July 2, 2025 - The Dekalb/Henager Ledbetter/Livingston 4th of July Breakfast Is Now Must Go To Political Event
In bygone days in Alabama politics, there were several what I call “go to” events for statewide Alabama politicians and potential candidates. Today, there is one, the Dekalb/HenagerLedbetter/Livingston 4th of July Breakfast.
About 10 years ago, two powerful North Alabama legislators –Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives Nathaniel Ledbetter and State Senator Steve Livingston – started a little 4thof July breakfast for their hometown folks. It has now become the premier “must go to” event in the state. It has grown to be a very large legendary gathering. It is held in the Dekalb County City of Henager. Both Ledbetter and Livingston represent Dekalb County.
The breakfast begins around 7:30 and there will be 400 to 500people who will be fed. There will be host of statewide candidates in attendance.
The breakfast will be followed by a parade with some floats, carrying serious statewide candidates. There will be several thousand people along the parade route. The center for all activities will be the Henager City Park.
Regular attendees, who have been to almost all of the first 10 Henagar events, are Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, and former Secretary of State John Merrill, along with a good many Supreme Court Justices. This 4th of July Breakfast should be the biggest one yet because it is the beginning of a big election year.
Ledbetter’s event has become the only “go to” political event nowadays but, in Alabama political lore, there used to be severalpolitical events that aspiring politicos always attended.
In bygone days, the most premiere “go to” event was the Terry Family Reunion in the northwest corner of the state. The exact location was a large tract of land just south of Tuscumbia in the Loosier Community of Lawrence County. That is where the large Terry family originated. Actually, a good many of the folks who attended had kinship or ties to the Terry family. It was held every Labor Day.
The Terry Family Reunion had a carnival atmosphere and was renowned for great food everywhere. They would have lots of camp stew, barbeque pork and chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, catfish, and fried pies. Their barbeque was some of the finest in the state. They would cook the chicken and pork the night before. A regular at the Terry Club Family Reunion was Howell Heflin, who attended every year. No politician ever loved barbeque or food, for that matter, more than our Senior Senator Judge Howell Heflin.
Another one of these “must do” political events was “Mule Day.” This annual event in Winfield in Marion County was held on the third Saturday in September. The Chamber of Commerce in this Northwest Alabama county promoted this event for 35 to 40 years. It was held to honor the mainstay of Alabama agriculture, the mule.
Mule Day had its share of marque political candidates. Some who attended were Governors George Wallace, Big Jim Folsom, John Patterson, Jim Folsom Jr., Fob James, Don Siegelman, and Bob Riley. Other legendary attendees included Howell Heflin, Bill Baxley, and George McMillan. Politicians were allowed, and indeed encouraged, to participate in a parade. The parade was the big event, and it was big. They would start the events on Friday night with a beauty pageant and a play. They also had a large outdoor flea market with arts and crafts, a run/walk event, a Mule Day antique car show, and of course, a mule-judging contest. The events would culminate on Saturday night with a Civil War period ball.
Many locals in the Marion County area love to tell stories about the politicians who attended the event. On one occasion, during the early years of Mule Day, George Wallace attended as the sitting governor. A local lady, who was not so keen on Mule Day, had gotten to town at about the same time the large parade was about to start. She supposedly was stuck in traffic for over two hours waiting for the parade to end. She was so furious that she sped her car to the police station to complain. They gave her no sympathy. She spotted a host of State Troopers. She approached them and started complaining profusely. She told them that she demanded to go to Montgomery and see the Governor about this horrendous nightmare of a traffic jam caused by Mule Day. One of the troopers calmly told her, “Ma’am, if you’ll wait a few minutes, you can tell him right here. He’s in the middle of that parade.”
See you next week.
June 25, 2025 - Tuscaloosa has a Young Political Prodigy and a Great Political Heritage
When President Donald Trump visited Tuscaloosa in May to make the commencement address to the University of Alabama graduates, he also arranged time to meet privately with two Tuscaloosans – 73-year-old iconic, retired Alabama football Coach Nick Saban and 18-year-old political writer extraordinaire, Brilyn Hollyhand.
It was not surprising that Trump would meet with the most legendary and successful college football coach of Trump’s generation, and arguably in history. However, Trump meeting with an 18-year-old Tuscaloosa Academy high schooler left the national media scratching their heads.
Those of us who live around Alabama politics had known about the young Tuscaloosa political pundit for a couple of years. We called him the Political Prodigy Boy Wonder of Politics. Senator Richard Shelby referred to him as a prodigy and the next Tucker Carlson. By the way, Brilyn Hollyhand’s grandfather, Doug Hollyhand, is a successful businessman and Richard Shelby’s best friend.
