Steve Flowers: Roads vital and political for Alabama
Roads and bridges have been vital to Alabama since its creation. This is probably true of most states; however, it has been especially true for Alabama for several reasons. First of all, we are a large state geographically. Most metropolitan areas are a good many miles from the State Capitol in Montgomery. It is a long journey for folks from Huntsville, Mobile, and even Birmingham metro, and if you go from one end of the state from Scottsboro to Dothan or Huntsville to Mobile, you have been on a really long journey. We also have a lot of water in Alabama, including lakes and creeks, besides the major rivers that traverse our state. Therefore, that is why I included bridges in my opening sentence. Bridges are a necessity in our state more so than in other states. We also have a major Port in Mobile that needs to be sustained along with roads and bridges. It is an acknowledged fact that having adequate roads is a major factor when it comes to economic growth and development in a state. Every economic developer will attest to this road factor. Roads and education are the primary components to economic growth for a state. Therefore, roads have been a primary campaign theme and criteria of accomplishment for every governor as long as I can remember. It is and has been the most important factor in determining whether a governor has a legacy. It is something they can point to and hang their hat on. Going back the last 60 to 70 years, there have been only three or four governors who have what I call a real legacy, and one of the primary benchmarks for creating a legacy is roads. John Patterson had a road legacy by virtue of the fact that he was governor during the Dwight Eisenhower Federal Interstate Act. This Interstate Act, created by President Eisenhower, is one of the most important presidential acts in history. In fact, most of the growth in the state and most of the population lives along I-65, which traverses the state and includes Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. George Wallace has numerous legacies, but if you knew him, roads were his number one priority. Wallace was also the most brilliant, accomplished, successful political governor in state history, and I stress the word political, so Wallace played politics when it came to roads. As the ultimate political animal in Alabama’s political history, you would expect nothing less. Wallace lived by the political adage you reward your friends and punish your enemies. One slow news day, Wallace held a press conference, and a young, liberal, muckraking, Birmingham news reporter asked the Governor, “Why do you give all the road projects in the state to your contributors, friends, and cronies?” Wallace looked at the young boy incredulously and said, “Who do you think I ought to give them to, my enemies?” The two political legends of my lifetime were George Wallace and Big Jim Folsom. They were elected governor by the rural and smaller, midsize cities and counties in the state. They neither ever carried the metropolitan counties of Jefferson, Madison, and Montgomery. Therefore, these metro areas never received their rightful share of road dollars, especially under Wallace. I have been asked over the years is it true the Birmingham area was the last metro area to get interstates completed because Wallace refused to appropriate any state funds to Birmingham to match the federal dollars needed for completion because they voted against him. My answer is short. The answer is yes. Wallace would acknowledge that to close friends and political allies. The Governor who has the greatest legacy for roads in my lifetime and maybe history is the legendary Big Jim Folsom. Most of the rural roads in the state were built by Big Jim Folsom’s “Farm to Market” road program. In Big Jim’s era, the state was agriculturally oriented. Almost everybody farmed and had crops they needed to get to the market. Most of the roads in the rural areas were dirt roads. If the rain came early, the roads would turn to mud and would be impassable. Therefore, the poor Alabama farmer who had toiled all year to make a crop could not get his produce to market. His year’s work was ruined by poor roads. Big Jim, who was the little man’s big friend, knew this and he fixed it by paving most of the rural roads. Big Jim has one of the most endearing legacies of any Alabama governor because of his “Farm to Market” road program. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Don Siegelman Meets Big Jim Folsom
We are continuing this week with our summer series on Big Jim Folsom – Alabama’s most colorful governor. Those of us who grew up in and around Alabama politics have coined a descriptive term for a person who is obsessed with seeking political office constantly and tirelessly without reservation or concern for their physical, mental, or financial welfare. They will run for high-elected office at all costs. The term we use to describe those people is named for the man who best exemplified that obsession, George Wallace. Therefore, someone who is driven by obsession to win high public office has the “George Wallace Syndrome.” The Alabama baby boomer who was eaten up with George Wallace Syndrome more than any other I know was Don Siegelman. Siegelman ran nonstop beginning from the time he was a student at the University of Alabama in the 1960s. He was successful. He was President of the Student Government at Alabama and went on to become Alabama’s Secretary of State, Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, and finally, his life’s dream of Governor. There is an old political saying that you don’t ever want to get into a race with someone who wants it more than you and will outwork you. Siegelman was never outworked. He was relentless and focused on the ultimate prize that many a young politician in Alabama aspired to, and that’s the governor’s chair. He captured the brass ring. Siegelman reminded me so much of George Wallace; he truly deserves the award for having the Wallace Syndrome. He and Wallace were so consumed with politics and being governor that neither one of them could tell you what they were eating when you had lunch with them. Eating was a sideline