February 6, 2019 - Organizational Session, Legislative Leadership, and Potential New Legislative Stars
The Legislature has met for their organizational session and elected their leadership for the next four years.
Both the House and Senate leadership remain essentially the same as the last quadrennium.
Senator Del Marsh, R-Anniston, was elected Senate President Pro Tem. Senator Greg Reed, R-Jasper, remains Majority leader. Senator Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia continues as Rules Chairman and Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, will again be Chairman of Finance and Taxation/Education. The only new leader will be Senator Greg Albritton, R-Escambia, who will be Chairman of the Senate General Fund Committee.
The House leadership is completely intact. Representative Mac McCutchen, R-Madison, was reelected as Speaker of the House. Veteran Legislator, Victor Gaston, R-Mobile will be Speaker Pro Tem. Representative Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, will be Chairman of the General Fund Ways and Means Committee. Representative Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, will Chair the Education Budget Committee. Representative Mike Jones, R-Andalusia, will set the House Agenda as Rules Committee Chairman and Representative Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Dekalb, will serve as Majority leader.
Representative Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, will be the House Minority Leader and Senator Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, will be Senate Minority Leader. There a good many new House members and Senators. Approximately 30 percent of the House of Representatives is comprised of new members.
The Freshman Class of State Senators has 13 new members. That makes up one-third of the 35-member body. There are 11 new Republicans and two new Democrats in the Senate.
This new class of legislators has some potential stars. First on most lists in the Senate is Sam Givhan from Huntsville. Givhan is the grandson of legendary Black Belt Senator, Walter C. Givhan. He comes to the Senate with not only a strong pedigree but extensive leadership experience. He is a successful economic developer and attorney. He has been chairman of the Madison County Republican Party.
Senator Will Barfoot of Montgomery will be an able replacement for Dick Brewbaker in his Montgomery, Pike Road, Autauga, Elmore, and Crenshaw district. He is an attorney by profession and is open, affable and very likeable. He may be as popular as Brewbaker. He carried every box in his district against a viable opponent.
Young Garlan Gudger will be a quick study and will be a stalwart bulldog for his Cullman and Northwest Alabama district. He has deep roots in Cullman County and has a bright future.
Senator Donnie Chesteen moves over from the House to the Senate. His Wiregrass district encompasses all of Dothan and Houston and Geneva counties. He is a native of the area and very popular. He is a former coach, knows his people, and has not become aloof. He is humble, accessible and a thoughtful decisive legislator. He will fit in well in the Senate and will probably stay awhile.
Senator Chris Elliott of Baldwin will be immensely effective. He has been a Baldwin County Commissioner and will be a fierce advocate for the coastal area.
Senator David Sessions from Mobile moves from the House to the Senate. He is a successful farmer and will be an effective voice for the Gulf Coast region.
Centre Senator, Andrew Jones, is very sincere. He will be an ardent worker for his Etowah/Cherokee district.
Newly elected Senator Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, is a successful businessman who has been active civically in Jefferson County for years and will serving in the Senate as a public servant.
In the House, Representative David Wheeler from Vestavia has been around Alabama politics for 40-years. This will be a small learning curve for him.
Young Will Dismukes of Autauga appears on most lists of potential rising stars. He has a bright future.
Wes Allen from Troy has been Probate Judge of Pike County. He is young with governmental experience.
Tracy Estes from Marion County will be a diligent and effective Representative for his Northwest Alabama district.
Several of the Freshman House members have governmental experience. Jeff Sorrells has been Mayor of Hartford. Rhett Marquis from Coffee County comes from the Enterprise City Council. Rex Reynolds from Huntsville has a lot of law enforcement experience. Many observers point to Ginny Shaver of Cherokee County as a real leader to follow.
When it comes to young legislative stars, the two brightest are still Bill Poole of Tuscaloosa on the Republican side and Anthony Daniels from Huntsville for the Democrats.
See you next week.