One of the underlying stories surrounding President Trump’s historic 2024 Presidential election victory was his success in garnering a significant share of the young 18 to 25 year old vote. Historically, this young demographic voter has been liberal and voted Democratic, if at all.
Trump’s team credits young Tuscaloosa writer, Brilyn Hollyhand, with much of this success. Brilyn’s blog has a national audience that is large and growing. His political commentary parlayed him to becoming Chair of the Republican National Committee’s Youth Advisory Council. His weekly show online is heard by young people throughout the country and is geared towards urging them to be active in politics. You have not heard the last of young Brilyn Hollyhand of the Druid City.
Tuscaloosa has a rich tradition of being the home of Alabama leaders. Many folks are unaware that Tuscaloosa was once the Capital of Alabama. Alabama’s greatest United States Senator in history, Richard Shelby, hails from Tuscaloosa. Shelby not only is Alabama’s greatest Senator, he has the longest tenure in the Senate in our state’s history – 36 years. He surpassed our two historic, iconic senators, Lister Hill, and John Sparkman. Senator Shelby turned 91 last month and is enjoying his retirement years in Tuscaloosa with his beloved wife of 66 years, Dr. Annette Shelby.
Before Shelby’s time, Tuscaloosa had a brilliant rising superstar, State Senator Ryan deGraffenried, Sr. He ran second to George Wallace in the 1962 Governor’s Race and was destined to be elected Governor in 1966 but died in a tragic plane crash campaigning for governor that year. His son, Ryan deGraffenried, Jr., became a Tuscaloosa State Senator and was the most powerful and effective member of the 35-memberbody.
Cathy Johnson Randall is one of the state’s most accomplished leaders of my generation. She was the most outstanding leader at the University of Alabama when we were students there together in the early 1970’s. She married Pettus Randall, a Tuscaloosa native, and they built a very successful printing business together. Cathy is a stalwart supporter of the University of Alabama. She is one of Governor Kay Ivey’s closest friends. They bonded during their youth as Girls State leaders. Cathy and Kay have mentored another Girls State Governor, our U.S. Senator Katie Boyd Britt. Cathy is like another mother to Katie. They were both Chi Omegas at Alabama, probably not by coincidence.
Tuscaloosa currently has one of, if not the best, legislative delegations in the Capitol today. It is made up of stellar, hardworking legislators.
They are represented in the Senate by Gerald Allen, Bobby Singleton, and Matt Woods. State Senator Gerald Allen is Tuscaloosa’s only resident State Senator. He may have the longest tenure of any Tuscaloosa State Senator in history. The Tuscaloosa House delegation is comprised of Chris England, Ron Bolton, Bill Lamb, Curtis Travis, A.J. McCampbell, and Brian Brinyark.
Chris England is the son of legendary Tuscaloosa Circuit Judge John England. He is an attorney and an accomplished legislator.
Cynthia Almond has been the head of the Tuscaloosa delegation and a leader in the House. However, Gov. Ivey just named Almond as President of the PSC.
The newest member of the House from Tuscaloosa, Brian Brinyark, has taken to the legislature like a duck to water. He has become immediately effective. He also represents neighboring Fayette County. He looks after them diligently. Fayette County has a rich heritage in Alabama politics.
See you next week.
June 18, 2025 - George McMillan Epitomized Friends and Neighbors Politics
A political stalwart in our state, George McMillan, passed away Easter weekend at 81 in Birmingham. George was born for politics in Alabama. He was a born leader. He had an exuberant, vivacious personality that people gravitated to and made it difficult not to like him. It was apropos that his funeral was really like a celebration.
It was an upbeat event that lasted most of the day on April 25. It began at the historic Southside Baptist Church, which is where a good many prominent Birmingham leaders have been memorialized over the past century. This majestic church was the worship place for all the titans of business, who founded Birmingham in the late 20th Century. The steel leaders and founder of Liberty National Life Insurance, Frank Samford, and all his top executives were pillars of the church. If you were a leader in Birmingham, you went there. It was the richest church in the state.
The Reverend John Buchanan, Sr. was the long-time pastor. His son, John Buchanan, Jr., followed him. John Buchanan, Jr. became one of the first Republican Congressman from Alabama. He was elected with five other Republicans in the 1964 Southern Goldwater Landslide. The Birmingham area had never had a Republican Congressman. Jefferson County was dominated by blue collar, Union Democratic steelworkers.
George’s funeral celebration continued with a large and almost joyous reception at The Club atop Red Mountain. The reception was like a reunion for old politicos from around the state.
