Tuscaloosa works to create a mental health court
An Alabama city is working to establish a mental health court inside the city’s municipal court. “This is one way, with really misdemeanor offenses, that those with mental health needs, that get into our system, can get treatment and help instead of jail-time,” Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said Friday. Police responded to 612 mental wellness calls and 198 suicide calls in 2020, the city said. Maddox recently appointed five people to a committee to provide recommendations that would help establish such a court, WBRC-TV reported. “We need people who are going through acute mental health distress to get services and not be part of the court system,” Maddox said. Maddox considers a mental health court similar to diversion programs that work with first-time offenders. “This allows the judge to sentence somebody to treatment instead of jail. We see this as no different. It provides the judge a list of options that are not as punitive, that could actually treat the mental health illness, instead of someone being sentenced to serve time or pay a large fine, but does nothing to deal with the mental health trauma that they’re going through at the time,” he said. Maddox wants the mental health committee to present recommendations on a mental health court before the end of this year. He hopes to have it operating by early 2022. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
German firm SWJ Technology to build headquarters in Tuscaloosa
A German firm is opening its new North American headquarters in Alabama. SWJ Technology will build the new 5,000-square-foot facility in a part of Tuscaloosa that was devastated by a tornado in April 2011, The Tuscaloosa News reported. The company has more than 85 employees in the Southeast United States. It started in 2003 in Frankfurt, German, and was known as SWJ-Breilmann until a name change earlier this year. It provides services to companies such as Mercedes-Benz U.S. International and the suppliers that service it. The company plans to relocate aspects of its Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Greenville, South Carolina operations to Tuscaloosa, officials said. The firm was recently awarded a $200,000 federal grant through the city’s Innovate Tuscaloosa program. That was a major factor in selecting Tuscaloosa over Chattanooga and Greenville as the central hub of its U.S. and Mexican operations, SWJ President Wolfgang Kneer said. SWJ Technology expects to invest about $1.5 million into the new, 5,000-square-foot (1,500-square-meter) facility, Kneer said. The grant program is funded with proceeds from disaster recovery dollars administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It was created last year as a way to fuel business development and create jobs by bringing services to areas that have yet to recover from the tornado. The company’s decision to build its headquarters in the Alberta neighborhood is a “game changer” on par with Mercedes-Benz choosing Tuscaloosa County for its first North American manufacturing facility in the 1990s, said Tuscaloosa Councilman Kip Tyner, who represents the area. “How many times have you heard about high-tech jobs, retaining the best and the brightest? That’s exactly what this company is going to be able to do,” Tyner said. “But for Alberta itself, it’s on an area that had close to 7 percent of the entire city’s crime just eight years ago, and now you’re talking about a corporate headquarters of an international company.” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Walt Maddox proposes penny tax for ‘Elevate Tuscaloosa’ project
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox has proposed a one-cent sales tax to raise money for the Elevate Tuscaloosa initiative, ABC 3340 reports. Maddox believes this will shift Tuscaloosa from a retail economy to an experience-based, technology-driven city through improvements to transportation, education, and recreation over the next 10 years. Elevate Tuscaloosa consists of 19 projects that will improve mass transit, develop centers for performing arts, adds parts and sports venues, enhance the education system. “If our economy wants to grow, we got to attract and retain the best and brightest. We have a distinct advantage over most cities. We have the University of Alabama, we have Shelton State and Stillman College. We need them to not only build their business here, but raise their families here,” Maddox told ABC. Maddox says this is about growth for the future. “This is not about where we are. We can continue where we are. That’s not an issue but if we want to elevate our city. If we