Steve Flowers: Board of Education
School board members are some of the most selfless public servants in Alabama. This accolade goes to the Alabama State Board of Education, and, more specifically, local school board members. These members are tasked with a very important mission but receive very little compensation for their time and efforts. They are indeed public servants. The Alabama State Board of Education is a nine-member body that sets public education policy for K-12 schools. The governor is an ex-officio member of the board, and the remaining eight members are elected to four-year terms from single-member districts of approximately equal population. There is no limit to the number of terms a school board member may serve. The seats are partisan-driven. Currently, our state school board has six Republican members and two Democratic members. Given the fact that members are elected rather than appointed, it is somewhat surprising that our current eight members are so well-qualified and suited to be state school board members. Dr. Wayne Reynolds, who represents District 8, best exemplifies this statement. He has a doctorate in education and has spent over four decades as an education administrator. He is retired and brings his experience and wisdom to the table. In his early years, Wayne was a decorated Vietnam War Veteran. He and his wife Carol reside in the Limestone/Madison area. Wayne is a Republican and was re-elected to his second four-year term earlier this year. Marie Manning has just been elected to District 6, which is a Republican district. She will begin her first term in January. Prior to her recent election to the state school board, Marie served as Vice President of the St. Clair County Board of Education. During her stellar career in education, Marie was a classroom teacher, vice-principal, principal, and superintendent. Dr. Yvette Richardson represents District 4 and is a resident of Montgomery. Yvette is a Democrat and was re-elected to another four-year term in the Democratic Primary. She has a doctorate degree from the University of Alabama and has had a distinguished career in education. Tracie West is a Republican member of the board from District 2. She was re-elected to a second four-year term in the Republican Primary. She hails from Auburn and, as would be expected from this area, is well-qualified and versed in education knowledge and policy. Prior to being elected to the state school board, Tracie served as a member of the Auburn City Schools Board of Education, including serving as president of that board. There are four members up for re-election in 2024, Jackie Ziegler, Stephanie Bell, Tonya Chestnut, and Belinda McRae, provided all four decide to seek another term. Jackie Ziegler of Mobile is a Republican board member and represents District 1. She was first elected in 2016 and is an experienced and successful educator. She is a graduate of the University of South Alabama. She was a classroom teacher, then a longtime principal in the Mobile County School System. She is married to State Auditor Jim Ziegler. Stephanie Bell, who represents District 3, is by far the most veteran member of the board, having first been elected in 1994 and re-elected to eight consecutive terms. At the end of her current term, she will have served over 30 years. She is a stellar member, an asset to the board, and hopefully, will run again. Stephanie is a lifelong resident of Montgomery, as is her husband. Dr. Tonya Chestnut, a native of Selma, is a Democrat and represents District 5. She has a doctorate in education and is the former Dean of Alabama State University College of Visual and Performing Arts. Belinda McRae of Hamilton is the Republican board member for District 7. She is in her first term. Belinda taught English and art for 25 years in the Marion County School System and served on the Marion County Board of Education before being elected to the State School Board. Choosing the State Superintendent is probably the most important task of the Alabama State School Board, and the board made an excellent choice when they selected Dr. Eric Mackey as Alabama State Superintendent of Education. Dr. Mackey is a former school superintendent and former Executive Director of the State School Superintendents Association. Most of our former governors did not take their ex-officio role as seriously as Governor Kay Ivey. Governor Ivey has been a very active and dutiful member of the Alabama State School Board. In closing, allow me to not only give accolades to the state school board but also a tip of the hat to all local school board members. 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: Women and young folks prevail in 2022
In my observations of Alabama politics, every election year brings an underlying election year surprise or two. The underlying prevailing theme emerging from the Alabama political arena this year is that women have arrived politically in the Heart of Dixie. Governor Kay Ivey is only the second female elected Governor of Alabama, Lurleen Wallace being the first in 1966. Governor Ivey won a decisive second-term nomination as the Republican nominee in May. She will face another female Democratic nominee, Yolanda Flowers, in the November General Election. This is the first time two women will face each other for governor. In fact, the first and second place finishers in both the Republican and Democratic primaries were women. Governor Ivey was followed by Lindy Blanchard, who finished second in the GOP primary. Dr. Yolanda Flowers, a retired Birmingham educator, was in a runoff with second