Personnel Update: David Brewer hired to work for Baldwin County legislative delegation
On Tuesday, the Baldwin County Commission approved an agenda item to hire David Brewer for a part-time position working for the Baldwin County Legislative delegation. Brewer is presently the Deputy Secretary of State & Chief of Staff for Secretary of State John Merrill who is finishing his last days as Secretary of State as he was term-limited from running for a third term. Former State Rep. Wes Allen is the incoming Secretary of State and has already announced his senior staff hires. Clay Helms will serve as Allen’s chief of staff. Brewer will advise the Baldwin County legislative delegation on matters of policy. Brewer is well versed in legislative affairs and Alabama election law from his time at the Secretary of State’s office. He is also well-versed in Baldwin County issues from his time as the Baldwin County Administrator. Brewer is a native of Alaska. He came to the state of Alabama to study at the University of Alabama. He joined Baldwin County in 1996 as an intern. He joined the county full-time in 1997 and became the county administrator in 2010. The commission voted not to renew his contract in 2014. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Wes Allen announces new senior staff for Secretary of State’s office
On Tuesday, the voters of Alabama elected Republican Wes Allen as Alabama’s next Secretary of State. Allen announced on Wednesday the appointments that he will make once he is sworn in as Alabama’s next Secretary of State on January 16, 2023. Clay Helms will serve as Chief of Staff. Helms has served in the Office of the Secretary of State under the last three Secretaries and has served as an Assistant Director of Elections, Director of Elections, and Deputy Chief of Staff. He is a graduate of Auburn University and is a native of Troy. “I am excited to appoint Clay Helms to serve as my Chief of Staff,” Allen said. “He has the experience, dedication, and temperament that I was looking for to help me lead the office and to ensure that we create a culture of hard work, dedication, and respect for the taxpayers who interact with the Office of the Secretary of State.” State Rep. Mike Jones will serve as General Counsel. Jones served with Allen in the Alabama House of Representatives, where he respectively chaired the Judiciary and Rules Committees. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law and has been a practicing attorney for more than two decades. “Mike is an excellent attorney, and he knows the laws of this state as well as anyone,” Allen said. “His knowledge of the law and of the inner operations of government will make him an invaluable asset to me, the staff, and to the people of Alabama.” Jonathan Hester will serve as Director of Government Relations. Hester mostly recently served as the Deputy Campaign Manager for Governor Kay Ivey. Hester previously worked closely with the Legislature in his previous role as a Policy Advisor. He is a graduate of Auburn University. “Jonathan understands the legislative process well, and his relationships with the legislators in both chambers make him a great fit for this position,” Allen explained. “He is a hard worker who understands the goals of this office and the importance of the legislative process in our day-to-day operations.” Jeff Elrod will serve as Director of Elections. Elrod has worked both in the Elections office and on the field side of elections and has been involved with elections administration on several levels. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama. “Jeff brings a wealth of experience to the Elections Division, but he also brings a respect for the people who do the job of administering our elections in each of Alabama’s 67 counties,” Allen said. “Building positive relationships with members of Boards of Registrars, Probate Judges, Circuit Clerks, and Sheriffs is essential to a successful Elections Division, and he is invested in ensuring that he builds cooperative relationships with elections officials and personnel across the state.” Laney Kelley will serve as the Director of Scheduling and Executive Administrative Assistant. Kelley will join the Office of the Secretary of State after serving as a consultant and scheduler for Allen’s Secretary of State Campaign. “I am confident that Laney will be an asset to the Office of the Secretary of State. She understands the intricacies of the scheduling process and balancing a multitude of requests simultaneously,” Allen said. “Her intelligence and experience will be very beneficial to the Office of the Secretary of State.” The appointments will take effect after Allen is inaugurated on January 16, 2023. Republican John Merrill is the current Secretary of State, but he is term-limited from running for a third consecutive term. Allen is the son of State Sen. Gerald Allen, who was reelected on Tuesday. Wes Allen grew up in Tuscaloosa and attended the University of Alabama, where he played football while getting his bachelor’s degree. Allen has a master’s degree from Troy University. He was appointed probate judge of Pike County, where he served for ten years. In 2018 was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives, representing Pike and Dale Counties. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama AFL–CIO endorses dozens of Libertarians in races without a Democratic candidate
The Alabama chapter of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) has endorsed 26 Libertarians for office across the state. While the group isn’t specifically for Democratic candidates only, the sheer number of Libertarian candidates being endorsed this election cycle has been something not seen before in Alabama. According to its website, the mission of the AFL-CIO is to “represent the interests of working people at the state and local level.” Nationally, the AFL-CIO is the largest federation of unions in the U.S., representing more than 12 million active and retired workers. The largest unions currently in the AFL-CIO are the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). According to Independent Political Report, the Alabama chapter released a list of candidate endorsements that included 73 Democrats, nine Republicans, and 26 Libertarians. Seven of the Libertarian candidates are running for State Senate, and 19 are running for the Alabama State Legislature. According to the Libertarian Party of Alabama (LPA) website, the party is committed to individual liberty and personal