want to be competitive in this 21st century technology driven environment, We have to change the way we think about the economy,” Maddox said, according to WBRC. “It’s about my son Eli and my daughter Taylor, building a Tuscaloosa where they can get a high quality education..where they can go find a quality job,” The city hasn’t seen a tax increase in nearly 30 years, ABC says, so Maddox has proposed this as one way to raise the $250 million necessary for the project. “We’re going to take the revenue that’s going to be generated by this investment. They will not be co-mingled with our general fund and they will be used for those 19 specific projects only,” said Maddox. Tuscaloosa City Council is waiting for more specifics before committing. “I’m looking at it, is it balanced? Is there one area of the city that seems to be favored over all the other districts? I’m going to depend heavily on the people who elected me to see how the winds blowing,” Tuscaloosa City Councilman Kip Tyner told WBRC. As part of the proposed tax increase, the city will ask the state legislature for grocery stores to be exempt from municipal sales tax. That would reduce the tax rate from nine percent to seven. There will be an open house on Wednesday, February 6 at the Tuscaloosa River Market from 4-7 p.m to see the project, how the city proposes to fund it, and ask questions. Elevate Tuscaloosa’s 19 projects Experience venue: a large-capacity venue drawing thousands of visitors annually – resulting in direct and indirect jobs as well as infusing millions of dollars into Tuscaloosa’s experience economy Cost: $60M Implementation: FY2025 Improvements to Tuscaloosa National Airport: A commercial and TSA-ready terminal, runway enhancement, and public safety enhancements. Cost: $15M Implementation: FY2024 Workforce and Downtown Transit: Mass transit for the workers and expanded hours and days. Rapid transit for tourists to stimulate economic growth. Cost: $6.9M Implementation: FY2021 Project Trinity: A local match to infrastructure improvements. Cost: $7.5M Implementation: Undefined Nichol-Harris Water Recreation & Trails Experience: Create a national park out of this area which will bring jobs and visitors. Cost: Undefined Implementation: 2021 Bama Theater: Upgrades to a historic venue including enhancements to the educational experience. Cost: $3M Implementation: 2023 McDonald Hughes Event Complex: A venue allowing the city to recruit athletic tournaments (including basketball and volleyball). Cost: $18M Implementation: 2025 Center Court Tuscaloosa: Indoor and/or outdoor tennis courts. Consolidation of all public tennis courts into one site. Cost: $3.5M Implementation: 2023 McAbee Senior Center: Expanding fitness, proving a new fitness track, adding a new lap pool. Cost: Undefined Implementation: 2023 Phelps Center: Upgrades including a new lap pool, racquetball, and fitness center. A new trail. Cost: Undefined Implementation: 2024 Western Riverwalk: Continue the Riverwalk expansion west from the amphitheater. Cost: $5M Implementation: 2023 Northern Riverwalk: Riverwalk expansion. Cost: $2M Implementation: 2024 Snow Hinton Park: Upgrade the pedestrian experience with paths, lighting, and other needs. Cost: $2M Implementation: 2022 Bowers Park: Become a baseball and softball “megasite.” Upgraded lighting, facilities, and access. Cost: $10M Implementation: 2024 Sokol Park: Make this the primary center for soccer, lacrosse, and football. Upgraded lighting, facilities, and access. Additional fields. Cost: Undefined Implementation: 2023 Tuscaloosa Public Library: Complete necessary upgrades. Cost: $1.25M Implementation: Undefined Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative: Additional classrooms and opportunities for Pre-K. Cost: $4.8M Implementation: 2020 Summer Learning Academy: Extending this program to address summer learning loss. Cost: Undefined Implementation: 2020 Job and Career-ready Scholarships: Scholarships to prepare students for college or jobs of the future. Cost: $9.7M Implementation: 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e80tLVztXSA
Montgomery VA Medical Center earns 1-star facility rating, others improve