place Democratic female State Senator Malika Sanders Fortier in the Democratic primary. Katie Britt emerged victoriously from the Republican U.S. Senate contest, and if elected in November, as is expected, she will be the first female elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama. Katie Britt is the brightest young star in Alabama politics. She is the new rock star of the state. Not only will she be the first female senator, but she is also the headliner for the second theme of 2022. That is, we have a pair of new youthful stars arriving on the scene as the dust settles from the June 21 runoffs. Wes Allen and Andrew Sorrell have become the new stars on the scene. Wes Allen defeated veteran politico Jim Ziegler in the Secretary of State race. Andrew Sorrell bested Stan Cooke and Rusty Glover to become State Auditor. Both Sorrell and Allen were about to become freshmen members of the Alabama House this time four years ago. Now, they are the new stars on the statewide political block. They will be joining Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth as young constitutional officeholders with a future. You have four young stars on the horizon in the state. Rockstar Katie Britt is 40, superstar Will Ainsworth is 41, star Wes Allen is 46, and star Andrew Sorrell is 36. Another young superstar has arrived on the behind-the-scenes political consulting arena in Alabama politics. Twenty-seven-year-old Sean Ross ran the Katie Britt campaign masterfully. He is absolutely brilliant. He ran one of Twinkle Cavanaugh’s campaigns four years ago when he was just graduating from the University of Alabama. Katie did a good day’s work when she acquired his services with a recommendation from Twinkle. He is the hottest item in Alabama political consulting. There were four vacancies in the Alabama State Senate. State Representative Merika Coleman, a Bessemer attorney, won a very impressive victory for the seat of retiring Priscilla Dunn. She is young and brilliant and is going to be a star in the Alabama State Senate. Lance Bell won the seat of retiring state Senator Jim McClendon. Bell beat his opponent 73% to 27% in this Republican seat. Keith Kelley emerged victorious over Wendy Ghee Draper, in the Anniston-based Republican seat of retiring veteran state Senator Del Marsh. In probably the biggest upset surprise of the 2022 primary season was the victory of Josh Carnley to fill the Republican Southeast Alabama Senate Seat held for decades by the powerful and popular Jimmy Holley. This district is comprised of Coffee, Covington, Pike, and part of Dale counties. Twelve-year veteran State House member Mike Jones of Andalusia was expected to waltz to victory having every business group’s endorsement. Carnley carried his home county of Coffee overwhelmingly, and veteran political consultant David Mowery did a masterful job with Carnley’s ads. Popular first-term state senator, Dan Roberts, was challenged by a self-financed urologist in Roberts’ silk stocking Jefferson/Shelby district, but Roberts won handily. For the first time in 40 years, there will not be a Sanders representing the Black Belt in the Alabama Senate. Veteran Senator Hank Sanders failed in his bid to take back his seat he loaned to his daughter, the aforementioned Malika Sanders Fortier. Hank Sanders had served nine terms as the Black Belt’s senator. He was defeated by Robert Stewart of Selma. Jay Hovey won the coveted Lee/Tallapoosa/Russell County State Senate seat, prevailing over incumbent Tom Whatley by one vote. For the most part, the powerful 35-member State Senate will return intact with only a few new faces. 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: Very impressive, high steppin’ victory for Gov. Kay Ivey
Our popular high steppin’ pistol tottin’ Governor Kay Ivey won a very impressive reelection victory for Governor on May 24. Ivey turned back eight GOP primary challengers to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination without a runoff. She garnered an amazing 54% of the vote and carried every county in Alabama. That is a feat not often accomplished, especially considering she had eight folks running against her. However, her popularity is probably the reason she had no serious thoroughbreds challenge her in the gubernatorial derby. Any knowledgeable political pro could look at the odds of defeating one of the most popular incumbent governors in the nation with plenty of campaign resources and walk away from that uphill battle. After all, she had beaten a more impressive field in 2018, which included Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, without the need for a runoff. Six of her male opponents were “also ran” unknown and still unknown candidates. The seventh male in the race, Tim James, whose claim to fame is that his daddy was governor, is becoming a perennial candidate. He has run three times and finished third three times. He got a respectable 15%, but he spent $5.7 million to get that amount. If he tries again, he will be considered in the Shorty Price category. The only female in the race was first-time candidate Lindy Blanchard. She finished second to Kay Ivey with 18%. Therefore, the two females running for governor finished first and second. However, there is a world of difference in getting 54% and 18%. Lindy is a nice lady. If you meet her, you cannot help but like her. She spent an amazing $11 million of her own money. That equates to about $100 per vote. That may be a new record. That should tell her that she just might not be cut out for politics. She nor Tim James ever got any traction or