to any political discussion they were having and calling lunch. They ate because they had to eat to survive. Siegelman was always a little more liberal than most Alabamians. Therefore, he grew up admiring the more progressive Alabama political icons. He admired our progressive New Deal Democrats, such as Lister Hill, John Sparkman, and Carl Elliott. However, the utmost idol for young liberal politicians of my era was James E. “Big Jim” Folsom. Big Jim was truly a progressive on fiscal and social issues. Siegelman had a remarkedly similar career and educational background as Bill Clinton. Both were almost the same age, both received undergraduate degrees from their state universities, both left college and went to prestigious law schools – Clinton to Yale and Siegelman to Georgetown. They both went on to do postgraduate work at Oxford in England. Then they both started running for office right away. Clinton ran for Congress, then Governor of Arkansas. Siegelman ran for Secretary of State and then on up the Alabama political ladder to Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor. As Siegelman was beginning his first foray into Alabama politics, I will share with you a funny story that I call the “Don Siegelman meets Big Jim story.” Siegelman was campaigning hard all day for Secretary of State in early 1978 and wound up his day late in Cullman. Big Jim, in his later years, camped out at a truck stop along the interstate in Cullman. Big Jim was drinking coffee, and Siegelman spotted his lifelong hero and liberal idol, Big Jim, and went over to introduce himself. Siegelman gave Big Jim his spiel and what he was doing, and how his campaign for Secretary of State was going. He gave Big Jim the story of his pedigree concerning all of his educational degrees: University of Alabama Student Government President, Georgetown Law School, and Oxford in England. Big Jim listened intently to the young politician and sipped on his coffee. Now, you have to realize that even though Big Jim was a progressive on fiscal and race matters, he was pretty down home when it came to country politics, patronage, and home-spun talking to folks. Big Jim was also pretty pragmatic and plain-spoken. He said, “Boy are you asking my advice about your campaign?” Siegelman said, “Sure I am Governor.” Big Jim said, “Well, first of all, you need to change your name. Ain’t nobody in Opp going to vote for some boy named Siegelman. First of all, you can’t say it. Secondly, it don’t sound like a good regular Alabama Baptist or Methodist name, and you better tell folks you went to school at Oxford High School in Calhoun County and not someplace in England. Thirdly, don’t you know you can’t steal any money in that job?” See you next week. 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 www.steveflowers.us.
Plaintiffs in voting rights case urge judges to toss Alabama’s new congressional map
Voting rights activists are returning to court to fight Alabama’s redrawn congressional districts, saying state Republicans failed to follow federal court orders to create a district that is fair to Black voters. Plaintiffs in the high-profile redistricting case filed a written objection Friday to oppose Alabama’s new redistricting plan. They accused state Republicans of flouting a judicial mandate to create a second majority-Black district or “something quite close to it” and enacting a map that continues to discriminate against Black voters in the state. A special three-judge panel in 2022 blocked use of the the state’s existing districts and said any new congressional map should include two districts where “Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority” or something close. That panel’s decision was appealed by the state but upheld in June in a surprise ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, which concurred that having only one Black-majority district out of seven — in a state where more than one in four residents is Black — likely violated federal law. The plaintiffs in the case, represented by the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and other groups, asked the three-judge panel to step in and draw new lines for the state. “Alabama’s new congressional map ignores this court’s preliminary injunction order and instead perpetuates the Voting Rights Act violation that was the very reason that the Legislature redrew the map,” lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the case wrote. The new map enacted by the Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature maintained a one-majority Black district but boosted the percentage of Black voters in the majority-white 2nd Congressional District, now represented by Republican Rep. Barry Moore, from about 30% to 39.9% Lawyers representing plaintiffs in the case wrote Friday that the revamped district “does not provide Black voters a realistic opportunity to elect their preferred candidates in any but the most extreme situations.” They accused state Republicans of ignoring the court’s directive to prioritize a district that would stay under GOP control, “pleasing national leaders whose objective is to maintain the Republican Party’s slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.” Alabama has maintained the new plan complies with the Voting Rights Act, and state leaders are wagering that the panel will accept their proposal or that the state will prevail in a second round of appeals to the Supreme Court. Republicans argued that the map meets the court’s directive and draws compact districts that comply with redistricting guidelines. The state must file its defense of the map by August 4. The three judges have scheduled an August 14 hearing in the case as the fight over the map shifts back to federal court. The outcome could have consequences across the country as the case again weighs the requirements of the Voting Rights Act in redistricting. It could also impact the partisan leanings of one Alabama congressional district in the 2024 elections with control of the U.S. House of Representatives at stake. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said in a statement that Alabama’s new map is a “brazen defiance” of the courts. “The result is a shameful display that would have made George Wallace—another Alabama governor who defied the courts—proud,” Holder said in a statement. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Steve Flowers: Annual legislative session successful