A new report from the Veterans Administration shows two Alabama VA medical centers have made some improvements in its quality of services over the past year, while another remains stagnant. As part of their efforts to remain transparent and hold VA facilities accountable, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) on Wednesday released end of fiscal year 2018 (FY2018) hospital Star ratings, which evaluate and benchmark quality of care delivery at VA medical centers (VAMCs) across the nation. In Alabama, on a 1 through 5 star scale, they rated: Birmingham: 4-star (score went up) Montgomery: 1-star (trivial change, did not improve) Tuscaloosa: 3-star (score went up) “With closer monitoring and increased medical center leadership and support we have seen solid improvements at most of our facilities,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “Even our highest performing facilities are getting better, and that is driving up our quality standards across the country.” The Star rating designation is designed to help VA identify best practices of its top performing hospitals and share them across VA’s health care system to achieve system-wide improvements. “There’s no doubt that there’s still plenty of work to do, but I’m proud of our employees, who work tirelessly to move VA in the right direction for Veterans and taxpayers,” Wilkie added. Birmingham Birmingham remains a bright spot for veterans within the Alabama care system. Over the past three years it has steadily improved having received a 3-star rating in 2016, going up to a 4-star in 2017 and now pulling another 4-star with additional signs of improvement. “Providing high quality healthcare and benefits to our nations Veterans is one of our most fundamental obligations,” said Rep. Terri Sewell. “I’m proud of the tireless work that VA professionals are doing in Birmingham to save lives and improve healthcare quality standards for our Veterans and service members. Here in Congress, I have supported VA reforms like the Veterans’ Access, Choice and Accountability Act, a bill which allowed Veterans to receive care from private doctors when there’s a backlog and which increases accountability and transparency within the VA. I also introduced and helped pass a VA hiring amendment that encouraged the VA Secretary to select eligible employees for its fellowship program who represent rural areas. I’ve visited the Birmingham VA and met with the staff there, which is why I am not surprised to learn that they have maintained their 4-star rating. Our fight to provide Veterans across Alabama with timely and responsive access to quality care is far from over, and I applaud the Birmingham VA medical center on the strides it has made.” Montgomery In 2015, the director of the Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHCS), or Montgomery VA, was removed from his post when a pattern of gross mismanagement and systemic malfeasance was exposed. Weeks later he became the first VA official in the country fired under our new VA accountability law. Since that time the Montgomery VA has been under a federal microscope and was making many improvements. However, after improving from 2015 to 2017 and receiving a 3-star rating for two years in a row, the state’s capital city VA hospital dropped to a 1-star, out of 5, in 2018. Someone who has been working hard to hold the Montgomery VA accountable and improve their service is Alabama 2nd District Rep. Martha Roby. She calls the newly released rating “unacceptable.” “The news that the Central Alabama VA has dropped from a 3-star rating to a 1-star rating is completely unacceptable,” Roby told Alabama Today. “Our veterans represent the very best of this country, and it is incumbent upon us to ensure they receive the best possible care we can provide. Significant work is needed to achieve this goal. She continued, “I have been and will remain actively engaged with CAVHCS Director Dr. Linda Boyle and other VA leadership to improve care for our veterans so that it is easily accessible and of the highest quality. As always, I encourage veterans in Alabama’s Second District to contact my office with problems related to VA casework. I am deeply disappointed in this rating, and my top priority continues to be that we treat our veterans properly.” Rating methodology The VA uses a comprehensive performance improvement tool called Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) that includes key metrics used by the private sector as well as additional metrics that are important for addressing access to care, quality of mental health care, employee perception about the organization, nursing turnover, efficiency and capacity. The metrics are organized into 9 Quality domains and one Efficiency and Capacity domain. The Quality domains are combined to represent overall Quality. Each VA medical center is assessed for overall Quality from two perspectives: Relative Performance compared to other VA medical centers using a Star rating system from 1 to 5. Improvement compared to its own performance from the past year. Both relative performance and size of improvement are used to guide improve efforts.
