February 7, 2024 - Legislative Session Begins this week – Players to Watch in the House.
The 2024 Legislative Session has begun this week. It can last three and a half months from February 6 to May 20.
The Alabama Legislature is a very conservative body. It has super Republican majorities in both the Senate and the House. The Senate is made up of 27 Republicans and a mere 8 Democrats. The House has 77 Republicans and 28 Democrats. Therefore, the budget that is produced is very conservative and prudent.
Alabama is one of only a handful of states that has two budgets. We have both an Education Budget and a General Fund Budget. Passing these two budgets is the only constitutional mandate required of the legislature in their annual Session. The budget Chairmen in each body are very powerful. They basically craft the budgets.
The budget chairmen in the House are Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, who heads the General Fund and Danny Garrett, R-Trussville/Jefferson who writes the Education Budget. In the Senate, Senator Greg Albritton (R-Escambia), chairs the General Fund and Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), who crafts the Education Budget. These gentlemen are prudent and competent in their budgeting.
Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter has built an excellent leadership team that works well and delivers results. General Fund Chairman Rex Reynolds was the Police Chief of Huntsville, then City Administrator of the State’s largest city. He has taken to his job like a duck to water. Education Budget Chairman Danny Garrett is a successful businessman, who looks after the Education revenue as though it is his own money. Speaker Pro Tem Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) is a very active Pro Tem. He has emerged as an outspoken leader. Rules Chairman Joe Lovvorn (R-Auburn) has become a real leader in the House. He is universally liked with a winning personality.
Three major committee chairmen in the House are doing a very good job. Representative Jim Hill (R-Moody/St. Clair) chairs the Judiciary Committee. As a former judge, he is perfect for the post.
Representative Paul Lee (R-Dothan) chairs the Health Committee. This is the appropriate committee for a Dothan Representative since healthcare has become the most important industry for the hub of Wiregrass. Representative Terri Collins (R-Decatur) chairs the House Education Committee. Ms. Collins is a former banker and has become the go to lady on Education matters.
Veteran Representative Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) continues to be held in high esteem in the House. He mentors new legislators. Andy Whitt (R-Harvest/Madison) is a close ally of the Speaker and is emerging as a leader, as is Representative Matt Simpson (R-Mobile) Simpson is a former prosecutor and took the lead in passage of tough anti-fentanyl legislation. Reed Ingram (R-Pike Road) is a powerful force in a quiet way. He usually wins at whatever he is after.
The following House members have become leaders, also. Randy Wood (R-Anniston), Randall Shedd (R-Arab), Ginny Shaver (R-Cherokee), Tracy Estes (R-Winfield/Morgan), Rhett Marques (R-Enterprise), David Standridge (R-Hayden), David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook), Jim Carns (R-Birmingham), Arnold Mooney (R-Shelby), Corley Ellis (R-Columbiana), Debbie Wood (R-Valley), Alan Baker (R-Escambia), Chris Sells (R-Butler), and Chris Brown (R-Mobile) are veteran conservative leaders. Chris Blackshear (R-Russell), Jeff Sorrells (R-Hartford), Margie Wilcox (R-Mobile), David Shaw (R-Vestavia), Cynthia Almond (R-Tuscaloosa), and Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville) are very popular and successful legislators. New young Republican stalwarts to watch are Scott Stadthagen (R-Decatur), Corey Harbison (R-Goodhope), James Lomax (R-Huntsville), Troy Stubbs (R-Wetumpka/Elmore), and Ben Robbins (R-Sylacauga).
Several freshmen, who came to the House with some experience and have been immediately effective, include Marcus Paramore (R-Troy), Susan Dubose (R- Hoover), Leigh Hulsey (R- Helena) and Bill Lamb (R-Tuscaloosa).
By far, the most effective Democrat in the House is Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville). There are quite a few veteran Democratic leaders in the House. Most of them are ladies and they have been in the House of Representatives a long time. Leaders like Laura Hall (D-Huntsville), Barbara Boyd (D-Anniston), Mary Moore (D-Birmingham), Pebblin Warren (D-Tuskegee) and Berry Forte (D-Barbour) would be hard to replace.
Other Democratic leaders are Prince Chestnut (D-Selma), Thomas Jackson (D-Thomasville), Kelvin Lawrence (D-Hayneville), Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa), A.J. McCampbell (D-Marengo), Mayor Sam Jones (D-Mobile), and Napoleon Bracy (D-Mobile).
