Nathaniel Ledbetter and Greg Reed to lead Alabama Legislature moving forward
On Tuesday, Gov. Kay Ivey congratulated State Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter and State Sen. Greg Reed for their elections to the top two leadership positions in the Alabama Legislature. “Congratulations to our state’s new Speaker of the House @RepLedbetter24, and to @SenatorGregReed on his re-election as Senate President Pro Tem,” Gov. Ivey said on Twitter. “I look forward to working with both of you to serve the people of Alabama in the days and years ahead.” Ledbetter is the former Mayor of Rainsville. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2014. He was elected with broad bipartisan support with 102 votes in an uncontested election in the Alabama House of Representatives during Tuesday’s organizational session of the Alabama Legislature. Former Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon presided over the election of his successor. McCutcheon did not seek re-election. “With 102 votes, the honorable Nathaniel Ledbetter is elected Speaker,” McCutcheon said. Then he administered the oath of office to Ledbetter. “First of all, I would like to thank my wife of 42 years,” Ledbetter said. “I would like to thank my two sons.” He also acknowledged his grandchildren. “One thing I want to recognize is that we have so many people from DeKalb County. I think thirty or forty drove four hours to be here today.” “I pledge to you to work as hard as I am able,” Ledbetter said. “We have some of the finest people in the world serving in this body, working for our shared goal to make an already great state even greater.” “From time to time, we will have different ideals,” Ledbetter said. “But I understand that the speaker’s gavel is not a weapon but a tool.” “When I was growing up in DeKalb County, I did not even know that the Speaker of the House was, but I know now,” Ledbetter said. “This was probably the greatest honor I have ever received in my life.” Greg Reed was first elected to the Alabama Senate as part of the 2010 Republican wave election that took control of the Alabama Legislature after 135 uninterrupted years of Democratic Party domination. Reed was elected to the Alabama Senate in 2021 and was re-elected to the position by the members of the Senate on Tuesday. State Rep. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) was elected Speaker Pro Tem 103 to 0 in an uncontested election. Pringle served as an aide to both Congressmen Jack Edwards and Sonny Callahan. He was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1994 and served through 2002. He returned in 2014 and is now serving in his fifth term. “It has been a long time, a long journey, but I can tell you that I have enjoyed every minute of it,” Pringle said. Republicans have commanding supermajorities in both Houses of the Alabama Legislature. Pringle was joined by his mother and his girlfriend. John Treadwell was selected as the new Clerk of the House on Tuesday. State Rep. Anthony Daniels returns as the House Minority Leader. State Rep. Scott Stadthagen replaces Ledbetter as the House Majority Leader. State Sen. Clay Scofield returns as the Senate Majority Leader. Both bodies passed rules for their individual bodies to operate under for the next four years. The two Houses will meet in a joint meeting on Wednesday to pass joint rules. The Legislature will return in March for the 2023 regular session, where the Legislature will pass the 2024 budgets and consider new legislation. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Fairhope renames post office for former congressman Jack Edwards
Today, Congressman Jerry Carl joined Congressman Bradley Byrne and Congressman Jo Bonner to pay tribute to Congressman William “Jack” Jackson Edwards and dedicate the Fairhope Post Office in his honor. The dedication was held at the post office building in Fairhope. Members of Edwards’ family, legislative leaders, postal officials, and members of the community attended. “Today, I was honored to join two of my mentors – Congressman Bradley Byrne and Congressman Jo Bonner – to honor and pay tribute to Congressman Jack Edwards, who was a friend and mentor to all three of us, by dedicating the Fairhope Post Office in his name,” Carl stated. “Congressman Edwards was a true statesman who devoted his life and his career to the service and betterment of south Alabama. Jack was loved and respected by all who knew him, and his legacy will continue to live on for generations to come,” Carl concluded. Congressman Byrne sponsored H.R. 6418 (Public Law 116-312) to dedicate the Fairhope Post Office Building to Congressman Edwards, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1985. The law was approved January 5. Congressman Edwards, who died in 2019, served under five U.S. Presidents from Lyndon Johnson through Ronald Reagan. After retiring from Congress, he returned to Mobile, where he devoted himself to constitutional reform, education, the environment, and economic development.