One of the most prominent attendees was George McMillan’s friend of 60 years, Jimmy Rane. Jimmy Rane is the most significant person in Alabama and has been for the past three decades. He is reportedly the wealthiest person in Alabama and is also one of the most generous. He has been the most influential, individual benefactor for Auburn University in the landmark university’s history. He has been Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Auburn for over a decade.
Jimmy has not only been the state’s most successful businessman and philanthropist, but he has also been a behind-the-scenes friend and confidant to our most influential political leaders. He was, and still is, our iconic Senator Richard Shelby’s best friend and confidant. Shelby leaned on Rane for advice and support during his entire 36 years in the United States Senate.
Jimmy Rane is also one of Governor Kay Ivey’s closest friends and advisors. Governor Ivey keeps a small circle of close friends and confidants. In fact, Jimmy Rane and Supreme Court Justice Will Sellers and Will’s wife, Lee Grant Sellers, are about the only one in that circle.
Jimmy Rane and Kay Ivey go back 60 years as friends and political confidants. They forged a political bond at Auburn University in the mid-1960s, where they were student leaders. In fact, there was a triumvirate of leaders that was forged at Auburn that included Jimmy Rane, Kay Ivey, and George McMillan. Jimmy founded the Auburn Law Society, an exclusive political club of which he, Kay, and George were the founding members. Jimmy was President of the Law Society. Kay was Vice President of the SGA, and George was the President of the SGA.
Jimmy shared with me a photo of the original Law Society members, which included him, Kay and George, and several other prominent Alabamians, including Dr. Phil Hardee, Caroleene Dobson’s daddy, who is a successful orthodontist and cattle farmer. Also pictured is Jimmy Rane’s lifetime Wiregrass friend, Lester Killebrew, who went on to success as one of the state’s largest tractor dealers.
George McMillan epitomized the adage that I often use, “friends and neighbors politics.” He had the most positive, natural personality for politics. But he also had deep Alabama family roots. He was born into the large and respected Awtrey family of Greenville in Butler County.
His daddy was a legendary Auburn-based County Farm Agent that journeyed all over the state and allowed George to make lifetime friends all over Alabama. One of his stops with his daddy was as a high school student in Dothan. There, he first met Jimmy Rane. They would later reunite at Auburn.
One of the Wiregrass’ most beautiful ladies, Ann Holman, was a classmate of George’s at Dothan High School. Ann has been a successful businesswoman and civic and church leader in Dothan her entire life and I am sure, was a good student. However, she shared with me that George helped her pass Algebra.
George McMillan had a great career politically and civically in Alabama. However, his greatest accolade was that he married one of the most beautiful and gracious ladies in Alabama, Ann Roper Dial.
Alabama is one big front porch.
See you next week.
June 11, 2025 - Secretariat and the Wiregrass
Like many of you, I have lived in Alabama all of my life. Therefore, I am an avid college football fan. As a boy, I followed Major League Baseball, but as an adult, I barely watch or pay attention to professional sports. However, I feel compelled for some reason, I guess as an American Patriotic duty, to watch three sporting events: The World Series, the Super Bowl, and the Kentucky Derby – and I will choose a team or horse to pull for in each.
On the Saturday of the Kentucky Derby this year, just prior to the running, I got a text from an old friend and fraternity brother, Reverend Mike Watson, with the most interesting information about the legendary racehorse, Secretariat. All 21 horses in this year’s Kentucky Derby were descendants of the famed racehorse, Secretariat.
This year marks 52 years since Secretariat ran away from the field at the Kentucky Derby in his triumphant jaunt. Secretariat won the Triple Crown – all in record times that still stand today. His legacy would have been honored, no matter which descendant won. Obviously, genes and lineage matters in horses. A good many times, this is true in people.
The aforementioned Reverend Mike Watson is truly a super success story. A lifelong Methodist, he became the Bishop for the entire Methodist Church in America. As mentioned, we were fraternity brothers at the University of Alabama. Our fraternity, Sigma Nu, was made up of boys from mostly the Southeast/Wiregrass area of Alabama, therefore, we were all raised conservative Baptists or Methodists. The only one that did not succumb to the whims of the raucous, new fraternity life was Mike Watson. He had grown up in the First Methodist Church of Dothan, the son of a prominent real estate businessman, Excell Watson. He was born grown. He was an all-A student and campus leader while at the Capstone. In addition, he pastored a small Methodist church outside of Tuscaloosa.