resonated. The fact that Blanchard and James spent most of their $16 million combined on negative ads, and I might add disingenuous ads against Governor Ivey, is even more of a testament to how popular and resilient Ivey remains. I said from the get-go that Ivey would win without a runoff and felt that way to the end. I have to admit that on the night of the election, when it appeared that the turnout was going to be lighter than expected, I wondered privately if she might dip below 50%. However, she outperformed and got about 54%. Kay and her team ran a flawless campaign. Her TV ads were folksy and effective. She did not take anything for granted. She never said a bad word about any of her opponents. In fact, she never acknowledged them or called their name. Even in her victory speech, she said we have got to keep running hard against our Democratic opponent. Even though winning a statewide gubernatorial race as a Democrat is extremely unlikely. Winning the GOP primary for governor in the Heart of Dixie is tantamount to election. Kay Ivey’s 2022 reelection victory is almost as remarkable as her mentor and idol and our only other female governor, Lurleen Wallace’s 1966 landslide victory. There are several other constitutional offices that will be decided on June 21. The Secretary of State runoff race will be the closest to watch. State Representative Wes Allen and two-term State Auditor Jim Ziegler are notched in a dead heat. Both got about 40%. Ziegler has name identification, having run a dozen times statewide. Wes Allen has the qualifications. He has been a Probate Judge for over a decade prior to his House term. This one will be close and interesting. The State Auditor’s job will be filled by either Florence State Representative Andrew Sorrell or Kimberly preacher Stan Cooke. The Reverend Cooke did benefit from having run for this job before, and he also received a significant hometown vote from Jefferson County. Our two incumbent conservative PSC members, Chip Beeker and Jeremy Oden, have liberal green-leaning opponents in the June 21 runoff. Greg Cook won an impressive 55-45 victory over Anniston Circuit Judge Debra Jones for Place 5 on the Alabama Supreme Court. He will fit in well with our current conservative and well-credentialed state high court. We will discuss the monumental runoff contest for our open U.S. Senate seat 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: Incumbency prevails in secondary constitutional offices
Incumbency is a potent, powerful, inherent advantage in politics. That fact is playing out to the nines in this year’s Alabama secondary constitutional and down ballot races. Several of the constitutional office incumbents do not have Republican or Democratic opposition. Of course, having a Democratic opponent is the same as not having an opponent in a statewide race in Alabama. A Democrat cannot win in a statewide contest in the Heart of Dixie. Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth will be elected to a second four-year term without opposition. He will be waiting in the wings to follow Kay Ivey as Governor. Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate will be reelected without opposition. He has done a good job in this important state post. State Treasurer Young Boozer is running unopposed for another four-year term. He does an excellent job and is uniquely qualified for the Treasurer’s job. State Supreme Court Justice Kelli Wise is running for reelection unopposed. Kelli is popular and is a good jurist. She is home free for six more years on the state’s high tribunal. Attorney General Steve Marshall has token opposition in his run for reelection. One Republican and one Democrat qualified against Marshall. However, he will coast to reelection. There are two seats up for election on the Alabama Public Service Commission. There are three seats on this regulatory panel. The President of the PSC runs in a presidential year. Twinkle Cavanaugh is President and pretty much runs the ship. The two incumbents are Jeremy Oden and Chip Beeker. Oden has two unknown Republican opponents. Beeker has two opponents in the GOP Primary. One has some name identification, who has run before. Beeker and Oden will probably win reelection. There are only three hotly contested and interesting secondary statewide races. That is because these three posts are open without an incumbent on the scene. Popular Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin, the former Probate Judge of Jefferson County, is term-limited by an antiquated law that prohibits a judge from running for the court after age 70. There are two qualified candidates seeking to follow Judge Bolin. Birmingham Defense Attorney Greg Cook is facing Anniston Circuit Judge Debra Jones. Cook appears to be the favorite to win. It is apparent that the business community in the state is backing Cook. He has also been endorsed by the Alabama Farmers Federation. The latest campaign finance reports reveal Cook has $552,000 to spend compared to Jones’s $15,000. The State Auditors position is open. Jim Ziegler has served his eight-year stint. This will be an interesting three-man race for this benign position. Former Mobile State Representative and State Senator Rusty Glover is facing Muscle Shoals State Representative Andrew Sorrell and Jefferson County Pastor Stan Cooke. All three are getting out and working the state. The race to succeed John Merrill as Secretary of State will be a good race. Merrill is term-limited after eight years. State Auditor Jim Ziegler is wanting to move next door in the Capitol and become Secretary of