There are three freshmen Democrats from Montgomery that bare watching Penni McClammy, Kenyatte Hassell, and Phillip Ensler.
It all begins this week.
January 31, 2024 - 2024 Legislative Session Begins Next Week
The 2024 Legislative Session begins next week. It will be difficult to replicate the success of last year’s regular session. The 2023 year was a premier year for any first year of a quadrennium. Indeed, it may be one of the most momentous in state history. It was historic because of the vast amount of money available to be appropriated. When asked what grade I would give the legislative session at its conclusion, I gave it the highest I have ever given: B+. It would have gotten an A, but legislators were given such a leg up by having so much money to spend that it was like they were being able to take their finals as an open book exam. Last year’s Education Budget was an historic $11.5 billion. The $3 billion General Fund Budget was also recordshattering.
The legislature granted $150 to $300 one-time tax rebates to all Alabama taxpayers. State employees and all educational employees, including all teachers, received a 2% percent cost of living raise.
The legislative leadership for the next three years of the quadrennium was established. In the State Senate, President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper), Education Budget Chairman Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), Rules Chairman Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia), and General Fund Budget Chairman Greg Albritton (R-Escambia), will be kingpins. In the House of Representatives, the key players will be Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Dekalb), and because of their positions, Education Budget Chairman Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) and General Fund Budget ChairmanRex Reynolds (R-Huntsville), and Rules Chairman Joe Lovvorn (R-Auburn) are leaders.
The bottom line big three leaders of the legislature are Greg Reed, Arthur Orr, and Nathaniel Ledbetter. Reed and Orr are veteran Senate leaders. Senator Reed, by virtue of being the leader of the Senate, is powerful. Senator Arthur Orr has settled in as a power to be reckoned with as the long-time veteran Chairman of the Senate Education Budget Committee. He has written so many education budgets that he wields a lot of power with his pencil.
The new kid on the block in this triumvirate of power is first term Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter. Speaker Ledbetter may very well be the most powerful person in the Alabama Legislature. He has molded the House around him. His entire inner team of Garrett, Reynolds, and Lovvorn are all first year major committee chairmen, who are very loyal to Ledbetter, as are all of the other major committee chairmen and almost all of the Republicans in the House. He has also won the support and trust of the House Democrats. I have not seen thiskind of bipartisan cooperation and harmony in the lower chamber in a long time, if ever.
Ledbetter’s down home, quiet, honest and compassionate leadership is paying dividends for the success of the legislature, as well as the state. Ledbetter has a loyalty among the 30 freshmen legislators never before seen. The reason is simple. He, along with his friend, the crafty, savvy, Huntsville political guru, Steve Raby, elected most of them. He and Raby raised most of their campaign money and crafted their campaigns. Folks don’t forget that kind of help, but their loyalty is also based on the fact they like and trust Ledbetter. He is sincerely interested in them. He wants the House to work and succeed because he wants the state to succeed. He also does not have a big ego. He is not driven by self-indulgence or gratification.
Nathaniel Ledbetter was born and raised in Dekalb County. He was first elected to the legislature in 2014. So, it has only been nine years ago that he was a freshman, like the ones he is leading. Ledbetter was elected Majority Leader of the House in 2017, only three years after his arrival. He worked very closely with his ally, former Speaker Mac McCutchen, for five years. He was the choice of McCutchen to succeed him as Speaker.
Before his election to the legislature, Ledbetter was also on the City Council and the Mayor of Rainsville. He is close friends with legendary Alabama lead singer Randy Owen. They both love their Sand Mountain home.
Nathaniel Ledbetter will continue with his calm, collected and reasonable leadership this year and the remainder of this quadrennium, and probably for years to come.
See you next week.
January 24, 2024 - NEW SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT IS THE RACE TO WATCH IN 2024
The most interesting race to watch this year in Alabama will be for the newly drawn second congressional district.
The new seat was drawn by the federal courts to create a second majority minority district in Alabama. Currently we have six Republicans and one Democrat representing Alabama in Washington. If a Democrat wins the seat, we will have five Republicans and two Democrats on the Potomac in 2025. The new seat includes all of Montgomery and extends through the Black Belt and gathers most of the black voters in Mobile.
The race to fill the new open second congressional district is very crowded. When the federal courts drew the new lines, they strived to make sure that the new district would favor a Democrat. The proof in the pudding was an index attached to the plan presented by the Special Master selected by the Court,which revealed that in 16 of the last 17 General Elections a Democrat would have won this seat had it been on the ballot.