Upon graduation he married his lifetime sweetheart, Margaret Lee, who was also from a fine Wiregrass lineage. Her father, Alto Lee, was considered the most prominent attorney in Dothan. Mike rose through the ranks of the Methodist Church. He built a church from scratch in Dothan. This church, Covenant Methodist, is the largest Methodist church in the Wiregrass. He traversed through the largest Methodist churches in America., then became a Bishop about 20 years ago. He rose to be the Ecumenical Officer for the United Methodist Church, globally.
Mike is now 75 and semi-retired. He and Margaret live in Birmingham and attend Canterbury Methodist Church. They get to enjoy sitting on the same pew with their daughter and four grandchildren. He and Margaret are doing well.
Another prominent family from Dothan were the Baxleys. Bill and Wade Baxley both became lawyers like their father, Kenner Baxley, who was the legendary solo Circuit Judge of Houston and Henry Counties. Bill and Wade grew up in their daddy’s courtroom. There was never any doubt in either of their minds that they would become lawyers.
Bill Baxley’s first law job was with Margaret Lee Watson’s father’s firm. Bill then became District Attorney for the Houston/Henry Circuit, then was elected Attorney General of Alabama at 28 years old and served eight years as Attorney General. He was elected Lt. Governor four years later. He is now 84 and practices law and lives in Vestavia in Jefferson County.
Wade Baxley practiced law in Dothan his entire adult life. He was generally considered one of the best lawyers in Dothan. Wade passed away a few years ago from cancer. His wife, Joan, preceded him in death from the dreaded disease about a year earlier. One of the best stories I have ever heard was how brave and cavalier Wade took his prognosis and inevitable death from cancer.
Wade Baxley was probably the last real yellow dog Democrat left in Ruby Red Republican Houston County. He was a real Democrat and an extremely loyal, rabid Alabama football fan. He and Bill went to college and law school at the University of Alabama.
When his doctor told him he only had a week or so to live, he called his two sons in who, of course, knew of his lifelong loyalty to the Crimson Tide and the Democratic Party. He told his boys, “I’ve had a conversion experience I want to tell you boys about. I’ve decided to become a Republican and an Auburn fan.” They were aghast. They just stared at him in disbelief. Wade said, “Yeah, in a few days, there is going to be one less Auburn fan and one less Republican on earth.”
Alabama is one big front porch, especially in the Wiregrass.
See you next week.
June 4, 2025 - ACCS Is Just What the Doctor Ordered for Alabama Jobs
The recently completed 2025 Regular Session has concluded successfully. Anytime you record solid balanced budgets, you have succeeded.
Both the Education Budget and General Fund Budget are sound, thanks to the good work of the Budget Chairmen. Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), Representative Danny Garrett (R-Trussville), Senator Greg Albritton (R-Escambia), and Representative Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville) have done yeoman work. Legislative leaders, like Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) and Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman), have provided outstanding leadership.
The Education Budget reflects the respect and knowledge of the importance of our Alabama Community College System. This system is the mainstay of job creation, economic development, and future economic growth for Alabama. The Community College System is the leader when it comes to creating jobs and employment in our state.
Our Community College System is made up of 24 colleges with more than 130 locations and has 155,000 students. This far surpasses and dwarfs our other colleges. The most telling narrative for Alabamians is that 96% of the system’s students live here in Alabama. More than 75% of these students stay here after graduation.
More than 23,000 students have enrolled in dual enrollment, no matter their family’s ability to afford it, thanks to the legislature.Thirty-six percent of ACCS students include transient students,who are able to come to college closer to their home, and they pay less than half the cost of a four-year college.
While most colleges nationwide have lost student numbers, our Alabama Community College System has had over a 5%increase in enrollment in each year since 2020. The ACCS has 10,600 employees all in Alabama.
These figures resonate loudly and clearly illuminate the fact that ACCS is the driving force behind the state’s economic growth.By preparing Alabama students with the skills and training needed for high-demand careers, they are strengthening Alabama workforce and building our economic opportunity for now, and the future. For fiscal year 2023-2024, ACCS added $8.1 billion to Alabama’s economy. This equates to 3% of the state’s gross product.
The ACCS, under the leadership of Chancellor Jimmy Baker, was the cornerstone and lynchpin of the Workforce Development Plan, which is the most important economic development initiative for this gubernatorial and legislative quadrennium. The future of our state is in career and technical education.
In an era where middle-skill jobs are in the highest demand, career and technical education is the key to future employment.The most popular career programs in the ACCS curriculum are computer science, culinary arts, cybersecurity, dental assisting, HVAC, welding, diesel technology, and salon and spa management. The most demand is in nursing and physical therapy.