The recently completed Regular Session of the Alabama legislature was a success. It began on a high note and ended positively. Why? There was plenty of money to spend. Both the General Fund Budget and the Education Budget had historic amounts of money. Most of the focus of the Session was on budgeting, as it should be, because that is the only constitutional mandate that the legislature is tasked with in the 105-day Regular Session. Gov. Kay Ivey laid out her agenda in her State of the State address, then sent her proposed budget requests over to the legislature. The governor’s speech outlining her legislative agenda was about doing good things for education. However, her desires were vague, and her ask list was long and wishful, like a kid’s Christmas wish list. It called for the state to give away the store. It was as though she was running for reelection, which everyone knows she cannot do. Therefore, the veteran Senate treats her politely but has relegated her to a lame-duck status. The legislature has taken total control of the budgeting process, as they should do under the Constitution. The governor proposes, and the legislature disposes. The days of a strong-armed, powerful, omnipotent governor that controls both the Executive and Legislative Branches are over. The King George Wallace era is gone, probably forever. The surplus in the Education Budget was enormous. How to spend this surplus became the focus of the entire session. There is a very accurate political assessment that it is much more difficult to deal with a surplus budget than a lean or deficit budget. George Wallace told me about this same thing during his last term as governor when I was a freshman legislator. Accolades go out to Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), Chairman of the Senate Education Finance and Taxation Committee, and Representative Danny Garrett (R-Trussville), Chairman of the House Education Ways and Means Committee. These two gentlemen essentially singlehandedly wrote the Education Budget and did a masterful job. They were cognizant that what goes up has to come down. Therefore, they created several savings accounts and rainy day funds for the rainy days ahead because they will come. The Education Budget was an historic $11.5 billion. It gave increases for pre-kindergarten programs, school supplies, school nurses, and a significant 2% cost of living salary increase to teachers and support personnel. All colleges and universities in the state received increased funding. Non-education entities were given money. There was $100 million for prison education. The high-profile aspects of the Education Budget windfall were a one-time rebate going back to taxpayers in November. Governor Ivey had wished for a $400 per person and $800 per couple rebate. However, the final result is $150 per person and $300 per married couple. Most legislators preferred eliminating the grocery tax or long-term tax cuts to this one-time check back in November. The surprise in the Christmas stocking from the Education Budget surplus is the reduction on the state sales tax on groceries. Eliminating or reducing the state tax on groceries has been championed by Democrats for years, as the tax is regressive and hurts the state’s lowest income earners the hardest. However, the measure garnered Republican bipartisan support this year after 20 years and passed with an overwhelming vote in both Chambers. It is, however, a gradual reduction. The grocery tax would decrease 2% in two steps, with the tax being reduced 1% this year and another 1% percent new year, if the funds are available. The State General Fund had a good year as well. The $3 billion General Fund was record-shattering—the largest in history. The Chairmen, Senator Greg Albritton (R-Escambia) and Representative Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville) oversaw a $159 million increase over the current year. The largest increases in the budget were in Medicaid by $69 million and Corrections by $59 million more. State employees will see a 2% increase in pay, which will go into effect as the new fiscal year begins October 1. The legendary head of the Alabama State Employees Association, Mac McArthur, has quietly garnered state employees a cost of living raise five out of the last six years. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political commentator. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Birmingham producer/director Jonathan Barbee receives four Telly awards
Birmingham-based producer/director Jonathan Barbee announced that he and the Barbee Media Group had been awarded two silver Telly awards and two bronze Telly awards for their work on behalf of two Republican political campaigns during the 2022 elections in Alabama. Barbee received these awards for political commercials and a biography he produced during the 2022 election cycle for State Auditor candidate Andrew Sorell and Gubernatorial candidate Lindy Blanchard. The categories were: Best Craft – Directing, Best Craft – Cinematography, Best Biography, and Best regional commercial. “The Telly Awards are a symbol of excellence in production, and I am deeply honored to have received these awards,” said Barbee. “I want to thank my parents, friends, and my wife, Joanne, for their support and encouragement throughout the years. I also have a great team at Barbee Media Group and couldn’t do great things without them.” Barbee posted on Facebook, “4 Telly Awards! I’m so thankful and blessed. I have wonderful parents, family, friends, and amazing support from my loving wife, Joanne. 