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.
Kay Ivey sworn in for her second full term
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and other state constitutional officers will be sworn in today in Montgomery. Gov. Ivey, Attorney General Steve Marshall, Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, and Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate will be sworn in for their second term. Secretary of State Wes Allen and State Auditor Andrew Sorrell will be sworn in for their first terms. State Treasurer Young Boozer returns for another term. The festivities began Sunday with the Made in Alabama Reception at the Alabama Governor’s Mansion. The traditional Morning Prayer Service was held at 8:15 am. The Governor began inauguration day with an early morning prayer service at her home church, First Baptist Church in Montgomery. The Swearing-in Ceremony followed at 10:00 am. With one hand on the Bible, Governor Ivey took the oath of office on the Alabama State Capitol steps and was sworn into her second term as governor. The investiture ceremony for new Associate Alabama Supreme Court Justice Greg Cooke was on Friday. All of Alabama’s Constitutional Officers are Republicans since Democrats have been able to field a competitive slate of candidates since 2008 as the state increasingly tends to vote overwhelmingly Republican. Following the swearing-in ceremony, there will be a celebratory parade to mark the inauguration and another peaceful transfer of power. The parade will follow up Dexter Avenue to the historic 1859 State Capitol Building. The parade will showcase and celebrate Alabama’s diverse communities and talent. Attendance at the parade is free for all Alabamians and their families. Ivey will host an exclusive donor reception at 6:00 pm for her donors to thank those supporters who went above and beyond to keep Alabama working. The Inaugural Gala will follow at 7:00 pm. A formal gala will be held to commemorate Alabama’s first Republican female governor and celebrate Governor Ivey’s dedication to keep Alabama growing. Ivey was born on a cattle farm in Wilcox County during World War II on October 15, 1944. She is the oldest governor in the country. She graduated from Auburn University, where she served in the school’s student government association. She worked as a teacher in California before returning to Alabama, where she has held several posts in state government, including serving in Gov. Fob James’ cabinet and working for Speaker of the House Joe McCorquodale. Ivey served two terms as State Treasurer from 2003 to 2011. In 2010 she shocked the political world by unseating Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom Jr. in the 2010 Republican wave election that gave the GOP undivided control of the Alabama State government. Ivey was re-elected Lt. Gov in 2014. She was elevated to governor in April 2017 when then-Governor Robert Bentley resigned rather than be impeached. Ivey was elected in 2018 and then re-elected last November. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Steve Flowers: Year end tradition — remembering those we’ve lost
At the close of each year, my tradition is to acknowledge the passing away of significant political leaders from the political stage in our beloved state. We lost some icons this year. As I sit in my office writing this yearend column, pictures of two of my favorite friends and legends adorn my walls. The photos of GovernorAlbert Brewer and Congressman Jim Martin look down at me. Both were Christian gentlemen. Governor Brewer passed away last January in Birmingham. He was 88. We had visited over lunch only a few months earlier. Brewer grew up in Decatur, went to public schools and graduated from the University of Alabama and Alabama Law School. He came back home to Morgan County to practice law. He was quickly elected to the House of Representatives in 1954 at the age of 25. Eight years later in 1962, he was elected Speaker of the House. He was only 33-years old, the youngest Speaker in history. Four years later, he beat two state senators without a runoff to win the Lt. Governor’s office. He had been Lt. Governor for less than two years when in May 1968, Governor Lurleen Wallace succumbed to cancer and he became governor. Brewer had a low-key business-like style to the governor’s office that was dramatically different from George Wallace. He was governor for only 33 months, but he left an indelible mark in public policy, primarily in Education and Ethics. He and Wallace clashed in the 1970 governor’s race, which was one of the classic gubernatorial battles in state history. He led Wallace in the first primary, but Wallace overtly played the race card and pulled out a narrow victory in the runoff. Many scholars and historians sadly reflect that Brewer briefly was our “New South” governor. He spent the last three decades of his life teaching law at Samford’s Cumberland Law School. He molded generations of young lawyers in Alabama. My daughter, Ginny, was one of them. He was her mentor and friend up until he passed away. I first met Governor Brewer when I was a teenager. I became a page for him when he was Speaker and continued as his aide when he became Lt. Governor. We remained friends throughout the years. He was a very special gentleman. Jim Martin passed away last month. He was 99 years old. He was a lifetime resident of Gadsden. Jim was one of the fathers of the modern Republican Party in the South. He was one of five Republicans swept into Congress in the 1964 Goldwater landslide. In 1987, Martin became Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. As commissioner, Martin helped create the Forever Wild Land preservation program. Jim Martin was a special gentleman. Cullman County has been home to an inordinate number of legendary Alabama political leaders and icons. One of these was Tom Drake. Tom passed away in his beloved Cullman County in February at age 86. He represented the Cullman area for 36 years in the Alabama Legislature. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives during Wallace’s last term, 1982-1986. That was my first term in the House. I voted for and supported Tom for Speaker. He was one of George Wallace’s closest and most loyal allies. Tom was also one of Bear Bryant’s favorites. He coached for Bryant, was an All American wrestler at Alabama, and later wrestled professionally. He was a lawyer by profession and he came from the old school. If he shook your hand and gave you his word, you could take it to the bank. He was a loyal and trusted friend. Another legendary Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, Joe McCorquodale, died in April at age 96. Mr. McCorquodale was one of the most powerful and respected men to ever serve in the legislature in Alabama history. He served 24 yeas in the House from 1958-1982. He was Speaker of the House his last eight years, 1974-1982. He was a successful businessman. He was in the timber and insurance business. He lived his entire life in his beloved Clarke County. The Clarke County Democrat publisher, Jim Cox, a lifetime friend of Mr. McCorquodale, said he went to his office every day up until his death. McCorquodale gave current governor, Kay Ivey, her first job in state government. As Speaker, he made Kay the Reading Clerk in the House. We lost some icons this year. Happy New Year, 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