Alabama fraternity says business violated civil rights
A fraternity hoping to rent a restaurant pavilion for a social event says in a lawsuit that the Alabama business refused because most of its members are black. The Tuscaloosa Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity made the allegations in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed last week against the Cypress Inn in Tuscaloosa. The fraternity says it paid a $1,500 reservation fee in early 2017, but the plans fell through when a black fraternity member met in person with a white woman from the restaurant to finalize details. “A comment was made by the Cypress Inn representative that she did not know the plaintiffs were an ‘all black’ group,” the lawsuit states. The white restaurant owner later said the establishment has had problems with their “kind” in the past, the lawsuit states. The fraternity was told it could not rent the venue due to insufficient security personnel, it said in the lawsuit. “The allegations of discrimination are completely untrue,” the Cypress Inn said in a statement to The Associated Press Tuesday. “Our outside security firm recommended against hosting the party because the fraternity was proposing to sell tickets to the public and our security firm strongly recommended against hosting that type party out of concern for public safety.” “We look forward to presenting the complete facts to the Court,” the statement said. “We are confident we will prevail.” The fraternity offered to provide added security at its own expense, but the offer was rejected, it said in the lawsuit. “Plaintiffs even presented the Defendant with pictures of past events and stated that their membership was comprised of African-American professionals and business leaders,” the lawsuit states. The fraternity said it had already advertised and sold tickets for the event, had to refund some tickets and ended up hosting the gathering at another location. The ordeal caused the fraternity to lose some money for the event, which was a fundraiser to benefit local mentoring programs, it said in the lawsuit. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Tuscaloosa, Northport police departments experience officer shortage
The Tuscaloosa and Northport police departments are both facing officer shortages. According to the Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa needs 20 more officers, as the city is budgeted for 285 officers, but with 265 is down 7 percent. Meanwhile, nearby Northport needs nine more officers as the city has budgeted 63 officers, and it only has 54, or 14 percent. “For the most part, the vast majority of the community is not going to realize we have an officer shortage,” said Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steve Anderson. “Our response times have gone up. People may have to wait a little longer for an officer to respond to a call, and we have to prioritize based on the severity of the situation.” But chiefs from both cities say the officer shortage is not affecting public safety. “Providing services to the public is not a problem for us,” weighed-in Northport Police Chief Gerald Burton. “We can still staff our shirts and maintain with what we have.”
Tuscaloosa sheriff’s office vindicated, threatens legal action against internet trolls
Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy called a press conference on Wednesday to announce the lawsuit over an investigation regarding the alleged rape of Megan Rondini, a former University of Alabama who killed herself after reporting a sexual assault as a student, has been dismissed. The lawsuit at hand, filed in July 2017, claims the school and Tuscaloosa law enforcement officials mishandled Rodini’s sexual assault allegations, which led her to commit suicide. News of the dismissal comes two months after the University of Alabama reached a settlement agreement with the Rodini family from their portion of the suit. “A lawsuit filed against two investigators and me regarding the Megan Rondini suicide has been dismissed,” Abernathy announced at the press conference. “It was dismissed because it was unfounded from the beginning.” He continued, “After several months of unjust accusations against my office and other Tuscaloosa law enforcement agencies, the truth has indeed finally prevailed… This case and the investigation has undergone complete scrutiny, proving beyond any doubt that the accusations previously made against the Sheriff’s Office and our community were completely false.” Abernathy claims false allegations made about the case have led some victims to be “reluctant to come forward to report cases.” “We hope this incident will serve as a lesson to all that social media cannot, and should not, be the venue in which any case is tried, and that social media sites should not be trusted as a reliable source of substantiated information regarding important matters. False allegations made by internet bloggers and perpetuated by local political hacks have done damage to our community in that some victims have been reluctant to come forward to report cases, fearing that their information will be made known on social media,” he said. He also threatened to take legal action against those who have publicly weighed in on the case; “For those who have facilitated these injustices on Facebook and other sites, civil litigation should be expected, if for no other reason than to prevent this from occurring in the future.” “Baseless slander directed against innocent parties should be addressed and the offending parties held accountable. Those who perpetuate the false allegations for their own political gain should be held accountable. Their lack of integrity and self-serving disregard for the truth resulted in an unjustified