Steve Flowers: We lost some good ones in 2021
As has been my custom for 18 years, I like for my yearend column to be a remembrance of Alabama political figures who have passed away during the year. We lost some good ones this year. We lost our oldest past governor, John Patterson in June. Governor Patterson passed away at age 99 at his ancestral home in rural Tallapoosa County surrounded by his family. Patterson was Governor from 1959-1963. He defeated George Wallace in the 1958 Governor’s Race, which featured a field of 14 candidates. He is the only man to beat George Wallace in a governor’s race. Patterson was Attorney General of Alabama prior to being elected Governor. He subsequently was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals by Wallace and was reelected numerous times and retired as a Judge of the Alabama Court of Appeals. He was a treasure trove of Alabama political history. He was Governor during a turbulent time in Alabama history. Former Alabama Attorney General Jimmy Evans died in February at 81. Evans was a native of Montgomery and was Montgomery County District Attorney prior to being elected Attorney General. Retired Alfa lobbyist Milton Parsons passed away in March at 91. Milton was renowned on Goat Hill as a straight arrow and straight shooter. He was an honest, trustworthy, Christian gentleman. He was Alfa’s chief lobbyist for 50 years. He was a devoted family man and devout Christian. Former Troy mayor, Jimmy Lunsford died in May at 78. He was mayor of Troy for 30 years. Economic development was his forte. He was a tremendous steward of the city’s finances. He left Troy in good shape financially. Former Mobile congressman Sonny Callahan passed away at 88 in late June. He was one of a long line of popular and effective congressmen from the first district. The list includes Frank Boykin, Jack Edwards, Jo Bonner, Bradley Byrne, and Sonny. Congressman Callahan served 10 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to his two decades in Congress, he served in the Alabama House of Representatives and then six years in the State Senate. He was successful in the trucking business in conjunction with his legislative and congressional career. State Representative Thad McClammy of Montgomery passed away at 79 in August. McClammy represented parts of Montgomery County for 27 years. I had the privilege to serve with Thad in the legislature. He was a real gentleman. His word was as good as gold. He had a tremendous turnout for his funeral. State Senator Kirk Hatcher did a fabulous job singing two favorite hymns. Former State Legislator and longtime Geneva County Probate Judge Harold Wise died in August at 96 years old. He lived an amazing and colorful life. He was a loved and respected Geneva County political figure. He was the uncle to Supreme Court Justice Kelli Wise. Kelli adored him. He was her mentor. She says he sparked her love of politics and her desire to have a career in public service. Retired Winston-Marion County Circuit Judge Bobby Aderholt passed away in September at 85. He was a 50-year public servant, as well as lay minister. People say he probably married or buried half the folks in and around Haleyville and that part of Northwest Alabama. There was a tremendous turnout for his funeral. He was revered. State Senator Greg Reed sang at his funeral. Judge Aderholt was the father of our senior congressman, Robert Aderholt who is completing his 25th year in Congress. Former State Senator Jim Preuitt of Talladega died in September at 86. He was also a State Representative and Probate Judge of Talladega County. He was a successful businessman and family man. We lost some good ones this year. Happy New Year! 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: Governor John Patterson’s first lesson
Governor John Patterson, who passed away earlier this year at 99, shared a funny story that occurred during the opening days of his administration. He entered the Governor’s office in January 1959 as the clean government, strict law enforcement governor. He followed Big Jim Folsom’s second administration, which had been less than perfect when it came to favoritism, nepotism, and corruption. Patterson was determined to run a clean ship. On his first day as governor, he called his cabinet in for a pep talk and told them to run their departments aboveboard and free of any semblance of favoritism. He dismissed them and told them to get to work running the state. He turned to his new public safety director, Floyd Mann, and asked him to stay behind. Floyd Mann was a well-respected man in Alabama politics. He had been chief of police in Opelika prior to Patterson appointing him head of the highway patrol. Mann and Patterson were lifelong friends. They had grown up and gone to school together in Tallapoosa County. Patterson looked at his friend and said, “Floyd, under no circumstances are we going to fix any tickets during my administration. Do you understand?” Mann went on his way to his first day as public safety director and supervisor of the highway patrol. That was about 11:00 a.m. About 2:30 in the afternoon, the new governor got a message that he had had a call from senior U.S. Senator Lister Hill. Within 30 minutes, he had a message that Senator John Sparkman had called as well as Congressmen George Andrews and Frank Boykin. He assumed that all our distinguished congressional delegates were calling to wish him well on his first day as governor. When he called these four very powerful Washington solons back, he