State. Because of his name identification advantage, Ziegler will be favored to win the race. However, he will get a significant challenge from State Representative Wes Allen. Young Wes Allen has been running for over a year and has a good many significant endorsements, including Alfa. He has an impressive resume having served a decade as Probate Judge of Pike County and four years as a State Representative. He also has two home bases. He has lived and served in office in Troy in Southeast Alabama and was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, where his father, Gerald Allen, has been a long-time State Senator. Ed Packard, who has run the Elections Division of the Secretary of State’s office for decades, is also running. He is very well qualified. The aforementioned current Secretary of State, John Merrill, is not seeking any elective office in 2022, even though he is still relatively young. I have said this before, and it holds true today, Merrill is currently the best and most prolific retail politician in the state and one of the best I have seen in Alabama. He has a real grassroots organization in Alabama. He is literally everywhere. Even though he is not on the ballot running this year, he is outworking every candidate mentioned in this column. You have not heard the last of John Merrill. 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: Politics never ends in Alabama
We are all looking forward to next year’s gigantic political cavalcade. The 2022 elections in Alabama will be momentous. We will have an open U.S. Senate seat along with seven congressional seats, all running under new district lines. We have a Governor’s race along with all the other Constitutional offices. All 105 state representatives and 35 state senators will be running for reelection under new district lines. All 67 sheriffs in the state will be on the ballot, as well as all 68 probate judges. All these races are on the cusp of beginning or have already begun. However, we will have a mayor’s race in Birmingham this summer. The August 24 mayoral race in the magic city is shaping up as a Donnybrook. It is shaping up to be a rematch from four years ago between former mayor William Bell and current mayor Randall Woodfin. Four years ago, young Randall Woodfin defeated then mayor William Bell, the old fashion way. He outworked him. Woodfin went door-to-door in one-on-one campaigning in every precinct in Birmingham. He appears to have done a good job as mayor. He will be tough to beat. However, if anyone would do it, William Bell would be the one. He looks very distinguished and mayoral. In fact, I have often thought that if Hollywood were scripting a movie of a mayor of a city like the movie “Boss” with Kelsey Grammar, who played a Chicago mayor, that Bell would be the perfect actor. There are at least two other significant candidates vying to be Birmingham’s mayor, LaShunda Scales and Chris Wood, which may place Bell and Woodfin into a runoff. We have already had several special legislative elections throughout the state this year. Former Alabama House Member, April Weaver, won the Republican State Senate Primary for Senate District 14 on March 30. This senate seat was vacated when Cam Ward departed the Senate to become Director of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. The district encompasses a good portion of Shelby County and all of Bibb and Chilton. It is a very Republican district. Therefore, Ms. Weaver’s victory is tantamount to election. She will face a token Democrat in the July 13 general election. Her triumph was extremely impressive. She garnered 82% of the vote against two opponents. She will be an effective senator for Central Alabama. In an open state House seat in Shelby County, U.S. Army Veteran Kenneth Paschal won the GOP Primary for House District 73, winning the Republican primary for a State Legislative district in a special election in Shelby County. Paschal won a close race over Leigh Hulsey, 51% to 49%. There is a special election for state House District 78 in Montgomery to fill the seat being left vacant with Kirk Hatcher moved up from the House to the Senate. There are several low-profile constitutional offices beginning to percolate for 2022. State Representative, Wes Allen, has announced and is running hard for Secretary of State. He is perfectly suited and qualified for that office. He is in his first term as a State Representative from Pike and Dale Counties. However, prior to that, he served 10 years as Probate Judge of Pike County, where he successfully oversaw elections. Wes is a native of Tuscaloosa, where his daddy serves as a State Senator. A successful Birmingham businesswoman, Laura Johnston Clark, is eyeing the State Auditor’s race. She was born and raised in Dothan and began her business there. She has deep and extensive family roots in the Wiregrass. Her father and mother and older brother are legendary and revered. She has been extensively involved civically in Birmingham for close to two decades. She is an integral part of next year’s World Games, which will be held in Birmingham. The current occupants of the Secretary of State and State Auditor’s offices, John Merrill and Jim Ziegler, are term-limited. So, these two offices are wide open. 2022 is going to be an exciting election year. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His column appears in over 60 Alabama Newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislative. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Will toll opposition continue to make a difference in mayoral elections Fairhope and beyond?