attack on our community and many of its most respected institutions. Our message must be strong and clear, that libelous behavior will not be tolerated,” Abernathy concluded. Read Abernathy’s full statement below: When I was elected Sheriff of Tuscaloosa County, I understood the public position I was taking and that criticism often comes with it. As Sheriff, unwarranted attacks on my character and judgement come with the job, except for intentional, false, misleading and malicious conduct. We trust that the truth will ultimately prevail. After several months of unjust accusations against my office and other Tuscaloosa law enforcement agencies, the truth has indeed finally prevailed. A lawsuit filed against two investigators and me regarding the Megan Rondini suicide has been dismissed. It was dismissed because it was unfounded from the beginning. The investigation that was the subject of the lawsuit has been examined thoroughly and completely by several entities, and actions taken by Sheriff’s Office investigators have been affirmed. After it was investigated, it was heard in its entirety by a Grand Jury. No probable cause that a crime had occurred was found and no indictment was issued. Our actions were questioned and, at my request, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office reviewed the case and approved our investigators’ actions, and the investigative process. Finally, a federal district court decided the case and dismissed all civil litigation against me and against the investigators. This case and the investigation has undergone complete scrutiny, proving beyond any doubt that the accusations previously made against the Sheriff’s Office and our community were completely false. We hope this incident will serve as a lesson to all that social media cannot, and should not, be the venue in which any case is tried, and that social media sites should not be trusted as a reliable source of substantiated information regarding important matters. False allegations made by internet bloggers and certain out of state journalists, and perpetuated by local political hacks have done damage to our community in that some victims have been reluctant to come forward to report cases, fearing that their information will be made known on social media. For those who have facilitated these injustices on Facebook and other sites, civil litigation should be expected, if for no other reason than to prevent this from occurring in the future. Baseless slander directed against innocent parties should be addressed and the offending parties held accountable. Those who perpetuate the false allegations for their own political gain should be held accountable. Their lack of integrity and self-serving disregard for the truth resulted in an unjustified attack on our community and many of its most respected institutions. Our message must be strong and clear, that libelous behavior will not be tolerated.
Mayor proclaims May 12 Lemonade Day, encourages mini-entrepreneurs in Orange Beach
During the city council meeting last Tuesday, Orange Beach, Ala. Mayor Tony Kennon proclaimed this Saturday, May 12, Lemonade Day Coastal Alabama. The event is part of a national program called lemonadeday.org, whose, “foremost objective is to help today’s youth become the business leaders, social advocates, community volunteers and forward-thinking citizens of tomorrow.” Over 80 children are expected to participate in the event in Orange Beach. Each child will start on Saturday by, owning and operating their very own business using the model of a lemonade stand. Then Sunday, May 6, a taste-test competition will take place at The Wharf. The winner of Lemonade Day will then be named Entrepreneur of the Year. “They will earn a yellow beach cruiser bike and also be entered into the National Entrepreneur of the Year contest with lemonadeday.org. That winner will get a week’s vacation with their family to Disney World. We’re really excited,” said Coastal Alabama Business Chamber Chairman Nick Wilmott. “We are always looking to connect our business members to the community,” Wilmott said. “We sponsor our academies at the high school. We sponsor Dolphin Tank at the middle school but we really didn’t have anything to really teach our children from kindergarten through sixth grade the business skills in entrepreneurship that we live in everyday.” “This island is full of entrepreneurs. It’s what makes this island go every single day and these kids grow up in it not really understanding it so we found Lemonade Day. Orange Beach will be one of 60 cities in the United States; second in Alabama. Tuscaloosa is the only other Alabama city doing this. And we’re doing this and it’s free to every child that wants to do it. Over 80 children have registered already to do this and we’re really excited.” Read the full proclamation below: Whereas, Lemonade Day is a free, community-wide educational event providing children with the opportunity to learn and apply entrepreneurial thinking and create a foundation for success in the global economy; and Whereas, Lemonade Day exists to infuse today’s youth with the spirit of enterprise, teaching the basic business and entrepreneurial skills necessary to become successful, contributing members of their communities; and Whereas, Lemonade Day has a core philosophy of Spend, Save, and Share that is implemented by teaching children how to start, own and operate a business, learn goal-setting, develop a business plan, establish a budget, seek investors, provide customer service, and give back to the community; and Whereas, Lemonade Day offers opportunities for families, businesses, schools, youth organizations, faith-based communities, neighborhoods, institutes of higher learning, and government agencies to unite for a common purpose – to train the next generation of entrepreneurs; and Whereas, Lemonade Day is an event that demonstrates to young people of Orange Beach that they are important, and citizens care about their future; and Whereas, the City of Orange Beach salutes and commends organizers, volunteers, and participants of Lemonade Day, a program that advances life skills, character, and entrepreneurship, and extends best wishes for a successful and rewarding observance. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Orange Beach City Council and Mayor that the second Saturday in May, is LEMONADE DAY COASTAL ALABAMA and all Orange Beach residents are encouraged to participate and have a role in either selling or buying lemonade on May 12, 2018. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Seal of the City of Orange Beach, Alabama, this 1st day of May, 2018. Tony Kennon, Mayor
Three of Alabama’s Big 5 cities rank in top 4% of cities with the most student debt
College graduates owe around $1.521 trillion in student loans — a depressing figure for the many graduates who leave school with debt that exceeds their income. Among those American cities with most student loan debt are three of Alabama’s Big 5 cities. According to a new study by personal finance website WalletHub, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery and Montgomery rank among the top four percent of American cities with the most student loan debt. Taking the top spot of the most student debt in the Yellowhammer State is Tuscaloosa. Ranked in the 98th percentile of cities studied (99th percentile is the highest). Following closely behind each in the 96th percentile are Birmingham and Montgomery. To determine the cities where Americans are most over-leveraged on their college-related debts, WalletHub analysts divided the median student-loan balance in 2017 by the median earnings of adults age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree in 2,515 U.S. cities. Here’s what they found in Alabama: Student debt in Tuscaloosa (99th percentile = highest): Median student-loan balance: $25,993 Median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: $41,257 Ratio of student debt to median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: 63.00% (98th percentile) Student debt in Montgomery (99th percentile = highest): Median student-loan balance: $25,490 Median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: $42,964 Ratio of student debt to median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: 59.33% (96th percentile) Student debt in Birmingham (99th percentile = highest): Median student-loan balance: $24,514 Median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: $41,335 Ratio of student debt to median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: 59.30% (96th percentile) Other key findings 42% of students say credit card debt worries them more than student loan debt. 63% of college students say their school is not doing enough to educate them about personal finance. 1 in 3 college students think they’ll be worse off financially than their parents. 1 in 4 students say excellent credit is worth more than a college degree.
On this day in Alabama history: State capital relocated to Tuscaloosa
The state capital was relocated from Cahaba to Tuscaloosa. Located in Dallas County, Cahaba – originally known as Cahawba – was designated the future state’s permanent capital in 1818 when Gov. William Wyatt Bibb used his connections to arrange for a free land grant at the site from the federal government. At the Constitutional Convention in 1819, however, Cahaba’s detractors successfully passed a constitutional provision designating it as the capital only until 1825. That year, Tuscaloosa’s advocates narrowly succeeded in relocating the capital, citing frequent floods and health concerns in Cahaba. Tuscaloosa served as the capital until 1846, when the Legislature moved the capital to Montgomery to accommodate a population shift to the east. Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.
Southern engineering firm Neel-Schaffer promotes three Alabama leaders
Neel-Shaffer —a multi-disciplined engineering and planning firm that today ranks as one of the largest privately held, employee-owned engineering firms in the South —has announced the promotion of three Alabama leaders within its company. The new leaders are Chris Sellers, John Murphy, and Alicia Rudolph. “I am extremely proud of each of these employees, for how they have helped our firm grow and prosper, and for what they are doing to make a difference in their communities,” said Hibbett Neel, co-founder, CEO and President of Neel-Schaffer. “Our goal is to hire quality employees who make a mark on the communities in which they live and work, and these individuals are great examples of that Details on each promotion can be found below: Chris Sellers has been promoted to Senior Vice President in the firm. Sellers joined the firm in 1999 and currently oversees the firm’s operations in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. He is based in the firm’s Birmingham, Ala. office, and markets Neel-Schaffer services throughout the Southeast. John Murphy has been named a Vice President in the firm, Murphy joined the firm in 2013 and is currently the Senior Engineer Manager for Neel-Schaffer’s Mobile, Ala. office. He has over 40 years of engineering and management experience, including 36 years spent as an Assistant County Engineer for Mobile county. Alicia Rudolph has also been named a Vice President. She joined Neel-Schaffer in 2015 and currently serves as the Engineer Manager of the firm’s office in Tuscaloosa, Ala.. Rudolph has almost 25 years of experience in the transportation and aviation engineering fields.