💕God is Good!” Barbee made his comments Thursday evening at a reception at The Club in Birmingham. Barbee is the CEO of Barbee Media Group. He has 25 years of experience in the film, television, and marketing industries. The Sorrell ads helped Sorrell, who had served just one term as a state representative representing the northwest, to win the highly competitive Republican primary and then steamroll his Libertarian opponent in the 2022 general election. Blanchard was a complete political newcomer in 2022, but her ads helped vault her into statewide name recognition and a second-place finish despite a crowded field. Blanchard ultimately fell short to incumbent Governor Kay Ivey, but no incumbent Alabama governor has lost their party’s primary since 1970 when then Governor Albert Brewer narrowly was defeated in the Democratic primary by former Governor George Wallace. “We currently have a national TV show in production, a statewide weekly show, various video projects, Livestream productions, and videography for the Miss Alabama program,” said Barbee. “Our clients believe in us, and we deliver amazing results for them. The proof is in the Telly, so to speak.” Barbee is a former elected Jefferson County Constable and a former Republican candidate for the Alabama Public Service Commission. Since 1979 the Telly Awards have recognized excellence in video and television across all screens. They are judged by esteemed leaders from renowned organizations such as Adobe, BBC World Service, Netflix, and National Geographic Society. With a record-breaking number of entries—nearly 13,000—from around the globe, the 44th Annual Telly Awards was highly competitive, featuring submissions from top content producers such as Disney, Netflix, and Paramount. The Tellys are judged by the Telly Awards Judging Council, an esteemed panel of over 200 leading experts representing advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks. The competition celebrates the diverse and dynamic nature of the multiscreen industry. This year’s winners include some of the most prominent global brands and companies alongside smaller and independent production houses, including Cut+Run, Netflix, Disney Parks, Media.Monks, Paramount, National Geographic Society, and the dynastic NBA team, the Golden State Warriors. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Steve Flowers: Women in Alabama politics
It is hard to imagine that it was only a little over 100 years ago that women were given the right to vote in the United States. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women full suffrage, was finally ratified in 1920. In recent decades, many folks have lamented that there are very few women in elected office in Alabama, especially in the legislature. We do indeed have a low percentage of female legislators, most particularly in the Republican ranks. We have some high-profile female statewide officeholders. Governor Kay Ivey, PSC President Twinkle Cavanaugh, and Supreme Court Justices Kelli Wise and Sarah Stewart, to name a few. Some of the more progressive states have ridiculed our lack of female political participants. However, history will reveal that we in Alabama were electing women to statewide offices many years before other so-called progressive states. In fact, women dominated the offices of Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and State Auditor for several decades during the 1960s and 1970s. My first observations of Alabama politics were watching women swap out the State Treasurer and Secretary of State posts every four years. In fact, these constitutional offices were considered women offices. In 1944, Governor Chauncey Sparks appointed Sybil Pool as Secretary of State. Two years later, in 1946, Pool won the office overwhelmingly and became the first woman in Alabama history to be elected to a statewide office. In that 1946 race, Pool carried 63 out of 67 counties. Four years later, in her victorious run for State Treasurer, she received the largest vote in state history. In 1954, she was elected to the first of four terms on the Public Service Commission. Prior to Pool’s first statewide victory, she had served in the legislature for two terms from her native Marengo County. She was only the second woman elected to the Alabama Legislature, in addition to being the first woman elected statewide. All-in-all, her political career included eight years as Secretary of State, four years as State Treasurer, and 16 years on the State Public Service Commission. Sibyl Pool was way ahead of her time, and she opened the political door for women to walk through in Alabama. Mary Texas Hurt Garner of Scottsboro was a lawyer by profession and an Assistant Attorney General before being elected Secretary of State in 1954. She then went on to become State Auditor in 1958. She was elected State Treasurer in 1962. Annie Laura Gunter held several prominent cabinet positions in the Wallace Administration. Afterward, Gunter was elected State Treasurer of Alabama in 1978 and served eight years in that important state office. Melba Till Allen was one of 10 children who grew up modestly on an Alabama farm. She rose to be elected as State Auditor and then was elected State Treasurer for two terms. Mabel Amos and Agnes Baggett were household names in Alabama for decades. Agnes Baggett was probably the most prominent and profiled female officeholder in state history after Sybil Pool. She served as Secretary of State from 1951-1955. She was then elected State Auditor in 1955, State Treasurer in 1959, and returned to Secretary of State in 1963. In 1967, she was elected again as State Treasurer and served eight years in this post. She finished out her career as Secretary of State, thus capping a career that made history. She served 28 consecutive years as an elected statewide officeholder, making her one of the most celebrated elected officials in Alabama history. Mabel Amos was one of the most beloved and revered women in state politics. She had an amazing career as the recording secretary for six governors, including Frank Dixon, Chauncey Sparks, James Folsom, Gordon Persons, John Patterson, and George Wallace. There is no telling what secrets and political deals Ms. Mabel knew of during this unbelievable 30-year reign inside the governor’s office. She was elected Secretary of State in 1966 and served eight years in that office. She was a native of Conecuh County and never married. Therefore, she had no direct heirs. When she died, she had a sizeable estate, primarily of family land. Because she had no children, the beloved lady left her estate with instructions that her money should be used for deserving Alabama female students who otherwise would not be able to attend Alabama colleges. See you next week. 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 www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Lurleen Wallace