In the summer of 2019, the opposition to the toll bridge on I-10 in Alabama reached a fever pitch. The project included a new 2.5-mile-long, six-lane cable-stay bridge and involved a complete replacement of the existing I-10 Bayway. The project would cost a considerable amount of money, with the price tag rising exponentially as the plans were finalized. John Cooper, the director of the Alabama Department of Transportation and Governor Kay Ivey insisted the only way to fund the project would be to toll drivers. While they expected opposition, those in Montgomery thought that they’d steamroll the opposition. State Auditor Jim Zeigler explained what opponents were up against, telling AL.Com on the night project died, “When we first started, several people told me that ‘you’re wasting your time. It’s a done deal, and there isn’t a thing you can do. It’s a done deal. But now, it’s a dead deal.” It’s easy to look back at the fight, especially the end of the battle when politicians started tripping over themselves to rush to the side of the overwhelming majority of residents opposed to the plan and see its death coming by 1,000 cuts, but it’s essential when we look to the future that we look at the history and what happened. There’s no better place to look than Zeigler’s book, Blocking the 1-10 Toll Scheme: A Successful Citizen Movement. In the book, he describes in detail the timeline from start to finish of the grassroots efforts to stop the bridge. In an interview with Alabama Today, he noted, “The book doesn’t favor any one person or seek to endorse anyone. It simply gives a timeline of what progressed.” A free copy of the book is available at: http://tinyurl.com/BlockingTheToll In it, he describes the Fairhope City meeting, which was planned to be at the Fairhope Civic Center, in the large city council meeting room. There were 33 people who opposed the toll scheduled to testify. Only two people were slated to testify in favor of the toll. Neither of those people ended up speaking. The meeting lasted four hours. In the end, the ESMPO members voted 8 to 1 in favor of the motion to remove the toll project from the TIP. Zeigler stated in his book that the community effort to kill the toll was partly due to the skilled organization of several people, including Karin Wilson. Fairhope’s mayor, Karin Wilson, played a vital role in stopping the toll plan. Mayor Wilson was the first member of the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization to oppose the toll plan. She made the argument that the state should have invested the BP settlement money to fund the project instead of using the money as part of their operating budget. Wilson took to her Facebook page to express her opposition. “I’m 100% against a toll to build this bridge whatever the fee.” Wilson continued, “The critical need for a new bridge has been discussed for over a decade. To react as though building it now is an overnight emergency is absurd. It’s the perfect example of government getting away with zero accountability. A household or business cannot operate with the idea that if we cannot balance our budget we can force someone else to pay for it. We must budget within our means or fail and suffer the consequences. It’s a pretty good incentive having to be accountable.”Zeigler himself rallied opponents on his own Facebook page, gathering 55,000 people to fight the project. Other officials on the ESMPO who voted against the toll were Daphne mayor Dane Haygood, Spanish Fort mayor Mike McMillon, Loxley mayor Richard Teal, Fairhope city council president Jack Burrell, Daphne city councilman Ron Scott, Baldwin county commissioner Billie Jo Underwood, and Baldwin county commissioner Joe Davis.Zeigler’s citizen group named Block the Tolls. Support Accountability is still active with 52,000 members. Will the toll issue and toll fighters make a difference in the upcoming municipal elections on August 25? Because the toll proposal could resurface at any time, it is likely that citizens will remain engaged. Since the toll plan was blocked on August 28 of last year, the group succeeded in defeating Amendment One on the March 3rd ballot. It would have taken away the right to vote for or against members of the State School Board and make them all appointed by the governor. The proposal was demolished, 75% no to 25% yes. It was another victory for the ‘No Tolls’ group. Mobile County Commissioner Jerry Carl, who drafted the resolution to remove the toll from the Transportation Improvement Plan won the Republican nomination for Congress on July 14 by a vote of 52% to 48%. Will the 52,000 toll-fighting activists make a difference in the August 25 municipal elections? Will they remember those officials who helped block the toll? Over 2,000 of the toll fighters live in the City of Fairhope, where there is a contested Mayor’s race. Fairhope is considered a bellwether of the continuing influence of Zeigler’s citizen group.