It is a monster of a field seeking the seat. The Montgomery and Mobile television stations will make some money on this race, both preceding the March 5th primary and after the primary because there will be a runoff in both Republican andDemocratic primaries six weeks later. There will be a boatload of money spent by both national parties, shipped into Alabama for the November General Election. This will be one of the most pivotal, marginal swing seats in the nation.
The Democratic field includes State House Minority Leader, Representative Anthony Daniels, who lives in and represents a district in Huntsville. Although Anthony has deep ties to the district, he was born and raised in Bullock County where he graduated high school and was a basketball star, and he has extensive family in Troy. His uncle is a recently retired city administrator and his grandmother, Mrs. Eva Daniels, was a revered leader in the Bethel Baptist Church in Troy.
Representative Napoleon Bracy, who actually lives in the district and has represented Prichard in the State House for a decade will be formidable.
Shomari Figures the son of legendary state Senator Vivian Figures, has ties to the district having been born and raised there. However, he currently resides in Washington where he has been Deputy Chief of Staff to the U.S. Attorney General.
Two Jefferson County legislators, Senator Merika Coleman of Pleasant Grove/Bessemer and Representative Juandalyn Givanof Birmingham, have joined the fray in the Mobile/Montgomery seat, as well as Opelika State Representative Jeremy Gray, who is also from outside the district but at least close to it.
Federal law does not require that a candidate be a resident of the congressional district to be elected to it. In fact, the early favorite to win this crowded Democratic race is probably Anthony Daniels of Huntsville. If indeed he does ultimately win, it will be the first time in my lifetime that I have ever seen someone elected to a congressional district they did not live in and actually represented a legislative district in a distant part of the state.
There are eight Republican candidates in the race for the new second district. The Republican favorite will be former Montgomery State Representative and State Senator Dick Brewbaker. His family has owned a car dealership in Montgomery for three generations. His four terms in the legislature, along with the Brewbaker Motors advertising in the Montgomery media market for over the last 30 years, gives him immense name identification in Montgomery and the surrounding counties.
Brewbaker’s biggest Republican challenge may come from veteran South Alabama State Senator Greg Albritton, who is from Conecuh/Escambia counties. He will be able to raise sufficient funds because he is Chairman of the State Senate Budget Committee. He also has some name identification in the Mobile area of the new district.
The third major Republican to watch in this race could well be young Montgomery attorney Caroleene Dobson. She hails from Monroe County in the southern part of the new second district. Her family has deep roots in that area and are prominent cattle farmers. By garnering the coveted Alfa endorsement, she hasbecome a player in the race.
A Republican can win this seat, especially one from Montgomery/Pike Road. This one will be fun and interesting to watch.
See you next week.
January 17, 2024 - 2024 IS AN ELECTION YEAR
This is a presidential election year. Our GOP Presidential Primary is our election in the Heart of Dixie. We are a one party state, especially in presidential races. Alabama is one of a group of states that will hold its Primary early, March 5th to be exact. Therefore, we will be going to the polls in less than two months to vote for President.
The presidential contest will more than likely be a rematch between Democratic sitting President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump. Americans are not too enthused to see this replay. I have never seen such a weird presidential matchup or unusual scenario in my lifetime.
The old political truism, “more people vote against someone than for someone,” will definitely come into play in this presidential race. More people would rather vote for anyone than Trump or Biden. I have never seen two candidates for president with this high negative polling numbers. Indeed, if Republicans were to nominate anyone besides Trump, they would beat Biden. By the same token, if the Democrats were to nominate anyone besides Biden, they would beat Trump. If indeed Biden and Trump are the nominees, you will see a low voter turnout come November.
As I remind you every four years, we do not elect our president by direct vote. You vote for electors that go to an Electoral College and cast their votes. Under the “winner take all” Electoral College System, if a candidate wins a state by one vote, they get all of that states electoral votes. We have become such a polarized partisan electorate there are less than 10 of our 50 states that matter in a presidential contest. The race for president will be determined in Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and Georgia. The few truly independent voters left in these pivotal swing states will decide the presidency. Both parties will concentrate their efforts and resources in these states.
The straight party lockstep voting mentality of American voters has become so entrenched that in at least 40 states the race for president has been predetermined. As I have often said, “If Mickey Mouse were the Republican nominee, he would carry Alabama. By the same token, if Donald Duck were the Democratic nominee, he would carry California.” It will be fun to watch.