January 30, 2019 - Infrastructure Program Should Be Priority 1
As the new quadrennium crests in Alabama government, everybody looks toward a new beginning. There is a new fresh four years ahead for the newly elected leaders. They are overwhelmingly Republican. The Governor is Republican and all of the accompanying constitutional officeholders are members of the GOP. More importantly, the State Legislature, both the House and the Senate are Republicans. In fact, over two-thirds of each chamber are Republican. It is a supermajority.
The cards are lining up for these leaders to leave a legacy. That legacy could and should be to rebuild Alabama’s roads and bridges. The optimum word is infrastructure. Folks know that it is time. Alabamians see the needs everyday as they drive to work. The staunchest and most conservative people I know throughout the state tell me, adamantly, that they are flat ready to pay more in gasoline tax to fix their roads.
The hue and cry arises from rural folks whose roads are impassable from large potholes. Birmingham’s roads are deplorable. Suburban commuters who have to travel highway 280 in Jefferson and Shelby counties are exasperated. Indeed, commuters in the state from all of our largest metro areas are acutely aware of the horrendous log jams they experience every day.
The country folks have figured out that it would be cheaper to pay more for gasoline than it is to pay for having their frontends aligned and tires balanced every few weeks from hitting holes in their roads. A good many of the rural bridges in the state have been condemned and are hazardous for heavy trucks and school buses to travel.
The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has an unprecedented number of unmet repairs and expansions. A spokesman for ALDOT says there are $10 billion of identified capacity projects and needs.
Some big-ticket items on the ALDOT list include a new Interstate 10 and bridge and Bayway widening project in Mobile and Baldwin Counties, the completion of the Birmingham northern beltline, the Montgomery Outer Loop, and additional lanes along the interstate in Huntsville.
Speaking of Huntsville, they are poised to be one of the fastest growing areas of the entire nation over the next decade. It is imperative that their infrastructure needs are met to keep pace with their expansion. Toyota-Mazda is set to build their largest plant in the Huntsville-Madison metro area. They were assured that roads would be built to accommodate their location and expansion.
Alabama, like most states, relies on gasoline taxes to pay for their roads and bridges. It has been 26 years since our gas tax was raised. The last time that Alabama had an increase in our fuel tax was 1992. That state increase was just ahead of the last federal gas tax increase enacted by Congress.
President Donald Trump pledged while running and again after his election in 2016 to advance a massive infrastructure program, the largest in U.S. history. He signaled support for increasing the federal gasoline tax to pay for this American infrastructure initiative.
This rebuilding of America infrastructure is one of the bipartisan issues that both Democrats and Republicans are espousing.
It is a certainty that states will have to come up with matching dollars to get the federal money. Indeed, 28 states have raised or reformed their taxes since 2013 in anticipation of a federal tax increase which they will have to match.
This is the one issue in which both parties in Washington can come to an agreement. We in Alabama are not ahead of the curve, but we are poised to maybe come to grips with this issue.
A gasoline tax increase to fund infrastructure needs will be the paramount issue of 2019. My guess is that it will happen this year. Governor Kay Ivey, shortly after taking office, said she “supported an increase in the state gasoline tax to fix state roadways.”
House Speaker, Mac McCutchen, of Huntsville, has trumpeted the need for a road program for years. Most of his Republican colleagues in the House ran for reelection without having to take a vow that they would not raise any new revenue or taxes.
The stars are aligned for Alabama to act. The time is now. The timing is good. We will probably never have the Chairman of the United States Senate Appropriations Committee as our Senior Senator ever again. Senator Richard Shelby will make sure that we get our fair share of the federal money. However, we must have the basic revenue to draw down the federal funds.
See you next week.
January 23, 2019 - New Federal Judges in Alabama – Future Legacy
Regardless of what happens in Donald Trump’s administration over the next two years, he will have a proven record of success as President especially if you are a conservative American.
One of, if not the most important accomplishment of any president is the opportunity to appoint a United States Supreme Court Justice. Folks, Trump has appointed and gotten confirmed two members of the Supreme Court in two years. This is a remarkable achievement. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh will have an immense impact on American laws and values for more than likely over two decades, long after Donald Trump is dead and gone. Both Gorsuch and Kavanaugh are young, in their early 50s and will be a part of many landmark rulings that will profoundly affect American public policy.
