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.
Wes Allen visits all 67 counties
Republican nominee for Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced on Tuesday that he has accomplished the feat of having held campaign visits in all 67 counties. When Allen announced that he was running to become Alabama’s next Republican Secretary of State, he promised that he would campaign in all of Alabama’s 67 counties. Allen has now achieved that promise. “This is a big state,” Allen said. “I have traveled nearly 100,000 miles by car throughout this campaign, and I have now made my case on why I should be elected as Alabama’s next Secretary of State in each of Alabama’s 67 counties. Meeting voters in every county in the state was important to me, and it is important to the voters.” There is a tendency by many campaigns, given the population distribution of Alabama, to focus a campaign on the top ten counties in population, as 56.8% of Alabamians live in just ten counties. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby and Secretary of State John Merrill have both emphasized visiting every county in the state every year. Republican nominee for Senate Katie Britt has also announced that she has visited every county in the state during this campaign. “I have visited every county, but I am not slowing down,” Allen promised. “I will campaign as hard as I possibly can until the polls close on November 8.” Wes Allen currently represents Pike and Dale Counties in the Alabama House of Representatives. Prior to that, he served as the Probate Judge of Pike County for nearly a decade. Allen is a native of Tuscaloosa County. He played football at the University of Alabama under Coaches Gene Stallings and Mike Dubose. Allen has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree from Troy University. He and his wife, Cae, live in Troy with their two children. Sec. Merrill is term-limited from running for a third consecutive term as Secretary of State. The election for Secretary of State will be determined by the voters on Tuesday, November 8. Allen faces Democratic nominee Pamela Lafitte and Libertarian nominee Matt Shelby in his bid for Secretary of State. The Alabama Republican Party has held the office of Secretary of State since 2007. In addition to selecting new leaders, Alabama voters have to vote on whether or not to ratify the 2022 compilation of the Alabama Constitution of 1901. There are also ten statewide constitutional amendments on this year’s general election ballot. Polls open at 7:00 am and close at 7:00 pm. Voters must vote at their assigned polling place and bring a valid photo ID to the polls with them. If you do not have a valid photo ID, you can get a free voter ID from the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
University of Alabama VP Myron Pope resigns, accused of soliciting prostitution
A University of Alabama official has resigned after being arrested on a charge of soliciting prostitution. Tuscaloosa police said Former Vice President of Student Life Myron Pope, 50, is free on $1,000 bond after his arrest Thursday on the misdemeanor charge, news outlets reported. “I have difficult news to share today. Vice President of Student Life Myron Pope has resigned from the university following his recent arrest,” university President Stuart R. Bell said in a statement emailed Friday. Pope was among 15 men arrested during a prostitution sting Thursday and Friday, news outlets reported. Pope told The Associated Press on Monday that he is working on a statement that he probably will release Tuesday. Capt. Phil Simpson, commander of the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force, said in a press release on Saturday that the men had arranged through an app to pay for sex and were arrested after showing up at the agreed location and talking with an undercover officer. Pope was on the Alabama football team that won the Sugar Bowl after the 1992 season. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees at Alabama. Bell said he will appoint an interim vice president of student life. Pope was Alabama’s director of recruitment programs/alternative certification and a clinical assistant professor in the higher education administrative program from 1997 to 2000 and became a vice president in May 2020. A native of Sweet Water, Pope was a walk-on tight end and linebacker under former Alabama coach Gene Stallings. His undergraduate degree was in history, and his graduate degrees were in higher education administration. As head of the school’s Division of Student Life, he worked to provide support for students through programs including health and recreation, career counseling, the student center, student media, and residential communities. Before returning to the university, he was chief of strategic engagement for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. He also served 14 years in vice presidential positions at the University of Central Oklahoma. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Gary Shelton: Even in loss, Alabama is still football royalty
Now about this: They lost, which doesn’t happen often. They gave up the winning touchdown late, which is rare. Their defense gave out of gas, which was amazing to see. Still, in all, the University of Alabama is still one of the nation’s premier football teams as far as legacy. Before you chide the Tide, think of it this way: What other program would dare to be disappointed by finishing second in the nation. Ah, but Alabama is the home of national championships, houndstooth hats and lore. And know this: When the Tide lose, it’s generally because another legend has been born. The Tide had never faced a quarterback like Watson in any of their national championship seasons. Monday night, it was Deshaun Watson, who led Clemson on an incredible comeback. In two years, Watson has thrown for 825 yards and seven touchdowns. What other quarterback has ever done that on a national stage? Still, Alabama’s place in college football is likely to be unchanged. Who would you pick as next year’s national champion? ESPN says Alabama. So does Bleacher Report. How about the year after? The year after that? As long as Nick Saban is steering the machine, the Tide is expected to be elite. It has always been this way. In one poll or another, Alabama has won a version of 16 national championships. Wallace Wade. Frank Thomas. Bear Bryant. Gene Stallings. Saban. The first beat I ever had in journalism as Alabama. I covered Bryant’s last two titles at the school, and there was no other place quite like it. The Tide came opponents in waves, with their tearaway jerseys and Bryant’s leather-skin and his smoke-tinged voice. Alabama had too much defense, too much precision on offense, too many players, too much history. Bryant would win six titles, and although his team lost its bowl games in 1964 and 1973, people tend to forget 1966. That year, the Tide was a two-time defending champion and the only unbeaten and untied team in the country … and finished third after Notre Dame and Michigan State played to a tie. Eventually, Bryant has morphed into Saban who, frankly, has it harder. In his early years, Bryant could lose a bowl game and still win a national title. He lost to Southern Cal in the 1978 regular season, but earned a split. He never had to negotiate a playoff run, which can be tricky. Still, Saban has been successful with a distinct formula. The Tide plays superb defense. It usually has a great running back. And it often plays around its quarterback. This time, freshman Jalen Hurts wasn’t good enough. What both Bryant and Saban did was win most of the time. It is still unexpected to see an Alabama coach at the podium following a loss. It’s a sun-setting-in-the-south sort of feeling. Today, the Alabama Crimson Tide is no longer a champion. Just royalty. ___ Gary Shelton is one of the most recognized and honored sportswriters in the history of Florida. He has won the APSE’s national columnist of the year twice and finished in the top 10 eight times. He was named the Florida Sports Writer of the Year six times. Over his time in sports writing, Gary has covered 29 Super Bowls, 10 Olympics, Final Fours, Masters, Wimbledons and college national championships. He was there when the Bucs won a Super Bowl, when the Lightning won a Stanley Cup and when the Rays went to a World Series. He has seen Florida, FSU and Miami all win national championships, and he covered Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden and Don Shula along the way. He and his wife Janet have four children: Eric, Kevin, K.C. and Tori. To contact, visit garysheltonsports@gmail.com
