look at the local aspect of what you are doing — how it effects the ones you represent,” Oden told Yellowhammer News. “In the PSC you have to look at the emphasis on the local area, but also you have to consider the statewide implication. Sometimes that is not as cut and dry as it is in the legislature. This is a huge state with a lot of difference in opinions and trying to blend those into an overall decision is difficult. 2. He was appointed to the PSC position by former Gov. Robert Bentley. Oden, the incumbent in the PSC race, was appointed in 2012 by then-Gov. Robert Bentley to fill the vacant Place 1 on the commission. The spot became vacant after Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh was elected to serve as President of the PSC. In 2014, Oden won the Republican nomination in the primary election running on a campaign focused on battling former-President Barack Obama and his environmental initiatives. He faced no major party challenge in the November 4 general election and won a four-year term to the seat . He has served in the place since 3. He is an ordained minister. Oden earned his a Bachelor’s degree from Asbury University, a Christian liberal arts university located in Kentucky. He attended two years of post-graduate seminary studies at the same university and was ordained as a minister serving as a children’s minister, youth minister, church director, and Christian education director throughout his political career. 4. His background is in business and finance. Before he was appointed to the PSC Oden worked as a Branch Manager and Vice President for Eva Bank in Cullman, Ala.. He also owened and pperated several small businesses including O and O Construction Incorporated, O and O Construction and Lumber and Oden Farms. 5. He’s represented the state in several committees. As a PSC commissioner, Oden represents the State of Alabama on various committees including the Eastern Interconnection States’ Planning Council (EISPC), the Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition (NWSC), and the Electricity Committee of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) among others.
Five things you need to know about Kari Powell
Now that the primaries are over, the real battle has begun. Running unopposed in the June 5 Primary Kari Powell, the Democratic candidate for Public Service Commissioner Place 2, will face against Incumbent Chip Beeker in the November 6 general election for the PSC seat. With that in mind, here are the five things you need to know about Kari Powell: 1. She’s a graphic designer and marketer by trade. Powell began her career working for two large family owned real estate companies as a Marketing Director, and has won an award for her talents. “I was integral in designing and developing new websites for both companies, and maintaining content. Other duties included developing and implementing external and internal marketing campaigns, and creating marketing and advertising plans for sales associates,” Powell said. In 2013, she won a HOW International Design Award for the logo she designed for her husband’s business, Powell Pediatric Dentistry. 2. She volunteers her time and talent to several organizations. In addition to designing her own campaign logo, she also designed Senate District 11 candidate Carl Carter, and Public Service Commission Place 1 candidate Cara McClure‘s branding. “In 2017 I did a pro-bono rebranding of the Service Guild of Birmingham, an organization which I am a member of,” Powell told Alabama Today. “I do as-needed design work for my church, Saint Junia UMC. In 2016 I designed the logo for the local organization Faith In Action Alabama, of which I am also a member.” She also volunteers her time at the Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs with infants and toddlers at risk for developmental delay. 3. She’s a graduate of Emerge Alabama candidate training. Emerge Alabama founded in 2017, is a training group for Democratic women in the state with only one goal: increase the number of Democratic women serving in office in the state. It is an intensive 70-hour training program with proven results. “In 2016, over 330 Emerge alumnae ran for office across the country and 70 percent of those who appeared on the November ballot won their elections,” Emerge Alabama said. 4. Her grandmother was involved in politics, and was the person who convinced her to run. Powell’s grandmother ran for office herself in the 1960’s beating six men for her seat on the school board, which was rare at the time, continuing to run unopposed for the next two terms. “She saw how active I had become over the past couple of years in local and statewide elections, and she pulled me aside at a family wedding, and asked if I had ever considered running for office,” Powell said. “She said she regrets not taking her political career further, and urged me to consider running.” 5. She and Cara McClure are leading a double-team effort for PSC Places 1 and 2 In addition to creating McClures branding, the duo is leading a double-team effort for PSC Places 1 and 2 traveling, campaigning and speaking together at events. Both running as Democrats, they seek to bring fair and affordable utility rates to Alabama.