We do not have many good races to watch in Alabama. We have four seats on our State Supreme Court up for election this year. However, popular Republican Justices Will Sellers, Jay Mitchell and Tommy Bryan are all running unopposed and will be back for six more years. Justice Sarah Stewart is opting to run for Chief Justice, leaving her seat open. It will be filled by Republican Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Chris McCool, who like Sellers, Mitchell and Bryan garnered no opponent, Democrat or Republican.
The Chief Justice Race is the only contested Supreme Court Seat. Justice Sarah Stewart has two opponents, Bryan Taylor and Jerry Michael Blevins.
The Democrats have fielded a candidate in the Chief Justice Race. Montgomery Circuit Judge Greg Griffin will be on the ballot. However, winning a statewide race in the Heart of Dixie as a Democrat is difficult to say the least and not only improbable, but maybe impossible. There are 29 elected statewide positions in Alabama, all 29 are held by a Republican.
There are two Republican Assistant Attorney Generals, Thomas Govan and Rich Anderson, running for Chris McCool’s seat on the Court of Criminal Appeals. Both are well qualified for this appellate post.
Under the federal court’s decision to realign our Congressional District lines to try to create a new minority Democratic district in the state, all of our powerful incumbent Congressmen have altered districts. However, our veteran seniority member’s districts have probably been enhanced to their benefit.
Republican Congressmen Robert Aderholt, Mike Rogers, and freshman Republican Dale Strong have no or token opposition. Democratic Congresswoman Terri Sewell is also getting a free ride.
This is not the case in the newly drawn first district. Two incumbent Republican Congressmen, Jerry Carl (Mobile/Baldwin) and Wiregrass Republican Barry Moore were placed into the same district and will be pitted against each other in a March 5th primary contest that will be decided that day as it is a super Republican district.
By far the biggest race in Alabama this year will be for the newly drawn open second congressional district in Montgomery to Mobile. We will discuss that race next week.
See you next week.
January 10, 2024 - MORE OBSERVATIONS FROM 2023
My notebook of observations from 2023 was so full that I will continue this week.
Our new United States Senator, Katie Boyd Britt, has proven to all of us that she is indeed the superstar we predicted she would be. She is sensational. She has certainly not disappointed. She is on course to be one of Alabama’s greatest senators in history if she does not become President first.
During 2023, I had the opportunity to speak to a leadership group from the University of South Alabama during their visit to the Capitol. I visit with them every year. They have an outstanding Governmental Affairs Director, Nick Lawkis. Included in the group, was a young lady from Enterprise named Camille Bonura, who was SGA President at USA in 2022. She is currently in graduate school at USA and serving as a graduate assistant for USA President Jo Bonner. Camille reminds me so much of another young lady I met from Enterprise 20 years ago named Katie Boyd. In fact, she is almost a Katie Boyd clone. Both are brilliant and from Enterprise. Their families are close. Katie Boyd Britt even babysat Camille and was one of her dance instructors.
Speaking of young promising people, 26 year old Hoover/Vestavia lawyer Derek Chen is the most politically connected person I have ever encountered at such a young age. He is friends with almost every legislator and lobbyist in the state.
One of the most brilliant and promising young leaders in the state is Senator Tommy Tuberville’s assistant, Emory Cox. Young Mr. Cox is a 28-year-old native of Pell City. He is a graduate of Washington & Lee University. Emory is Senator Tuberville’s senior economic advisor. Before his current role with Tuberville, he was an associate director of the White House National Economic Council under Larry Kudlow at the Trump White House for three years.
Governor Ivey did a good day’s work when she garnered veteran Tuscaloosa legislative leader Bill Poole to be Finance Director. Bill Poole wrote the state education budget for a decade as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Education Budget Committee. He quietly sits back in a large private office in the Capitol suite adjoining the Governor’s office and writes the state’s budget. Although he was in public office for decades, he seeks anonymity and does not like the spotlight or fanfare. He is still young. You may not have heard the last of Bill Poole politically.
The brightest star in the University President’s category is by far Jacksonville State University President Dr. Don Killingsworth. Jax State longtime board leaders are so proud to have Dr. Killingsworth they could burst a button. You should hear Chairman Randy Jones and JSU lawyer and state political veteran Charlie Waldrep brag about Don Killingsworth. Don was Jax State’s lobbyist for over a decade. He became acting President in October of 2019, and full President in 2020. Under his leadership they have over $200 million in infrastructure improvements on campus in the works. Jacksonville also has a very good and nationally acclaimed football coach in Rich Rodriquez. They are having fantastic run under his tutelage.