learned that an equally powerful congressman from Missouri had been detained and indeed arrested in south Alabama. The congressman had been vacationing in Florida with his family and driving back to Missouri when he was caught speeding in Conecuh County. At that time, an out-of-state driver could not sign his own bond in Alabama, so the good congressman had been detained for more than three hours with his family waiting to locate a justice of the peace. The congressman was upset, to say the least. Hill and Sparkman were somewhat tactful with the new governor. They simply suggested that the speeder was a powerful and important member of Congress and that it would be helpful to them if Patterson could help their colleague get back on his way home to Missouri. Frank Boykin was more direct. He informed Patterson that this congressman chaired the committee that oversaw all the appropriations for waterways. He further explained that he and Senators Hill and Sparkman had been working diligently for years to get funding for the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and the project was pending in this congressman’s committee at this time. Governor Patterson called Colonel Mann and said, “Floyd can you come over here a minute?” When Mann arrived in the governor’s office, Patterson told his buddy, “You know, Floyd, when I told you this morning not to fix any tickets? Well, we’ve had a change in policy.” The no-ticket-fixing policy of the Patterson Administration lasted four hours. Mann dispatched a trooper to not only release the congressman but to give him a trooper escort out of the state. Governor Patterson learned a lesson from that experience – never say never. He also should be given some credit for obtaining funding for the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. A similar story was told to me by former congressman, Governor Kay Ivey’s Chief of Staff and recently crowned Chancellor of the University of South Alabama, Jo Bonner. He was a new congressman from Mobile-Baldwin. The district has had some illustrious congressmen, including Frank Boykin, Jack Edwards, Sonny Callahan, and Jo Bonner. Edwards, Callahan, and Bonner were all good friends, and they were headed to the famous annual Frank Boykin gathering in Washington County. It fell to the new congressman, Bonner, to drive. As they were heading back to Mobile, Bonner noticed a blue light in the rearview mirror. Callahan had already told Bonner he was driving too fast. A deputy sheriff pulled them over and looked in the window, and before he asked for Bonner’s driver’s license, he saw Sonny in the backseat and asked, “Sir, aren’t you Congressman Callahan?” Then looked next to Callahan and asked, “Aren’t you Congressman Edwards?” Callahan and Edwards assured the deputy that he was correct. Then they proceeded to tell the deputy that the driver and third member of this trio was a congressman and a new one and that the deputy should give him a ticket. 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.
Inside the Statehouse: 1st district seat open. Great three-man race to replace Byrne. Senate race in full gear.
Steve Flowers discusses the race for the 1st Congressional district and US Senate seat.
Steve Flowers: First district has had outstanding Congressmen
Steve Flowers reviews the congressmen who have represented the 1st congressional district since 1935.
Steve Flowers: Inside the Statehouse
Flowers pays homage to legendary Alabama leaders who have passed away.
Former Alabama congressman Jack Edwards dies at 91
Former U.S. Rep. Jack Edwards of Alabama, who served 10 terms in Congress and was in the first wave of Deep South Republicans, died Friday. He was 91. His family said through a spokesman that Edwards died at his home in Fairhope after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Edwards served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1985. He was one of five Republican congressmen from Alabama elected in 1964 as GOP presidential nominee Barry Goldwater carried several southern states. The 1964 race was a harbinger of things to come as the onetime Solid South grew to become dominated by Republicans. Edwards served under five presidents from Lyndon Johnson to Ronald Reagan during his time in Congress. He was vice-chairman of the Republican leadership. He became the ranking Republican on the defense subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. He was known as a strong supporter of Reagan’s military buildup, the governor’s office said. He also oversaw funding for the rebuilding of Alabama’s Dauphin Island bridge after a devastating 1979 hurricane. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Edwards served his state and nation with the highest degree of integrity and he was respected on both sides of the political aisle. “He was the epitome of a true public servant and was the ultimate statesman for Alabama. Our state has lost one of our finest,” Ivey said in a statement. In a statement released by his family, they said Edwards described his hopes for a return to civility when recently asked what kind of world he would like to leave his great-grandchildren. “My hope is that my great grandchildren will grow up in a country where civility will have been returned to common discourse and to the efforts to solve the country’s problems,” Edwards said according to the family statement. The governor said flags at the Alabama Capitol will be placed at half-staff in his honor. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