Jim Ziegler calls attention to rise in Board of Adjustment claims due to failed STAARS contract
The Alabama Board of Adjustment, a little-known government entity within the state is responsible for filling one very specific, very important need: making sure those wronged by the state recieve compensation. According to their website, “Under the Alabama Constitution, the State of Alabama is, in most circumstances, immune from lawsuits seeking monetary damages; consequently, the Board of Adjustment represents the only remedy for individuals or businesses seeking payment for damage done by the State of Alabama.” State Auditor Jim Ziegler says that most of the claims the board has seen in recent years are due to the states illegal issuing of flawed software. He sued over the contract in a lawsuit recently dismissed by the state Supreme Court on technical grounds that state law currently doesn’t address circumstances like this one. That hasn’t stopped Ziegler from pointing out the ramifications of the flawed system. In 2018 the state received 1920 claims and only fufilled 1343, paying out just over $14.7 million. However, in 2017 the board recieved 2738 claims, fulling 1934 and shelling out over $40.6 million in the process. “The reason for this increase was one thing – the flawed “STAARS” software which the Bentley administration bought in violation of state bid laws,” State Auditor Jim Zeigler told Alabama Today. “Not only was the STAARS software bought illegally, it was terribly flawed. State Agencies could not pay their bills. State agencies could not even pay each other.” The STARRS software was implemented in October of 2015 as a way to process, approve, and repay vendors across the state. Many vendors have not recieved the money owed them, despite the state agencies’ being willing and able to pay them. Zeigler and the Board of Adjustment heard three claims in July alone in which the vendors have not been paid in over a year, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. Zeigler filed a suit against former Governor Robert Bentley, Acting Finance Director Bill Newton, and CGI, the STAARS software vendor in 2016, and after years of litigation the Ivey administration finally cancelled the remainder of the contract. But Zeigler is still seeking retribution, “my request for restitution to taxpayers from the vendor has been dismissed by the State Supreme Court, My attorneys are now preparing a request for rehearing,” Zeigler told Alabama Today. “With the STAARS contract canceled, the number of claims has fallen down to previous levels becasue the unpaid bills, are getting paid,” Zegiler continued.