Calhoun County has a very promising and personable County Commissioner named Lee Patterson. He represents the Jacksonville area of Calhoun County. He and his wife Susan are Calhoun County natives and live two miles north of Jacksonville on a family farm. Lee is Present-Elect of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama. He will take over as President of ACCA in August of 2024. He will be following Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight.
The next Probate Judge of Lee County will be an outstanding young man named Jere Colley, Jr. Jere is a practicing attorney in Opelika. Lee County is a Republican bailiwick. Young Jere Colley won the Republican nomination unopposed. This is a testament of the respect and popularity for Jere and his family. He will be following the popular 18-year veteran Republican Probate Judge Bill English.
I have known young Jere Colley all of his life. His mama and daddy, Dr. Jere and Judy Colley, are my lifetime friends. We grew up together in Troy. My good friend, Jere Sr., is a revered, retired veterinarian in Opelika.
Veteran Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle will coast to reelection for his fourth, 4-year term as Mayor of Alabama’s most prosperous and largest city this year. Tommy Battle has overseen and been the major integral ingredient of the amazing story of Huntsville, Alabama.
2024 will be a fun political year. Our presidential party primaries are right around the corner – March 5 to be exact.
See you next week.
January 3, 2024 - 2023 OBSERVATIONS AND ACCOLADES
I know we are in a new year, but allow me to look back into 2023 and share with you some observations and accolades from the last year.
My old friend Mac McArthur has been Executive Director and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer of the Alabaman State Employees Association for 26 years now. He is one of my best friends and we talk about once or twice a month. Our conversations last an hour as we enjoy regaling stories of Alabama politics. Nobody knows Alabama political stories or Alabama political history better than Mac.
Mac McArthur has accomplished something never before done in state history for state employees. State workers have received a cost of living raise for five of the last six years. In addition, they have benefited from the state picking up most of the tab for the increased cost of their health insurance escalation. In bygone years, state employees would get a cost of living raise about every six years.
I continue to be impressed by State Senator Will Barfoot. He has become very effective in only his second term. He is very popular around the capitol and extremely popular in his Senate district. I bet if you polled his counties of Crenshaw, Elmore, the suburbs of east Montgomery and his hometown of Pike Road, Will would be the most popular public official in those venues. He is also an astute and fair Chairman of the State Senate Judiciary Committee.
However, Barfoot probably would not outdistance the mayor of Pike Road, Gordon Stone. Even though still young, Mayor Gordon Stone has become a legend. Gordon was elected to the small community of Pike Road City Council in 2000. He became the first mayor in 2004. He has planned and overseen the amazing growth of Pike Road from a community of less than 1,000 people to a city of approximately 10,000 today. He has been mayor of Alabama’s fastest growing city for 20 years.
It seems only yesterday when Gordon and the beautiful Ellen Mosely were young lobbyists at the Capitol. They met around Goat Hill and married. They have been married for 34 years. Gordon heads the Association of Higher Education. Ellen’s father was a long time superintendent of Ozark City Schools.
While we are talking about Montgomery area political folks, Montgomery State Senator Kirk Hatcher is the real thing. He is a genuine and sincere gentleman. He is really an educator and church leader at heart. He is not a politician. He is a Christian public servant, who loves his community and church, which he grew up in.
Senator Kirk Hatcher and Senator Will Barfoot have become good friends of mine and sometimes seek my counsel on Alabama politics. I have told both over the years that they have more power and influence as one of 35 State Senators than one of the 435 members of the U.S. Congress. Barfoot (R-Pike Road) and Hatcher (D-Montgomery) would have been favorites to be the Republican and Democratic nominees for the new 2nd Congressional District. However, it appears they have taken my advice and settled into their state senate seats. I guarantee you that both will have a better lifestyle being one of 35 Alabama State Senators and spending every night in their own beds in Montgomery as opposed to flying back and forth to Washington every week and being lost as last on the totem pole in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Alabama Community College System has taken their rightful place as the King of Higher Education in the state. With 24 colleges and more than 130 locations and 155,000 students, they are the primary vehicle for providing workers and managers for today’s economy for Alabama businesses, both large and small. Jimmy Baker has done an outstanding job as Chancellor. His years of experience in state government and, more importantly, in the business/private sector, has allowed him the foresight to lead in the development of jobs that are most needed today for Alabama economic and manufacturing growth.