Trump’s selection of these two extremely well qualified jurists were wise ones, both are exceptionally groomed and scripted to be outstanding Justices. They are considered mainstream, moderate conservatives with the perfect educational and judicial background and experience.
Kavanaugh’s confirmation was more controversial because his choice is a pivotal swing vote on the Court that tilts the Court to a conservative majority. Gorsuch was an even swap, a conservative for a conservative. He replaced conservative Justice Anton Scalia.
Kavanaugh’s appointment was critical. The liberal Democrats had to go to the wall and declare all out war by whatever means to derail and delay the Kavanaugh confirmation. The Court swung to becoming a conservative tribunal with Kavanaugh. The Court had four liberals and four conservatives. Kavanaugh replaced the swing vote on the Court, Anthony Kennedy. Therefore, the Court is now five conservatives to four liberals. Make no doubt about it, the confirmation of a Supreme Court Judge is very political.
The liberals had to resort to extreme measures to preserve the possibility that the Republicans could lose their control of the U.S. Senate which, gives consent to a President’s SCOTUS appointments.
In today’s extremely partisan politics, lines are drawn and there are no prisoners kept, both sides go for the jugular vein. Therefore, the only way for Trump to be successful in his garnering the placement of two conservative justices is because he has a Republican majority Senate with some very adroit veteran GOP Senate leaders like Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley and Richard Shelby paving the way.
Speaking of our Senior Senator, Richard Shelby, he has masterminded and orchestrated a legendary coup of his own when it comes to our U.S. Federal Judges in Alabama.
In conjunction with the Trump administration, Shelby has placed six new Federal Judges in Alabama, all young and conservative. This Shelby/Trump triumph has secured a two to three decade dominance of conservative federal judges in the Heart of Dixie.
During the Obama years at least six federal judgeships became vacant in Alabama. President Obama appointed replacements but Senator Shelby and our former Senator Jeff Sessions sat on them and refused to allow them to be confirmed. These seats have remained vacant due to partisan gamesmanship. Shelby and Sessions were hoping that a day would come when there would be a Republican President and they could place these lifetime appointments into conservative hands. That day miraculously arrived last January.
Senator Shelby and his former Chief of Staff and now BCA President, Katie Britt, spent the entire year of 2018 interviewing, vetting and selecting these judges to assure that they were young, conservative, qualified, and confirmable.
They have indeed accomplished this lifetime feat for Alabama. Liles Burke and Anne Marie Axon are the two new judges for the Northern District. Emily Marks and Andrew Brasher will join conservative Chief Judge William Keith Watkins in the Middle District. The Southern District will have two new Trump-Shelby appointees in Terry Moorer and Jeffrey Beaverstock.
Senator Richard Shelby has further enhanced his legacy for decades to come and has placed an indelible stamp on the federal judiciary in Alabama with these judicial appointees.
See you next week.
January 16, 2019 – What Will Our Congressional Districts Look Like After the 2020 Census
Preparations are being made to take the 2020 Census. This process is not just a fun game to spell out demographic changes and interesting tidbits about us as Americans. It is a very important mandate dictated by the Constitution. The number of people counted determines how many seats each state has in Congress. Thus, it is taken every 10-years.
The Country has been changing, demographically, over the last decade, as it always has over the course of history. The states of California, Texas and Florida continue to grow exponentially. All Americans, not just older ones, seek the sun. They like a sunny, warm climate. That is why our neighboring state of Florida is and has been for decades America’s growth state.
Last week I visited with you about our 1940’s Congressional Delegation. At that time we had nine seats. We lost one after the 1960’s census. We lost another after 1980. We are projected to lose another one after this upcoming Census of 2020. We now have seven seats. It is predicted that we will only have six after next year. We most certainly will lose one to California if they are allowed to count illegal immigrants.
The State Legislature is constitutionally designated as the drawer of lines of congressional districts for each respective state. Currently, we have six Republican seats and one Democratic seat. If indeed we drop from seven to six Congressional districts, how will it shake out.