Kay Ivey is Alabama’s second female governor. Lurleen Wallace was the first. Appropriately, Kay Ivey’s idol and impetus for striving to be governor was Lurleen Wallace. Kay’s first involvement in state politics was as a campaign worker for Governor Lurleen’s 1966 race for governor when Kay Ivey was a student at Auburn. It was 55 years ago, in May 1968, that our first female governor, Lurleen Wallace, passed away. She was a genuinely humble person. Lurleen Wallace was very popular. The state fell in love with her. She was not only beloved, she was also a good governor for the 18 months she served before she succumbed to cancer. Her husband, George Wallace, was first elected governor in 1962. He had ridden the race issue to the governorship and had made segregation the hallmark issue of his first four years. He had become the paramount king of segregation in the nation. He was very popular. However, he was forbidden by the Alabama Constitution from seeking a second, consecutive term. The idea of George Wallace running his wife Lurleen as his proxy had been tossed out by a few of his cronies as a joke. After a few weeks, the idea grew on Wallace. He made calls around the state and began to realize that dog might hunt. George and Lurleen met when he was a 22-year-old law student at the University of Alabama. He met her at a dime store in Tuscaloosa where she was a 16-year-old clerk. She was born and raised in Northport. They soon thereafter got married. Wallace’s life and devotion were to politics and being governor of Alabama. Lurleen was content to be a behind-the-scenes mother. George’s passion was politics. Lurleen’s passion was being a mother and going fishing. Lurleen was a genuinely sweet lady. Her humble background as a dime store clerk in Northport endeared her to Alabamians. She was gracious and sincere, and people fell in love with her. Lurleen had been diagnosed with cancer two years prior to the 1966 election. Although it seemed to be in remission, her health was not excellent. The campaigning was a challenge to her. She did not cherish the spotlight like George. Instead, she preferred her quiet time. She had been a mother and father to four children. However, after Lurleen agreed to run, it seemed to grow on her. She was a quick study. She got better day after day. As the crowds grew, you could feel the momentum and surge in popularity. She seemed to thrill to it. Lurleen’s landslide victory in May of 1966 was astonishing. She set records for vote-getting, some of which still stand today. She defeated nine male opponents without a runoff. Left in the carnage was an illustrious field of proven veteran political men. Included in the field she demolished were sitting Alabama General Richmond Flowers, Jasper Congressman Carl Elliott, State Senator Bob Gilchrist, Dothan businessman Charles Woods, two former governors John Patterson and Big Jim Folsom, popular state Agriculture Commissioner A.W. Todd, and of course Shorty Price. She then went on to trounce the most popular Republican in the state, Republican Congressman Jim Martin, by a two-to-one margin. Lurleen Wallace became Governor in January of 1967. She warmed to the job and made a very good governor. She let George know that she was Governor. However, she lived less than two years after she took office. Soon after her Inauguration, she visited the state’s mental hospital in her native Tuscaloosa County. She was so moved by the deplorable conditions that she made it her mission to improve the mental health facilities in the state. She gave one of the most moving speeches ever delivered before a legislature that resulted in the passage of a major bond issue to support mental health. Lurleen was also instrumental in the creation of a major cancer center at UAB. It came to pass after her death. She became beloved by Alabamians. She showed amazing grace and courage as she battled against cancer. When she died, the outpouring of sympathy from the people of the state was unparalleled. Thousands of Alabamians filed by her casket in the Capitol Rotunda. Schools let out, and school children came to Montgomery from all over the state to pay their respects to our Lady Governor. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. He may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Alabama has a host of outstanding political leaders under 45
It may appear to you and most casual observers of Alabama politics that our Alabama elected officials are old. That observation is accurate when you observe our current leaders in the highest offices. The governor’s office has been held by mature folks in recent years. Our current Governor, Kay Ivey, is 78 and has been the object of national media humor for appearing to be a pistol-toting great-grandmother. Dr. Robert Bentley, her predecessor, was in his 70’s, but he may have been sprier than he appeared. Bob Riley was no spring chicken while governor at age 65, although he looked younger. Our iconic senator, Richard Shelby, retired in January at 88 after a record-breaking 36 years in the U.S. Senate. Our new Senior Senator, Tommy Tuberville, is 68. This was not always the case in the Heart of Dixie. In the period from 1930 through 1970, we elected the youngest political leaders in the nation, beginning with our legendary tandem of United States Senators Lister Hill and John Sparkman, who served together close to 30 years. Lister Hill was elected to Congress from Montgomery in 1923 at age 29 and was elected to the U.S. Senate at age 44. John Sparkman was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1946 at 46 after serving as the Congressman for the Tennessee Valley. If you think Hill and Sparkman were young when they went to Washington, you have not seen anything like the governors we elected from 1946 -1966. James E. “Big Jim” Folsom was 38 when he was elected in 1946. John Patterson was 37 when he was elected in 1958. Patterson was referred to as the “Boy Governor.” When George Wallace was elected to his