Steve Flowers: Tuscaloosa was once the state capitol, essentially it is again
Awhile back, during Dr. Robert Bentley’s tenure as governor, I wrote a column entitled, “They May as Well Move the Capitol to Tuscaloosa.” Never before in Alabama history has a city had a sitting governor and the state’s senior U.S. Senator hail from that particular place. Even with the departure of Bentley as governor, the Druid City has an inordinate amount of presence in the state’s political sphere of influence. Senator Richard Shelby is in his 32nd year as our U.S. Senator. With that kind of seniority, comes immense power in Washington. Shelby is Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and is easily one of the three most powerful U.S. Senators. Secretary of State, John Merrill, is from Tuscaloosa. He served in the Legislature prior to winning statewide office. Scott Donaldson serves on the State Court of Appeals. He was a Circuit Judge in Tuscaloosa prior to his move to the state court. Judge John England currently sits on the Bench as a Tuscaloosa Circuit Judge. He has previously served on the State Supreme Court. He is one of the most respected men in the state. Judge England’s son, Chris England, has represented Tuscaloosa in the House of Representatives very effectively for 11-years. Chris is not only a stellar legislator; he is a practicing lawyer and an expert on Alabama football, which he grew up watching. Tuscaloosa County Probate Judge Hardy McCollum has been in his office for over 41 years. He is nearing the end of an unprecedented seventh six-year term. That means that Hardy was first elected in 1976. Over the years, he has generally been considered the most popular political figure in Tuscaloosa County. State senator, Gerald Allen, has been representing his native Tuscaloosa County in the state Legislature for 24-years. He served 16-years in the State House prior to his election to the State Senate eight years ago in 2010. He is considered one of the most conservative members of the State Senate. Some folks believe that this time next year, Tuscaloosa may regain the Governor’s office. Their very popular, 45-year old mayor, Walt Maddox, will likely be the Democratic standard-bearer in the 2018 Governor’s race. Young Mr. Maddox is very popular in his hometown. He has been the historic city’s 36th mayor since 2005, which means he was first elected at the ripe old age of 32. Although not Tuscaloosa’s, there are some influential powers that live nearby and represent them in the Halls of Congress and the State Senate. Congressman Robert Aderholt from Haleyville represents Tuscaloosa as well as outstanding State Senators Greg Reed of Jasper and Bobby Singleton of Greensboro. Lastly but certainly not least, Tuscaloosa lays claim to the most popular and consensus brightest rising star in the Alabama Legislature. State Representative Bill Poole is a crown jewel that Tuscaloosa can be very proud to call their own. Bill Poole is a lawyer by profession. His utmost priority is his devotion to his wife, Nicole, and his three children, Sally, William, and Whitman. The Poole’s are active members of the First Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa. Bill earned his B.S. and Law degrees from the University of Alabama and began his law practice in Tuscaloosa, in 2004. This Republican District 63 encompasses primarily the City and suburbs of Tuscaloosa. Dr. Bentley was the Representative from this District prior to Poole. Tim Parker represented this district prior to Bentley. Poole came to the House with a large group of Republicans in 2010. He immediately became a leader of that group. The entire Legislature quickly recognized his potential. By the end of his first year in 2011, it was evident that Poole was clearly the star of that 34-member class. When you asked every veteran observer of Goat Hill about the class, the first name on the list was Bill Poole. He is liked and respected by members on both sides of the aisle. In only his second term, he became Chairman of the Ways and Means Education Budget Committee. When Mike Hubbard was removed as Speaker, it was a foregone conclusion that Poole was going to be Speaker. He turned down the post because he wanted to be able to spend time with his young family. At 38 the sky is the limit for Poole. However, folks in Tuscaloosa hope he stays put. For a city that is home to the University of Alabama, having the Chairman of the Education Budget Committee is a pretty good coup. Tuscaloosa was once the Capitol. Some would say essentially it is again. In fact preliminary census estimations project that Tuscaloosa will exceed Montgomery in population by 2030. 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