The nursing and medical fields are the real growth area for the ACCS, with the aging Baby Boomer population. This field is limitless. ACCS will be the leader in this growing need for healthcare professionals and ACCS is poised to prepare Alabama to meet these needs. Their healthcare programs are based on regional demands, ensuring that they meet the unique needs of communities across the state. They are in close collaboration with the Alabama Hospital Association and the Alabama Nursing Home Association to assure Alabama’s healthcare future.
With $18 million in new funding to expand health sciences program into rural areas, and more than 13,000 students currently enrolled, the ACCS will continue to equip the next generations of healthcare workers with cutting edge training.ACCS is just what the doctor ordered for Alabama jobs.
Chancellor Jimmy Baker, a successful financier, educator, and former Finance Director, has been at the helm of achieving this pinnacle of success for the ACCS for the last decade. Baker has his team of college presidents on board. This sterling team of 34 presidents are his people. This group does an excellent job of making local legislators in their respective communities aware of what is going on at their college and how it affects their constituency.
ACCS affects most legislators in Alabama. In many of their districts their community college is the largest employer and economic engine in their area. For that reason, the ACCS is poised to hold its own when it comes to state funding.
Legislators are acutely aware that their community college is where most of their constituents receive their higher education and career training. They also know that 96% of their students are Alabamians and will remain in the state and probably that locale for life.
See you next week.
May 28, 2025 - Republican Legislature Posts Conservative Agenda for 2025 Session
When Republicans finally took control of the AlabamaLegislature in 2010, they put a conservative stamp on Alabama’s legislative process and lawmaking. They have made sure that Alabamians, and for that matter the rest of the country, know that Alabama is a ruby red Republican state, both socially and fiscally.
A good bit of the social posturing has been for show, rather thangoverning. However, the real impact and resonance has been with the conservative approach to budgeting and the fiscally prudent stewardship of Alabamians tax dollars.
Prior to 2010, the Democrats in Alabama spent money just like the Democrats in Washington. They spent like drunken sailorswith no regard for budgets, fiscal restraint, nor adherence to Alabama’s Constitutional mandate to have a balanced budget. Most years, the Democratic Legislature of bygone years would circumvent the constitutional balanced budget mandate, and most years this would result in proration.
The state has not been in proration in any year of the 15-yearRepublican majority reign, neither has there been a year when they did not save money in “rainy day” funds. Republicans have proceeded to govern and budget like most mainstream Alabamians want and expect with prudence. In fact, that is generally why mainline Republicans are Republicans. They want a balanced budget from their government and that is what they are getting from Alabama GOP legislative leaders and budget chairmen.
Our state, and all states, have received a boatload of excess federal funds over the past several years. Our budget chairmen wisely knew not to count on or budget these short-termrevenues. They need it for one-time expenditures and did not blend it into long-term, mandatory regular budget expectations.
This year, many states, primarily Democratic states, are having nightmares balancing their budgets. Not Alabama, we are doing just fine. A lot of credit for our states fiscal soundness goes to a quadrant of four budget chairmen. They are doing a stellar job. State Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) has chaired the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee for over a decade. He is the primary drafter and architect of how education dollarsare spent in Alabama. Education revenues account for two-thirds of our total tax revenues. He is one of the most powerful people in state government.
Orr is ably complemented by Representative Danny Garrett (R-Trussville), who chairs the Education Ways and Means Committee in the House. Garrett is a successful businessman who is a wise steward of Education dollars.
Representative Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville) is in his first term as Chairman of the General Fund Ways and Mean’s Committee. He works closely with his ally, Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, to make sure that dollars are wisely spent. Representative Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) chaired this General Fund Budget Committee for over a decade prior to Reynolds and did an excellent job Budgeting conservatively.
Senator Greg Albritton (R-Escambia) chairs the General Fund Committee in the Senate. He has done a yeoman’s job in this capacity for over a decade. He puts in untold hours toiling on the General Fund Budget which is not as robust or has the growth the Education Budget does inherently.
It should also be noted that former Tuscaloosa Representative Bill Poole did a fantastic job of managing the Education Budget in the House before ascending to State Finance Director.
One of the most conservative and prudent moves made by the Republican-led Legislature was the implementation of the Rolling Reserve Act, which ensured that Alabama could no longer overspend during economic booms. Thanks to this measure the state has had 14 years without proration in education spending. The days of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” came to a screeching halt under Republican leadership.
In many ways our conservative Republican-led Legislature has mimicked the Trump agenda on the issues of immigration and crime during this just completed session. However, when the question arises, “Does Alabama need a Department of Government Efficiency?” We already have one. We can just call it the Alabama Republican Legislative Leadership.
See you next week.