first term in 1962, he was only 43. When his wife Lurleen Wallace was elected in 1966, she was 40. She died in office of cancer less than two years later at 41. Lurleen Wallace was succeeded by Lt. Governor Albert Brewer, who had been Speaker of the Alabama House at 34, Lt. Governor at 38, and was 39 when he became governor. Bill Baxley was the youngest Attorney General in America when he was elected Attorney General of Alabama at 29 years old in 1970. He had been a 25-year-old District Attorney in Houston and Henry Counties. Baxley still practices law in Birmingham at 81. Well, folks, a cursory look at our current top elected officials may appear old. However, we have a generation of young political leaders arriving on the scene in Alabama. We already have superstars on the horizon and already on the scene who are under 45. Our new United States Senator, Katie Britt, is only 40 years old. She has the ability and youthfulness to be one of Alabama’s greatest senators. She has gotten to the Senate at a younger age than Hill, Sparkman, or Shelby. Marshall County has become the hotbed and breeding ground for the next generations of Alabama political leaders. This beautiful pristine lake area of North Alabama lays claim to Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, age 41, State Senate Majority leader Clay Scofield, age 42, and State Representative Wes Kitchens, who is 35 and is Vice Chairman of the House Republican Caucus. Andrew Sorrell, the newly elected State Auditor, is only 37. He has a bright future. The brightest star in the Democratic ranks is Huntsville State Representative Anthony Daniels. At age 40, Daniels is a superstar. He is in his third term in the House from Huntsville. He is the Minority Leader in the House. This gentleman is also a successful high-tech businessman in Rocket City. There are several other stars under 45 in the Alabama House of Representatives besides Daniels and Kitchens, including Kyle South of Fayette, Matt Simpson of Daphne, Joe Lovvorn of Auburn, Ben Robbins of Sylacauga, Scott Stadthagen of Madison, Corey Harbison of Cullman, and very young newcomers James Lomax of Huntsville and Brock Colvin of Albertville. Joining the affable and accomplished 42-year-old Senate Majority Leader, Clay Scofield in the powerful State Senate in the under 45 superstar group are Senator Chris Elliott, 42, of Baldwin, Senator Andrew Jones, 38, of Cherokee, and newly elected Senator Josh Carnley from Coffee County who is 44. Alabama has a host of under 45 political leaders. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column is seen in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the legislature. He may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Marshall County and Enterprise emerging as Alabama political breeding grounds
Over the years, certain counties in Alabama have bred an inordinate number of governors and state political leaders. The three most prominent enclaves historically have been Tuscaloosa, Barbour, and Cullman. In the earlier years of statehood, Tuscaloosa was the most heralded county. They have continued, intermittently, throughout the years. The most prominent senator in Alabama history, Richard Shelby, who retired after 36 years in the Senate, calls Tuscaloosa home. Indeed, the state capital was in Tuscaloosa one time in the early years. They have had a fairly recent governor in Dr. Robert Bentley. Barbour County is called the “Home of Governors,” and for a good reason. They have had more governors than any county in state history. This sparsely populated Black Belt county has had six governors hail from there. George Wallace is, of course, the most prominent Barbour County Governor, but they also have Chauncy Sparks, John Gill Shorter, William Jelks, Braxton Bragg Comer, and Jere Beasley. Barbour County and Tuscaloosa both claim Lurleen Wallace. She was born and raised in Northport in Tuscaloosa County but married George Wallace and moved to Barbour County. This split county claim of governors also applies to legendary Governor James “Big Jim” Folsom. Big Jim was born and raised in Coffee County near Elba but moved to Cullman as a young man. So, Cullman gets bragging rights since he lived in Cullman when he was first elected in 1946. Cullman has indeed come on strong in the past few decades. They have had two governors in recent years, Jim Folsom Jr. and Guy Hunt. Today, we have two counties emerging as hotbeds for breeding state political leaders. Coffee County is percolating with political success. More particularly the growing City of Enterprise. Our new U.S. Senator, Katie Boyd Britt, was born and raised in Enterprise. She is only 40. The Congressman from the second district, Barry Moore, is from Enterprise although Dothan, Montgomery, and Elmore County have more population in that Congressional District. Moore is only 56. A rising popular star in the State House of Representatives, Rhett Marquis, 48, is from the Boll Weevil City. Enterprise is the home of the new state senator from that southeast Alabama hub. Josh Carnley just took the seat of retiring legend Jimmy Holley, thus keeping that seat in Coffee County. Carnley is a Coffee County farmer and insurance broker. Enterprise has a very good Mayor in William “Bill” Cooper. He has been in city politics for a good while. Coffee County also dominates all the judicial posts in this circuit. All three circuit judges hail from Coffee County in Enterprise. Sonny Reagan, Jeff Kelley, and Shannon Clark are all relatively young. The new District Attorney, James Tarbox, is very young. Jimmy Baker, who is Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System, hails from Coffee County and lives in Enterprise. Enterprise has always laid claim to Ft. Rucker, which has been the impetus of their growth, but they are emerging as a political powerhouse. The other county that is set to be called an Alabama political spawning ground powerhouse is Marshall County. They currently have a cadre of the state’s most powerful and promising Alabama leaders. The most prominent is 41-year-old Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, who may be our next governor. State Senator Clay Scofield of Marshall County is only 42 and is Majority Leader of the State Senate. Attorney General Steve Marshall, 57, is in his second term as Attorney General. It is rare that two of the state’s highest-ranking officials, Will Ainsworth and Steve Marshall, are both from the same county. There are two rising stars in the Alabama House of Representatives from Marshall County. Young Wes Kitchens, an emerging leader in the House, is from Marshall. Also, the youngest member of the House of Representatives, Brock Colvin, has just been elected at the ripe old age of 26 and is catching people’s eyes on Goat Hill. Enterprise and Marshall County are emerging as new political breeding grounds for Alabama politicians. See you next week. 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 www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: 2026 Governor’s race has begun