Steve Flowers: Looking at the thoroughbreds in governor’s derby
The race for our open U.S. Senate seat will be the marquee political event for the remainder of this year. It will be a great show. However, we have a sensational and pivotal 2018 governor’s race evolving simultaneously. This much-anticipated gubernatorial derby will be affected by the preliminary Senate horse race. The political landscape has changed dramatically with the decisive move by new Governor Kay Ivey to call for the election of Jeff Sessions’ successor to the Senate this year. Unlike in olden days where running a preliminary statewide race was a steppingstone to getting elected four years later, in recent years, losing statewide is not good — especially if that loss has occurred within less than six months. Therefore, three or more thoroughbreds are removed from the governor’s race. One will be in the Senate and the other two will be exiled to Buck’s Pocket and will not be players in the governor’s race. You can remove Roy Moore, Luther Strange and any unknown wealthy person, who can and will spend 5 to 10 million dollars of their own money. This unknown rich man will either be Senator or gone from the scene. Roy Moore’s removal from the governor’s race is the most significant change to the gubernatorial track. His evangelical base, which probably accounts for 20-30 percent of a GOP primary vote, will be splintered among the field. As I peruse the horses grazing in the pasture, let’s take a look at them because the race begins in less than a month, with fundraising for the June 2018 primaries beginning June 6. Before I mention some horses, who look to be front-runners, let me say that most of these folks ain’t ponies. Kay Ivey is 72. She would have probably gone out to pasture had she not become governor. With 18 months as governor she begins to look very gubernatorial. If she decides to run, she will be running as the incumbent and will be a viable horse, if not the front-runner. Huntsville Mayor, Tommy Battle, 61, is going to be a player in this race. He has done an exemplary job as mayor of Alabama’s most important and successful city. Folks, if we did not have Huntsville, we would be last in everything. Battle is popular in his neck of the woods and will come out of the Tennessee Valley with a good many votes. The “Yella Fella,” Jimmy Rane, 70, may make the race for governor. He is a successful businessman worth $600 million, according to Forbes Magazine. His business success has not gone to his head. He is and would come across as a “good ole guy.” Jack Hawkins, the 72-year-old Chancellor of the Troy University System, would be the best-qualified person to be governor. If you put his resume into a merit system roster, the computer would print out his name. He would also be an attractive candidate. Besides building and presiding over a university system for 30 years, he is tall, handsome, and very articulate and exudes honesty and integrity. He would also be the only Marine in the race. David Carrington, 69, is a Jefferson County Commissioner and successful businessman. He could garner significant support from the Birmingham business community. He also should have some name identification from being seen on Birmingham television for six years. John McMillan, 75, is one of the best-liked and successful statewide officeholders in Alabama. He has had a stellar eight-year reign as Agriculture Commissioner. John is a native of Baldwin County, which is one of Alabama’s fastest growing and largest Republican counties. If there is a large field, a strong vote in his home county could catapult him into a runoff. What about the other statewide officeholders? Twinkle Cavanaugh and John Merrill are younger than the aforementioned horses. At 50, they could sit out this race and come back either four or eight years later. Most observers expect Twinkle to run for Lt. Governor. She would be a favorite in that race. John Merrill probably stays another term as Secretary of State, which is prudent. If he and Twinkle bide their time, they would be the front-runners for governor next time around. Two older horses in secondary statewide office are question marks. Young Boozer, 68, is term-limited from running again for Treasurer. He is mum on his plans. State Auditor Jim Ziegler, 68, has garnered a lot of press the last few years from that benign office. Folks would be wise to not underestimate him. However, his best race would be for Attorney General. He would enter as the favorite in that race. 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: Alabama will do just fine under Donald Trump
Alabama is going to fare wall under President Donald Trump. There is an old adage that says, “Those that bake the pie get to eat it.” We truly baked the pie for Trump. We overwhelmingly supported him in the GOP primary and helped him secure the nomination. We then gave him one of the largest mandates in the nation in the November General Election. Trump is indeed returning the favor. He has named our own Jeff Sessions Attorney General. His confirmation hearings begin this week. In addition, speculation is that Alabama’s Bill Pryor is on a very short list to be named to the U.S. Supreme Court by Trump to fill the vacancy on the Court of the late Antonin Scalia. Pryor is a former Alabama Attorney General, who currently sits on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. Pryor is only 54. He served as Alabama Attorney General from 1997-2004. He was the youngest state attorney general in the country at that time. He was appointed to the federal bench in 2005 by President George W. Bush. During his 11 years on the federal bench he has rendered a sterling conservative record. Pryor and Sessions have amazingly similar backgrounds. Both call Mobile their native home. Both were Attorney General of Alabama. Both have impeccable arch-conservative philosophies and