The census will reveal that Huntsville and North Alabama have been our growth spots. Alabama’s population continues to move toward the northern tier of the state. Two out of every three Alabamians live in Birmingham, Hoover, and Tuscaloosa north.
The Black Belt continues to lose population. The census will also reveal quite a disparity of financial prosperity. It will show that the same Black Belt counties are some of the poorest areas of the country and conversely Huntsville will be one of the most prosperous.
So who are the winners and losers under Congressional redistricting? You start with one premise. You have to have one majority minority African American district. The federal courts have mandated this edict. Therefore, Congresswoman Terri Sewell’s district is sacred. It now is very large, geographically. It will become even larger. The district will take in most of the African American population in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery, and the entire Black Belt stretching from south of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa all the way to Mobile. It will be a big geographic district and be numbered district six rather than seven.
This leaves us with five Republican districts and six incumbent Republicans. Therefore, who gets the short end of the stick. A cursory look says the odd person out is Martha Roby in the second district.
However, our current delegates have already come up with a plan to save everybody. Mo Brooks, the Congressman from Huntsville, will choose to move up or out in 2022. He is assuming that Senator Richard Shelby retires at age 88. Therefore, Brooks will see his fast-growing Tennessee Valley district divided and delved out to a plan that grows the districts north, which complies with the growth pattern.
Our senior and most seniority laden Congressman, Robert Aderholt, will opt to stay in Congress rather than risk a run for the Senate. This is a very wise and prudent move for him and the state. He has over 24-years in seniority and is in line to be Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He will move north and pick up part of the Huntsville area and he will cut Gadsden loose. Mike Rogers will move north and pick up Gadsden and all of northeast Alabama, which is a more natural fit for him with his native Anniston area.
Rogers’ move north will allow him to abandon Auburn-Opelika, which in turn allows Roby’s district to exist primarily like it is with the population centers of East Montgomery, Elmore, Autauga, and the Wiregrass and Dothan and that district will add Auburn-Opelika.
The current 6th District of Jefferson-Shelby represented by Gary Palmer will remain essentially the same. Its upscale suburbs will make it one of the most Republican in the nation.
The last district seat of Mobile-Baldwin will remain intact and will still be District 1. However, the tremendous growth of Baldwin will require that the district only contain Mobile and Baldwin. The cadre of rural counties north of Mobile that are currently in the District will have to be cut loose to probably go to the Black Belt district.
The current 1st District Congressman, Bradley Bryne, is running for the U.S. Senate in 2020. However, his replacement will be a conservative Republican.
See you next week.
January 9, 2019 - Alabama’s 1940’s Congressional Delegation
Recently I came across a copy of an old congressional directory from 1942. It is always fun for me to read about this era in American political history.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt had been first elected in 1932 in the depths of the Great Depression. He would go on to be reelected in 1936, 1940 and 1944 and would have been reelected into perpetuity. However, he died in Warm Springs, Georgia in April of 1945, only four months into his fourth term. He was the closest thing we Americans have ever had to having a king. Nobody has or ever will serve four terms as President. After FDR's omnipotent reign, the Constitution was changed to limit our presidents to two four-year terms.
Roosevelt brought the country out of the Depression with his New Deal. However, he did not do it alone. He worked closely with a Democratic Congress. They congruently changed the nation and it’s government. Our Alabama delegation was an integral part of that transformation. Our delegation in Washington was seniority laden and very much New Dealers.
A cursory perusal of Tom Brokaw’s book, The Greatest Generation, reveals that a standard prerequisite for being successful in politics in Alabama during that time was to have been a military veteran. All of our congressmen had been veterans of World War I, unless they were too old to have served.
In the 1940’s we had nine congressmen, whereas today we have seven. All nine members of our congressional delegation were men and all were Democrats. Today, we have six Republicans and one token Democrat.