Jimmy Baker has a right hand man that has evolved into his mainstay. Dr. David Walters, the Vice Chancellor of Adult Education and Special Projects and Systems Initiatives is just what his title states. He wears three hats and works nonstop. Each one of his titles is a full time department head’s job. He is a real workhouse for Jimmy Baker and ACCS. He is a tireless worker and enjoys and thrives on what he does. He believes in his mission and is passionate about it. Even though he works three jobs, he finds time to enjoy his family.
We will continue next week.
December 27, 2023 - Roger Bedford Remembered
As is my custom, my yearend column is devoted to acknowledging meaningful Alabama political leaders who passed away during the year. This year I will highlight only one. Roger Bedford passed away in October at 67. He was not just a meaningful Alabama political figure; he was a giant. Roger died far too early. Roger was a good friend, legislative colleague, and a great state Senator. We came to the legislature together in 1982.
Roger Bedford was born July 7, 1956 in Russellville. He played high school football at Russellville High School, which was a powerhouse program. He was president of everything in High School and then went on to University of Alabama and then got his law degree from Cumberland School of Law and practiced law for his living in Franklin County.
Senator Roger Bedford was first elected to the Alabama Senate in 1982 at the age of 25. He actually qualified when he was 24. He is the youngest person ever elected to the Alabama State Senate. Bedford served in the State Senate for 30 years and was an integral part of that body for most of those years. He was referred to as the legendary lion of the Alabama State Senate.
Bedford was renowned for being a retail politician. He loved and worked his district. For close to three decades, he represented the Northwest Alabama counties of Colbert, Franklin, Fayette, Lamar, Lawrence, Marion, and Winston. He represented them well. That area has had some legendary power players. Names like Rankin Fite, and Fuller Kimbrell preceded Bedford from their neck of the woods. These giants were adept at bringing home the bacon from Montgomery. Bedford probably eclipsed them in longevity and largesse.
My column appears in virtually every newspaper in Roger’s Northwest Alabama District, and I would peruse these papers. Hardly a week went by without Roger’s picture in every paper. He was either handing out a check, attending a county commission meeting or eating supper with some sweet little old ladies. He truly loved to “politick” and he loved his people. He had immense statewide influence as Chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee, but he always thought first of his Northwest Alabaman constituents. He knew the people of his district like the back of his hand. His folks knew him well and loved him dearly. He knew half of his constituents by name.
One day in the height of his senate reign, he asked me to come up and spend a day with him and see the high school he had built for his alma mater, Russellville High School. I knew it must be nice, but when I saw it, I could not believe it. The school looked like it belonged in Mountain Brook. It was a spectacle replete with tennis courts, the whole nine yards. It was unbelievable and it was evident and obvious that he had taken full advantage of the Chairmanship of Finance and Taxation.
The day I visited with him and saw his school, he called everyone we saw by name. He knew every person in the main downtown meat-and-three diner where we ate lunch. He flashed that brilliant smile and said, “Flowers, I sat with three different coffee clubs at this diner starting at 6:00 this morning before you got here.” As we sat there you could tell by the way they looked at him that they loved ole Roger as he flashed every one of them that big smile.
Bedford was a born politician. Most people expected Roger to be Governor or United States Senator. George Wallace recognized Bedford’s potential immediately. He asked Roger to introduce him at most of his rallies throughout the state in his last race for Governor in 1982. Wallace’s kickoff rally at the Jefferson County Convention Center that year drew thousands of “Wallace-ites.” Heading the event was none other than Tammy Wynette. The crowd went wild when she sang her famous ballad, “Stand by Your Man.”
It was only fitting that a 25 year old state senator-elect from Franklin County introduced Wallace and the famous Tammy Wynette, who hailed from Roger’s county. She was born and raised in Red Bay in Franklin County.
Roger had lost the love of his life, his wife, the beautiful Maudie Darby in 2022 to cancer. Roger and Maudie have one son, Roge, who lives in Tuscaloosa.
Roger Bedford was a legend in Alabama Politics.
Happy New Year.
December 20, 2023 - Senator Katie Britt's Amazing First Year
As Christmas approaches, Alabama’s new senator, Katie Britt, prepares to mark one year in office. Those of us who have known her since before she was elected to the Senate, knew she would be successful, but we could not have imagined the accomplishments and achievements that she has had over the past 12 months.
In all my years of following Alabama politics, I have never seen an elected official handle a new position with such skill and personal poise. Britt has achieved the best first year in U.S. Senate history.
Britt’s predecessor in the Senate, Richard Shelby, holds the distinction of being one of Alabama’s greatest senators. Shelby even eclipsed political giants Lister Hill and John Sparkman. Replacing Shelby, after his more than 40 years in the Senate, was going to be a tall task, but Britt has proven herself more than capable and is already forging her own path into Alabama’s political hall of fame.