pedigrees. They are kindred spirits and good friends. That is probably why Pryor is on Trump’s short list for the High Court. Most of the frontrunners to win the open Sessions Senate seat have avoided Bentley’s appointment. So how is the race shaking out to fill the Sessions’ seat? The frontrunner out of the gate is Attorney General Luther Strange. Big Luther has run three successful statewide races and is sitting on over 50 percent statewide name recognition. Furthermore, he is dedicated to running and has been for 20 years. He spent the first 20 years of his professional career lobbying in Washington for Sonat. He came home 20 years ago to run for a secondary statewide office and lay the groundwork to get back to Washington as a U.S. Senator. He has been biding his time for his buddies Sessions and Shelby to retire or move on. When Sessions’ appointment became imminent, Big Luther hit the ground running and has been raising money for 2018 for two months. The other statewide elected officials will probably not join the 2018 Senate fray. Secretary of State John Merrill has a good future. He is 53 and will probably run for re-election or maybe Lieutenant Governor. PSC President Twinkle Cavanaugh will probably run for Lieutenant Governor or maybe Governor. It is uncertain what State Treasurer Young Boozer will do. However, his tentativeness has probably left him out of the Senate race. Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan is running for Governor. State Auditor Jim Ziegler will run for Governor, Attorney General or re-election. Roy Moore is the favorite to win the 2018 Governor’s Race. Congressman Robert Aderholt would be the best qualified to run and succeed Sessions. He and Sessions went to Washington together 20 years ago. However, his 20 years of seniority in the House has placed him in a powerful congressional leadership position. He is poised to be Chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. His move to being a freshman Senator would be a lateral move. Alabama and his district would be best served by his staying in the House. Mobile and Baldwin County folks believe that they deserve the Senate seat since Sessions is a Mobilian. There are three potential candidates from the Port City/Gulf Coast Region. Former Congressman Jo Bonner is not going to run. Current Congressman Bradley Byrne would have the best chance to win among all the potential Mobile candidates. He was almost elected Governor. However, Byrne is probably not going to leave his safe congressional seat. He likes it and is good at it. State Senator Trip Pittman from Baldwin County is in the race and is running hard. If he continues to be the only major horse from that area in the race and it becomes a crowded field, he may be in a runoff. Speaking of regionalism, look at a horse from Huntsville to enter the race. If there is one primary candidate from the Tennessee Valley they will be a player. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle may pivot and move from the Governor’s race to the Senate. Folks in that area have always been more interested in national politics than state politics because of the Redstone Arsenal. State Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh of Anniston seems very interested in this open U.S. Senate seat. He has sought the Bentley appointment. However, being a powerful State Senator does not translate into statewide name identification. 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.
Speaker Mike Hubbard appoints former pol who removed Confederate flags to state board
While one could get rich off asking the question “What was he thinking?” about Speaker Mike Hubbard, I have to question why, in the midst of his own criminal trial, Speaker Hubbard would attract unnecessary negative attention to himself by making what can only be considered a questionable appointment. As Alabama Today previously reported, in May former lawmaker Myron Penn decided that it was his right, responsibility even, to walk into a public cemetery and remove small confederate flags that had been planted on the graves of confederate soldiers because he personally deemed them offensive. The story received national attention and though defenders of the confederate flag noted that it is against the law to remove things from gravesides ultimately no charges were filed. Now reasonable people would probably think this is where Penn’s story would end however in a social media post last week State Auditor Jim Ziegler announced that he had been tipped off to Penn’s appointment to the State Personnel Board. Ziegler initially wrote a scathing social media report believing Governor Robert Bentley made the appointment. He later removed his original post when the Governor’s office denied the appointment. Alabama Today was able to confirm that Speaker Mike Hubbard had indeed appointed Penn. As to why he got the appointment Speaker Hubbard’s office said, “Mr. Penn was selected to serve on the State Personnel Board based on his career experience and legislative service, which provided the needed familiarity with state employee issues.” When asked about the flag incident the speakers office replied, “To my knowledge, the State Personnel Board does not make decisions on where the confederate flag is flown so that was not part of the consideration for this position.” Fair point if not for the question about Penn’s judgement. By removing the flags based on his personal beliefs does Penn believe he’s above the law or rules and that his personal beliefs trump that of others? When there were other alternatives available, such as calling the city to report or question the flags, why did Penn feel like instead he should walk into a cemetery and remove items for the graveyards of soldiers? In the bigger picture I believe this is a matter of judgement and today I’m questioning not just Penn’s but also Speaker Hubbard’s.