May 21, 2025 - Addressing Metro Crime Problem – Priority for Alabama Legislative Session
You would have to be living under a rock to not be aware that two of our state’s metropolitan areas have a serious problem with violent crime. Montgomery and Birmingham have become crime-ridden war zones that resemble third world countries like Mexico, run by drug cartels.
The rampant, open-ended violence and cavalier murders in Montgomery and Birmingham leapt so high in 2024, that people who still lived there were scared to come out of their homes for fear of being shot. Even their homes were not safe places, agood many small children were reported murdered from stray bullets in Birmingham, while asleep in their beds.
Montgomery had become so bad that legislators were and still are afraid to come to the Capitol. Most of the Supreme Court Judges do not come to the Capital City until necessary. The town of Pike Road and City of Auburn have become the residences of a good many people who must come to Montgomery to work.
When the time comes for BRAC to decide whether to keep the Maxwell/Gunter Complex/War College in Montgomery, it will be a tough sell for the U.S. Defense Department to keep their base in a war zone. The only argument they can make is that, if a foreign country sends their officers to the War College for training, they will get a true simulated war experience. Their odds of getting shot while staying in Montgomery is greater than a true war at home. If they could survive a year in Montgomery,they could survive a year in any war. These young officers are still not going to be able to bring their wives or children with them to Montgomery.
Inner city Birmingham and Montgomery are probably never going to be growth centers for our state but something has to be done because the unbridled crime and rampant murder rates affects the image of the entire state.
Therefore, our super majority Republican Legislature has made solving the Birmingham and Montgomery crime problem a priority. They have come forth with a package of bills and made it the foremost issue of the Session. Governor Kay Ivey advocated for this anti-crime in her State of the State address to legislators at the beginning of the Session. The legislation advanced are common sense and should make a difference.
In June of 2024, Montgomery leaders got serious about their crime problem and yielded to a special Metro Crime Suppression Unit. This Unit has been extremely successful. It has been led by ALEA Director Hal Taylor and Montgomery Sheriff Derek Cunningham. These two brilliant, top-notch law enforcement leaders have taken the bull by the horns in Montgomery.
During the past 10 months, this Special Unit led by ALEA has served 508 arrest warrants, made 202 arrests, seized 157 firearms and 100 machine gun conversion devices, recovered 35 stolen vehicles, initiated 56 vehicle pursuits, and conducted 44 drug seizures – including a fentanyl bust potent enough to kill over 5,000 people.
Seeing the success of this Unit, Rep. Reed Ingram (R-Pike Road) passed legislation to appropriate additional funds to further enhance the Montgomery project. Hopefully, Birmingham will take advantage of these revenues and relinquish jurisdiction for Taylor’s elite Unit to help them. In passage of these Special Unit ALEA appropriations, Rep. Ingram said, “This Unit has been incredibly effective in Alabama’s Capital City and has, without a doubt, led to a decrease in violent crimes across the River Region. The bottom line is that the best way to protect communities is to have a strong law enforcement presence in areas where violent crime is occurring, and I believe making the Alabama Metro Crime Suppression Unit a statewide, full-time task force does just that.”
State Senator Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) spearheaded important legislation, which criminalizes glock switch gun possession a Class C felony under Alabama Law.
One of the most important Legislative Acts of this momentous anti-crime package was the Back the Blue Protection Act sponsored by Rep. Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville), who is the former Police Chief of Huntsville. Under this new protection, a law enforcement officer would be shielded from a lawsuit unless he or she was acting recklessly without law enforcement justification, or he or she was violating a person’s clearly established rights.
See you next week.
May 14, 2025 - Attorney General’s Race Will Be a Good One in 2026
Folks, 2026 is shaping up as one of the best political years in memory in Alabama.
The Governor’s, Lt. Governor’s, and Attorney General’s officesand maybe one of our U.S. Senate seats are up for grabs with no incumbent. The jockeying has begun in earnest for all theseposts.
The Attorney General’s position is a powerful job in Alabama government, and it appears to be attracting several competent competitors. Current Attorney General Steve Marshall has served eight years and is term-limited.
The early front-runner is State Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell. He seems to be edging towards running for Attorney General next year, although it is hard to understand why someone would leave a safe seat on the Supreme Court to be Attorney General. Mitchell was just elected to a new six-year term on the high court last year. Being a Supreme Court judge is more important and prestigious than being Attorney General.
Mitchell is a long-time resident of Homewood and lifetime resident of Alabama’s most populous county, Jefferson. He graduated from Birmingham-Southern College where he played basketball. He went on to law school at the University of Virginia. He practiced with a prominent law firm prior to being elected to the Supreme Court in 2018. He is well-respected as a lawyer and jurist. He has $660,000 in his campaign account and would be a favorite of the business community.