Alabama’s original 1901 Constitution had a law whereby the governor could only serve one four-year term and not succeed themselves. In 1968, the law was changed, and since then, the governor and all other constitutional offices in the state can now serve two consecutive terms. This one term and you are done, made for a very interesting, anticipated, and competitive governor’s race every four years. They could begin four years in advance in earnest, and they would begin. Since Kay Ivey will be serving her second elected term, she cannot run four years from now. Therefore, we have set up an ole timey open governor’s race in 2026, and it has already begun. Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth has already been running for four years and has ramped up a reelection game plan for his next four years as Lt. Governor. He will be tough to beat. Ainsworth was elected Lt. Governor in 2018 at the ripe old age of 36. He began running for governor the day after he won the GOP Primary that year – even before he was inaugurated in January 2019. I have never seen anyone in recent years as dedicated and focused on grabbing the brass ring of Alabama politics as young Will Ainsworth. He is almost as dedicated as George Wallace. Wallace’s whole world and every part of his being was dedicated to being elected Governor of Alabama. He campaigned seven days a week, 12 hours a day, and hardly saw or cared for his family for four years. He campaigned relentlessly. His devotion paid off with a victory in 1962 and subsequent conquests later. Young Will Ainsworth does not have this total devotion, nor should he or anyone else. Ainsworth is a devoted family man. His family and church come first. Being governor is not his God. He is the ultimate father to his twin sons, Hunter and Hays, and his daughter, Abbie. He and his wife, Kendall, are committed to loving and caring for their children. They go to all ball games and church and school-related events with them in Guntersville. At the State-of-the-State Address four years ago, he had his two sons with him. They have impeccable manners. They looked me right in the eye with a smile and firm handshake and said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Flowers.” One of the boys was with Will when he spoke at the Trump rally in the summer of 2021. Will had been to his son’s ballgame in Cullman that morning, and he brought him to the rally. When Will spoke at the Mid-Alabama Republican Club in Vestavia last July, his daughter was with him. Ainsworth is campaigning all over the state. He is at ribbon cuttings and Chambers of Commerce events from Dothan to Huntsville. He hails from Sand Mountain in vote-rich North Alabama. His father has done well financially. However, his mama has instilled in Will the desire to serve in politics. She is very astute and active politically and more gregarious than Will’s father. There are others lining up to run who do not fear Ainsworth nor his family’s money. Interestingly, the two major potential threats to Ainsworth in the four-year away governor’s race are from North Alabama. Attorney General Steve Marshall and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle would make a strong threat to Ainsworth’s perceived front-runner status. Ironically, Steve Marshall and Will Ainsworth are both from Marshall County. If the Attorney General makes the move, he would be a viable candidate. He won his second term in this year’s GOP Primary, impressively. He has to move up or sideways or out. An intra-county race would be interesting. Marshall bears watching. Tommy Battle, the Mayor of Huntsville, would be the most formidable candidate that Ainsworth could face. However, I do not think Battle is interested in running. Being the Mayor of Huntsville is probably a better job than being Governor of Alabama. However, the biggest obstacle in Ainsworth’s run for governor may be someone you have never heard of. There are probably some rich folks sitting back privately contemplating a run for governor. That unknown rich person may be the one to watch. We will see. Four years seems a long way off, but the 2026 Governor’s Race has begun. See you next week. 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: www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Flowers: Inauguration day
The Inauguration of our Alabama Constitutional officials was Monday. Our state constitution calls for the Inauguration to be held on the third Monday in January. As you would expect, and as Almanac suggests, it is usually a cold day. Over the years, I have had countless folks harken back to their high school band experiences of marching in the Inaugural Parade, especially ladies who had been majorettes. They had to march and twirl a baton in 20-degree weather with skimpy, legless, bathing suit style attire. It left them with a lasting indelible memory of an Alabama Gubernatorial Inauguration. Mind you, I was not there, but every old-timer who has talked politics with me over the years and who have seen a good many inaugurations, will remark that the January 1963 George Wallace’s initial inauguration as governor was the coldest. There was a lot of frostbite that day. However, the inaugural address from George C. Wallace was hot and heavy. That was the day that Wallace threw down the gauntlet and declared, “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.” That was exactly 60 years