To begin with, Katie Britt garnered seats on the three most important committees in the U.S. Senate – Appropriations, Banking and Rules. It is unheard of for a freshman senator to get on any one of these three committees. No one in Washington history has ever seen a freshman senator hit the trifecta of Rules, Banking and Appropriations until Katie Britt.
Not only was Britt able to secure a seat on the Appropriations Committee in her first year, she was then able to use that position to secure more than $1.2 billion for Alabama. To put that number in perspective, although starting out the year dead-last in seniority, Britt finished in the top 10 of all Senators when it came to securing investments for her home state. The projects funded include much-needed waterway and infrastructure improvements and new construction at Fort Rucker, Maxwell Air Force Base, and Redstone Arsenal, but also fill critical needs such as expanding ambulance coverage in North Alabama and growing capacity at Troy University’s nursing school.
However, it is not all about dollars and cents. Britt holds the distinction of being the only freshman senator to ever serve as the top Republican on the Appropriations subcommittee for Homeland Security. With this position, she made three trips to the border in her first two months in office and has quickly become one of the top advocates in Congress for securing our southern border and cracking down on illegal immigration.
On the Senate Banking Committee, where Shelby and Sparkman spent decades fighting for Alabama’s credit unions and community banks, Britt has been a strong advocate for our state’s financial institutions. After the highly publicized failures of Silicon Valley Bank, First Republic, and Signature Bank earlier this year, she pushed federal regulators to accept responsibility and worked to prevent a misguided bureaucratic power-grab.
As a sign of the regard in which she is held by her colleagues on the Banking Committee, despite the fact that she is one of their most junior members, she led their crucial hearing last month on American financial sanctions against Iran, filling in for the chairman, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.
Every time folks see Britt on TV, hear her speak to a local group, or even meet her one on one, I hear about how they walk away encouraged about the future of our state and our country. I will say this, the most heartening part of this whole story is the fact that the rest of America is seeing what the people of Alabama saw long ago, that Katie Britt is truly one of our best and brightest. She conducts herself with old-school southern grace, integrity, and class, which has resulted in her being respected and liked by colleagues and constituents on both sides of the aisle.
National outlets like CBS and Politico are even talking about Britt being on a presidential ticket someday. She has quickly risen to be a conservative voice at the Republican leadership table in the Senate. This influence means Britt is in prime position to be effective for Alabama, elevating our state’s priorities and values to a new height.
If this is what she has accomplished in only her first year, I can’t wait to see what the years ahead will bring.
See you next week.
December 13, 2023 - The Legend of Senator John Sparkman
In my 2015 book, Of Goats and Governors: Six Decades of Colorful Alabama Political Stories, I have a Chapter entitled “Alabama’s Three Greatest Senators.” I chronicle the lives and accomplishments of Richard Shelby, Lister Hill and John Sparkman. Last week we gave you the history of Lister Hill. This week we will give you a brief story of the legacy of the great John Sparkman.
Hill and Sparkman served as a tandem in Washington for more than 20 years and were respected giants on Capitol Hill. Our Hill-Sparkman team was unsurpassed in power and prestige from 1946 to 1970. They were admired, not only in Alabama and the South, but throughout the nation. They were powerful and extremely effective for our state, but also portrayed a good image as erudite southern gentlemen.
John Sparkman served an amazing 32 years in the United States Senate from 1946 through 1978. He served 12 years in the U.S. Congress from Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley, prior to being elected to the Senate. He made his presence known as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, which at the time oversaw housing for America. Furthermore, he was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1952.
John Sparkman is the Father of the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. His legacy lives on today with the growth and aerospace prominence of our Rocket City. Our fastest growing and most economically prosperous metropolitan area began its presence in the 1960s because of John Sparkman. In fact, the city should probably be referred to as Sparkmanville rather than Huntsville.
Senator Sparkman was not born into privilege like Senator Hill. Sparkman was born and raised on an unpretentious tenant farm near Hartselle in Morgan County. He had 10 brothers and sisters. In 1917, by making a cotton crop and netting $75.00 he was able to enroll in the University of Alabama. At Alabama he was editor of the “Crimson and White” and like Senator Hill, he was elected President of the Student Body at the Capstone. At the same time, he worked his way through school shoveling coal and feeding furnaces.