Mitchell’s biggest challenge would have come from veteran State Senator Arthur Orr of Decatur. However, Orr has taken his name out of consideration. Senator Orr is generally considered the most powerful State Senator in the Upper Chamber. He chairs the Senate Education Budget Committee. In that post, he oversees Alabama’s $9.3 billion Education Budget. He has immense power as the crafter of this budget and is probably more powerful than the Governor.
As the Senate’s most potent member, he has amassed over a $1 million campaign war chest. For this reason, Orr is looked upon as a player in a statewide race. He more than likely can remain Chairman of Education Finance and Taxation in the next quadrennium. He made a wise move choosing to remain as the state’s most powerful senator rather than moving to Attorney General.
U.S. Attorney Jay Town of the Northern District of Alabama is eyeing the Attorney General race. Town is a proven prosecutor and would be a viable candidate. He was appointed U.S. Attorney by Trump and is well known as a proven conservative. After getting his law degree, Town served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps and was a JAG prior to practicing law. After military service, he worked as a prosecutor in the Madison County District Attorney’s office. He has a reputation as a tough prosecutor, which is what the Attorney General of Alabama is expected to be.
Katherine Robertson, who is current Attorney General Steve Marshall’s long-time General Counsel, is expected to make the race for Attorney General. She will make an attractive candidate and is very well qualified. She knows the office inside and out.Robertson is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of Alabama School of Law and is a native of Montgomery.
Katherine would be the darling of the far right. She would be a clone of her boss and mentor Marshall. She would not be a far right-wing extremist just for political purposes. She is a true believer. Katherine has the inside route to garnering the important Alfa endorsement. Her great grandfather was president of the powerful Alfa organization several decades ago. Jimmy Parnell and some of the powers that be still remember him. She has deep Black Belt roots.
Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey is the only announced candidate for Attorney General. She officially announced on January 15. She certainly has the experience. Pamela has been the DA of Blount County for 15 years. She has been a working DA. Being a practicing DA is the right experience to be Attorney General. This is the exact background that current Attorney General Steve Marshall came from.
If Pamela Casey or Katherine Robertson win, they would be the first female Attorney General of Alabama.
See you next week.
May 7, 2025 - Remembering George McMillan
Former Lt. Governor and State Leader George McMillan passed away Easter weekend in Birmingham. George was 81.
McMillan had a meteoric career in Alabama politics. He grew up in Greenville where he had extensive family connections. He was a young, superstar politico coming out of high school. He went to Auburn University, where he was a sensational student leader. He was President of the SGA. He met and became good friends with another student leader at Auburn, our current Governor Kay Ivey.
Kay and George are the same age and were political allies, remaining good friends through the years. George must have been an outstanding student at Auburn because he went to the prestigious Virginia Law School after college. After graduating from UVA Law School, George came back home and settled in Birmingham and began the practice of Law.
He married Ann Roper Dial, whose father was a prominent Birmingham businessman. He and 40-year veteran State Senator Gerald Dial of Lineville were close. Gerald was George’s chief legislative ally during George’s tenure as Lt. Governor.
Shortly after beginning his law practice, a State House seat came open in Jefferson County. George won that seat. In the next election, young Mr. McMillan slayed a giant. The most powerful State Senator in the state, George Lewis Bailes, hailed from Jefferson County. George McMillan took him on in what most folks thought was a David vs. Goliath match. George McMillan won and made a statewide name for himself. He went to Montgomery and became a very effective and respected State Senator.
McMillan only served one term in the Senate, 1974-1978, because he was on a fast track. He was elected Lt. Governor in 1978. After one term as Lt. Governor, he again revealed that he had no reluctance to take on a challenge or a giant. He ran against George Wallace for Governor in 1982 and came within an eyelash of beating him in the Democratic primary that year.
In 1982, Governor Fob James decided not to run for re-election. Former Gov. George Wallace was attempting to be elected to a fourth term as Governor, after having waited out four years due to being term limited. McMillan and Wallace wound up in a run-off. Wallace ironically won the Democratic run-off because he received the bulk of the Black vote – a political irony that is still difficult for national political historians to fathom and understand. Wallace went on to win the General Election in a landslide, defeating Republican Montgomery Mayor Emory Folmar. Winning the Democratic Primary at that time was tantamount to election.
McMillan was often compared to another former Lt. Governor and short-term Governor, Albert Brewer. Similar to McMillan, Brewer had all but beaten Wallace in a titanic Governor’s race a decade earlier in 1970. Both Brewer and McMillan were heralded as having the potential to give Alabama a “New South” Governor.