ago. A lot has changed since that day. It was during the Wallace era that the Civil Rights movement changed the political landscape of the nation and especially in the south. Wallace was an integral part of that historical era. He watched it all unfold from his Goat Hill office overlooking Dexter Avenue, and he was the reason for a lot of the bloodshed. Every time I see an inauguration on the Capitol steps, I reminisce about the history that has been made in that block of Dexter Avenue in Montgomery. The men who wrote Alabama’s overtly racist 1901 Constitution and the crowd that howled in defiance as Wallace made his 1963 declaration would marvel at the change and diversity of today’s Alabama. It is poetic and ironic that this year’s Inauguration Day, January 16, 2023, was on the same day as Martin Luther King Day, a state and national holiday. Kay Ivey grew up in the heart of the Wallace Era in Wilcox County. She cut her political teeth campaigning for the Wallaces. She was especially involved with Lurleen Wallace’s 1966 governor’s race when she was a student at Auburn University. After Auburn, she worked for a while in Banking and teaching in Mobile. She began her Montgomery career as the reading clerk in the Alabama House of Representatives under the tutelage of Speaker Joe McCorquodale. Black Belters, like McCorquodale, controlled the House and the Senate. Kay Ivey’s melodious, pronounced Black Belt accent drew folks’ attention to her reading even the most mundane legalese for hours on end. She later became associated with the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. As their Public Relations and Governmental Affairs Director, she learned the legislative process. She entered the political arena in 2002 when she was elected State Treasurer. She served eight years in that post. She was then elected Lt. Governor in 2010 and reelected in 2014. In the middle of her second term, she became Governor after Dr. Robert Bentley vacated the governor’s office. She served out the last 18 months of his term and was elected in her own right as Governor of Alabama in 2018. She was reelected, overwhelmingly, last year. If Kay Ivey finishes out this four-year term, she will have been Governor of Alabama longer than anyone else besides George C. Wallace. She is the first woman to be elected as a Republican. She is the second female governor, the first being her idol, Lurleen Wallace, 56 years ago. Also inaugurated with Governor Kay Ivey were Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, Attorney General Steve Marshall, State Treasurer Young Boozer, Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate, Secretary of State Wes Allen, and State Auditor Andrew Sorrell. Jeremy Oden and Chip Beeker were sworn in for four-year terms on the Public Service Commission. Two Supreme Court Justices, Kelli Wise and Greg Cook, were sworn in for six-year terms in a special investiture last Friday. Justice Kelli Wise was sworn in for her third term. She has served 12 years on the Supreme Court and was on the State Court of Criminal Appeals for a decade prior to being elected to the high court. Justice Greg Cook was sworn in for his initial term on the high tribunal. He is a well-qualified and conservative jurist who will fit in well on the Supreme Court. It was a big day in Alabama politics. See you next week. 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 www.steveflowers.us.
Ex-PSC President Kenneth Hammond, Sr. dies at 90
The Alabama politician who ended the career of Eugene “Bull” Connor died October 22 in his hometown of Valley Head. Kenneth Hammond, Sr. had represented DeKalb, Cherokee, and Jackson Counties in the State Senate before defeating Connor for PSC President in 1972. He later served two terms as Mayor of Valley Head. Services for Hammond will be Monday, October 24. Visitation is at Burt Chapel in Valley Head at 11 a.m. Graveside service is 1:30 p.m. at Valley Head Cemetery. His death at his home followed a long illness. Hammond was elected to the state senate in 1962. In 1965, he was part of a team of senators who engineered the defeat of a constitutional amendment proposed by then-Gov. George Wallace. It would have removed the ban on Alabama governors succeeding themselves, allowing Wallace to run in the 1966 gubernatorial race. After the amendment failed to pass the senate, the Wallace team ran his wife, Lurleen Wallace, in the 1966 gubernatorial race. She won the Democratic primary, defeating nine candidates without a runoff. She won the governorship in the November general election, defeating Congressman Jim Martin (R) of Gadsden. None of the State Senators who opposed the Wallace amendment were re-elected. Hammond was the only anti-Wallace senator who later achieved a comeback, winning his seat back in the 1970 election. In 1972, Hammond ran in a six-way race for President of the Public Service Commission. He came in second but forced a runoff with incumbent Connor. Connor gained notoriety in the 1960s as Public Safety Commission of Birmingham. He ordered dogs and fire hoses to repel civil rights protesters, including women and children. Video and still photos of the event were covered extensively by national and international news media. In the 1972 race against Connor, Hammond won the support of Black voters, including the Alabama Democratic Conference. In 1975, Hammond was indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury on a felony charge of misusing his office. He was convicted by a jury and automatically removed from office. He served a year in the DeKalb County jail. In the 1990s, Hammond made a comeback and was twice elected Mayor of Valley Head, Alabama. Hammond is survived by Ken Hammond, Jr., who starred as a lineman at Vanderbilt and played two years for the Dallas Cowboys before being injured. Other survivors are his wife, Carol Payne Hammond, children Tonni, Tina, and Byron Armstrong, and Pam Hartline; sister Patsy LaJean Mathews; numerous grand and great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews. Jim Zeigler is the current State Auditor for the State of Alabama. He was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. Zeigler previously served on the Public Service Commission.