After graduation from the University of Alabama School of Law, he practiced law in Huntsville for 12 years before being elected to Congress in 1936. Like Hill, he supported President Roosevelt’s New Deal. The passage of the Tennessee Valley Authority (“TVA”) Act was a tremendous boost for his North Alabama Tennessee Valley district. The TVA Act transformed North Alabama.
In 1946, he had served his North Alabama congressional district well for over a decade and was elected to the U.S. Senate. Senator John Bankhead had died in office and Sparkman won the seat handily with strong backing of labor unions who were in their heyday in Alabama politics.
Senator Sparkman rose to power and prominence in the Senate. He made his mark as the father of federal housing for the poor. He became Chairman of the very powerful Senate Banking Committee, as well as its Housing Subcommittee. Sparkman was the author of practically every major housing bill since World War II, and is also known as the father of the Small Business Administration. He was also the ranking majority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
For more than two decades, John Sparkman and Lister Hill served together as a team, the most powerful and respected tandem in Washington. While some Southern Senators were making racist speeches on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Hill and Sparkman refused to race bait. They preferred to quietly bring home the bacon to Alabama with dignity. They had a team approach to helping Alabama and their voting records on major issues, which faced the nation, were identical.
Both men served as president of the student body of the University of Alabama, and both were products of what is known as the political machine at the University of Alabama.
John Sparkman was a giant in the United States Senate and an icon in Alabama political history.
See you next week.
December 6, 2023 - Lister Hill, One of Alabama Greatest U.S. Senators
We had a very distinguished congressional delegation from Alabama during the 30-year span of 1934-1964. The congressmen from the Heart of Dixie appeared to be born to serve in Congress. Their pedigrees were all similar. They had pretty much been born and raised in the town that they would eventually represent in Congress. Almost all had gone to the University of Alabama for their education and most had graduated from Alabama’s Law School. While at the Capstone, most had been members of Greek fraternities.
In addition to their Greek fraternal affiliation, they were politically active at the Capstone and also belonged to a mystic political fraternity known as “The Machine.” This group was basically a political party that was made up of the fraternities on campus. It was well organized with secret endorsements made up of the fraternity candidates and the endorsements were only revealed the day before the election. The fraternity candidates very rarely lost. It is a legendary political training ground and almost every member of Congress during this era was a product of “The Machine.”
After college and law school, these men served a stint in the military. Service in a World War and then membership in the VFW seemed to be a necessity for a political career. Alabamians have always had an affinity for folks who served their country and came home after the war to begin a perfunctory law practice that occupied them until the congressional seat they had been preparing for came open.
Once they were elected, they planned on staying there. After all they figured that a congressional career was what they were born for. They adhered to the adage attributed to many a southern congressman. It was said many times by the solons from the south as they played poker in the cloakroom of the House or Senate, “I love being in Congress and the only way I will leave will be by the ballot box or in a pine box,” and usually it was the latter.
The person, who most perfectly epitomized this prototypical congressman and senator of this era, was the legendary Lister Hill of Montgomery. He was both a Congressman and a Senator. He was elected to Congress at age 28 and served 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was then elected to the U.S. Senate in 1938, where he served
Alabama with distinction for 30 years.
Hill had been born into privilege. He was the son of Dr. Luther Hill. His father was one of the first American surgeons to successfully suture the human heart. Hoping that their son would follow his father into medicine, the parents named Joseph Lister after the famous European physician, who was the first doctor to advocate and practice use of antiseptics.
Young Lister Hill decided one day, after watching his father operate, that he would not be a doctor. He actually fainted from the sight of blood.
The Hill family was very prominent politically in Montgomery. In fact, at this time there were two political families who were like political parties. You had to run in Montgomery as either a candidate of the Hill family or the Gunter family.
Lister set his sights on politics at an early age, probably dreamed of and maybe expected to be a U.S. Senator. He entered the University of Alabama at age 16 and became the first student government president at the University. He also was the founder of the aforementioned “Machine.” He was elected to Congress at 28 and served with distinction. He served in the U.S. House for 16 years and rose to be Chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee. He was instrumental in getting the Maxwell-Gunter military complex in Montgomery.
Senator Hill had a hand in most major national legislation from 1938 to 1968. However, his greatest legacy was in the field of Public Health. The great medical center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is because of Lister Hill. Probably the best-known legislation he was known for was the Hill-Burton Act. Through this 1946 Act, most of the rural hospitals in America and Alabama were built.
Lister Hill is without question one of our state’s greatest U.S. Senators.
See you next week.