responsibility, a free-market economy, and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade. This year, the LPA had until May 24 to turn in a petition with 51,588 signatures in order to achieve party status in Alabama and for their candidates to be on the ballot. The party was successful and turned in its list of candidates to Clay Helms on May 19. This is the first time in 20 years that the party is on the general election ballot in Alabama, which gives voters an opportunity to choose candidates outside of the Democratic and Republican parties. Danny Wilson, an Alabama Libertarian Party leader, has expressed frustration over what he sees as a “media blackout” concerning libertarian candidates that haven’t been covered for the upcoming Alabama elections. Wilson is also a libertarian candidate for the Alabama Senate seat in the 19th district. Wilson stated on Twitter, “LPA (Libertarian Party of Alabama) will have 69 candidates in various races across the state. Fifty-five of those races that would have been unopposed-coronations with extra steps. Media Blackout hampers third-party candidates almost as much as ballot access and straight ticket voting. There are other options.” In June, Wilson received an endorsement from Alabama Cannabis Coalition. Just last week, the Alabama AFL-CIO endorsed libertarian candidate Rick Chandler for Alabama State Senate District 3. District 3 includes Morgan County and portions of western Madison and eastern Limestone counties. Chandler, a retired engineer from Huntsville, is a challenging Republican incumbent Arthur Orr. Chandler thanked the organization for the endorsement and gave credit to unions. “The Libertarian party continuously seeks to bring in citizens from across all walks of life to form a more harmonious society,” Chandler said. “Even those workers not part of a union have benefitted from their activities to help people achieve an acceptable standard of life, since large corporations must now strive harder to keep their workforces well compensated and working in a safe environment.” Libertarian candidates are also contesting a number of other statewide positions, including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, Auditor, Treasurer, and two spots on the Public Service Commission. If any of these Libertarian candidates can successfully earn 20% of the total vote, ballot access for the Party will be guaranteed into the next cycle. If they fail, they must restart the process and get signatures again. The general election is on November 8, 2022.
Libertarian candidate Danny Wilson claims ‘media blackout’ hurts voters
Danny Wilson, an Alabama Libertarian Party leader, has expressed frustration over what he sees as a “media blackout” concerning libertarian candidates that aren’t being covered for the upcoming Alabama elections. Wilson is also a libertarian candidate for the Alabama Senate seat for the 19th district. Wilson stated on Twitter, “LPA (Libertarian Party of Alabama) will have 69 candidates in various races across the state. Fifty-five of those races that would have been unopposed-coronations with extra steps. Media Blackout hampers third-party candidates almost as much as ballot access and straight ticket voting. There are other options.” Wilson also commented, “Alabamians deserve to know they have those options. They deserve Reps not Rulers.” According to the Libertarian Party of Alabama website, the party is committed to individual liberty and personal responsibility, a free-market economy, and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade. LPA had until May 24 to turn in a petition with 51,588 signatures in order to achieve party status in Alabama and for their candidates to be on the ballot. The party was successful and turned in its list of candidates to Clay Helms on May 19. Wilson commented on an Alabama Daily News article that discussed Republican and Democrat candidates, but not LPA candidates. “Let’s talk about this statement in the runoffs registration article. Runoffs are NOT the decider. The Libertarian Party of AL has jumped through the hoops to achieve ballot access and will have a candidate in each of those two races, and every other statewide race except Atty Gen.” The primary runoff for Alabama is June 21, 2022.
Judge refuses to dismiss charges against Alabama sheriff
Testimony began in the corruption trial of a longtime Alabama sheriff Monday after a judge refused a defense request to throw out four charges alleging he stole thousands of dollars from his own campaign committee. Judge Pamela Baschab denied a request filed by Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely, and prosecutors immediately began calling witnesses who testified about the flow of money toward Blakely, who was first elected in 1983. News outlets reported Joyce Varnell, executive director of the Athens-Limestone Association of Realtors, testified that Blakely requested that a campaign donation that originated with a state realty fund be made out directly to him rather than his campaign account, called “Friends of Mike Blakely,” after the 2014 election. Clay Helms, the elections director for the secretary of state’s office, said all campaign contributions should go to accounts separate from the candidate’s personal finances. Candidates can’t put campaign money into a personal account unless it is reimbursement for a personal loan to the campaign, he said. Indicted on 13 counts in 2019, Blakely was accused by prosecutors during opening statements Friday of using money from his campaign and public accounts to cover personal expenses, and of pressuring employees for money. The first four counts of the indictment accuse Blakely, 70, of taking money from his campaign account. Blakely was the candidate and principal of the account, the defense argued, so he already had an interest in the money and can’t be convicted of stealing from the fund. The judge sided with prosecutors, who argued Blakely’s position could result in a bank teller who stole being acquitted of theft if the worker owned any stock in the bank. The state also said Blakely waited too long to seek dismissal of the charges and denied claims that state campaign laws in effect bar the theft charges. Aside from theft, Blakely is charged with using his office for personal gain and soliciting money from an employee. Blakely, who has continued working as sheriff, pleaded not guilty to all the charges and faces automatic removal from office if convicted of a felony. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