McMillan made a second attempt for the governorship in 1986, but he failed to gain traction. He was beaten out of the two run-off spots by Lt. Governor Bill Baxley and Attorney General Charlie Graddick. Neither Baxley nor Graddick would become Governor. Guy Hunt, the unknown Republican candidate from Holly Pond in Cullman County, won the Governor’s office.
Hunt became the first GOP Governor of Alabama since Reconstruction. That 1986 election ended the Democratic Party reign in Alabama politics. The days of electing a Democratic Governor in the Heart of Dixie ended that year and probably forever. That year also marked the end of George McMillan’s political career.
In 1989, McMillan founded City Stages, a large musical festival in downtown Birmingham. It became one of the largest and most renowned musical festivals in the nation. George ran City Stages for a decade during its prime years.
George McMillan was a vivacious person with a gregarious, warm, genuinely friendly demeanor. He was a friend, and I always enjoyed visiting with him and talking politics. In fact, it can be said and is seldom said about someone who spent their life in politics, I never heard anyone say, “I do not like George McMillan.”
See you next week.
April 30, 2025 - The New Second Congressional District
The partisan complexion of Alabama’s Congressional delegation has changed from six Republicans and one lone Democrat to five Republicans and two Democrats.
This change was orchestrated by federal court decree. The federal courts plowed new ground when they ruled that Alabama’s Legislature did not have the right to draw their own congressional lines.
The U.S. Supreme Court has adamantly decreed, for the entire duration of U.S. history, that the state legislatures have the omnipotent political power to draw their own state congressional districts. In opinion after opinion, SCOTUS has acknowledged that this is an inherently political process and that you cannot take the politics out of redistricting. It is a political process and “to the victor goes the spoils.”
What that means is that if the Democratic Party is in the majority in New York state, the Democrats in the New York legislature get to control the pencil that draws their state congressional lines, and they can draw the congressional districts in their state to favor Democrats. That is the way it is all over the country.
In Alabama, a Republican-appointed federal judge ruled that Alabama’s super majority, Republican legislature does not have the same political right to draw their lines for partisan reasons.The Northern District of Alabama federal judge’s reason was that Alabama does not have the same rights as other states because of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That Act carved out a handful of southern states and placed us under the scrutiny of the U.S. Justice Department when any voting procedures are involved, because of past racial discrimination. Therefore, Alabama Republicans of today do not have the same constitutional precedence rights to political redistricting as Democrats in New York do today, because of the sins of Alabama Democrats of bygone days.
The die may not be cast totally on this ruling. The Alabama Republicans may make another run at overturning this new precedent. They will hang their hat on a North Carolina case where SCOTUS ruled that North Carolina could draw their districts politically. That case is not exactly on point. However, there is a new Trump Justice Department and that may shed a new light on it.
The courts drew the new Second Congressional District in South Alabama as a seat that should vote 60% for a Democrat. They overtly ruled that this district is drawn to be a Democratic seat. The race for this gerrymandered seat was the only good, contested race on the Alabama ballot last year. It featured two stellar youthful candidates, Democrat Shomari Figures and Republican Caroleene Dobson. She made it a close race. Figures, the Democrat, won with 55% of the vote. He will represent this new district for at least two years.
Our five incumbent Republican Congressmen, Robert Aderholt, Mike Rogers, Gary Palmer, Dale Strong, and Barry Moore, were all overwhelmingly re-elected in 2024 with no or token opposition, as was Democrat Terri Sewell. Figures joined Sewell in the House Democratic Caucus.
The real loser in this new Second District are the white Republican voters and business community in Mobile. They have no pro-business resident Republican Congressman for the first time in at least six decades. These Mobile/Baldwin business and civic leaders are distraught and up in arms. The old First District of Alabama has been a mainstay for the economic growth and prosperity of the Gulf Coast Mobile/Baldwin metropolitan area. The region has had a mainstream effective Republican resident congressman since 1964, beginning with Jack Edwards and continuing with Sonny Callahan, Jo Bonner, Bradley Byrne, and then, Jerry Carl.
This gerrymandered new Second District merges the Mobile/Baldwin Republicans with the Wiregrass Republicans. Therefore, one of the regions was due to get the short end of the stick. The two regions have completely different economic needs from Washington. You actually have to drive through Florida to get from Dothan to Mobile. The Wiregrass Congressman Barry Moore bested the Mobile Congressman Jerry Carl in the GOP Primary. Jerry Carl summed it up well,recently, “It’s just about impossible for anyone in District One to do the District justice. You can’t serve two masters…Dothan is so much different than Mobile and vice versa.” We will see.
See you next week.