There are several differences in our delegation on the Potomac today and our group of gentlemen congressmen of over 70 years ago. Obviously, their partisan badges have changed as have Alabamians. Another observation is the tremendous difference in power and seniority of the 1940s group versus our group today. Of that group of men, which included Frank Boykin, George Grant, Henry Steagall, Sam Hobbs, Joe Starnes, Pete Jarman, and John Sparkman, many of them had been in Congress for decades and wielded significant influence. Indeed, from the mid 1940s through 1964 ours was one of the most powerful delegations in the nation’s capital. They had risen to power through their seniority and their allegiance to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal policies.
Henry Steagall from Ozark in the 3rd Congressional District was Chairman of the prestigious Banking Committee. He was instrumental in the passage of much of FDR’s New Deal banking laws which were revamped in the wake of the collapse of America’s banks in 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression. He was the sponsor of the Glass-Steagall Banking Act, which was a lynchpin foundation of FDR’s Banking Resurrection Plan coming out of the Depression.
One of the monumental differences in that era’s delegation and today’s is their philosophical voting records. As mentioned, that group of men were witnesses to and participants of the Great Depression. Every one of them had been born in the late 1800s, therefore, they were in the prime of their life when the Great Depression struck. They witnessed the devastation of the country.
These men voted lockstep with FDR’s liberal agenda to transform America. Given this partisan progressive loyalty to FDR and the New Deal, this delegation’s voting record was one of the most liberal in the nation. Because of their loyalty to FDR’s programs, coupled with this group’s seniority, no state benefited from the New Deal agenda more than Alabama. Through the Works Progress Administration and the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Alabama progressed. The Tennessee Valley of North Alabama was especially transformed.
Later John Sparkman would create the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, which made this North Alabama city one of the most prosperous and progressive areas of the country.
To the contrary, our delegation today is one of the most conservative in America. It was a different era.
See you next week.
January 2, 2019 - A New Quadrennium: Alabama Potpourri and Trivia
As we begin this New Year of 2019, Alabama begins a new quadrennium in state government.
All of our Constitutional state officeholders begin their new four-year terms this month. Governor Kay Ivey will be sworn in for a four-year term on January 14. Also, being sworn in on Inauguration Day will be Will Ainsworth as Lt. Governor, John Merrill as Secretary of State, John McMillan as State Treasurer, Rick Pate as Agriculture Commissioner, Steve Marshall asAttorney General and Jim Ziegler will be sworn in for a second term as State Auditor. By the way, all of the above and indeed all statewide officeholders in Alabama are Republicans.
All 140 State Senators and State Representatives have already been sworn in for their four-year terms. Most of our legislators are also Republicans. There are 35 State Senators, 27 are Republican and only eight Democrats. The House is made up of 105 members. The partisan divide is 77 Republicans and 28 Democrats. Mac McCutcheon of Huntsville will be elected Speaker of the House in the organizational session next weekand Del Marsh will be reelected President Pro Tem of the Senate. My belief is that we will have a successful and prosperous next four years in the Heart of Dixie.
Alabama is a magnificent state. We possess abundant natural resources such as waterways, rivers, flora and fauna, and mineral deposits. Water is one of Alabama’s most precious natural resources, and almost 10 percent of the freshwater resources of the continental U.S. flows through or originates in Alabama during its journey to the sea. A sixth of the state’s surface is covered by lakes, ponds, rivers, and creeks. We have plentiful rainfall, much higher than the nation’s average. The average annual rainfall in North Alabama is 50 inches. The average is 65 in South Alabama and along the coast.
Some of you may wonder why Alabama is called the “Heart of Dixie.” We are the Heart of Dixie because of banknotes issued by the Citizens Bank of Louisiana before the Civil War. They bore the French word “dix” meaning ten, and thus the South became known as Dixieland. With Alabama serving as the first Capital of the Confederacy, it was thus the Heart of Dixieland.
The early French influence in Alabama is still felt in Mobile,which is much older than the rest of the state. Mobile was the first permanent European settlement in the state, founded by the French even earlier than New Orleans, and more than 100 years before Alabama became a state in 1819.
Mobile was settled by the French, but the rest of our European ancestors came primarily from five states: Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. Ninety percent of the pre-Civil War white population of the state originated in one of these five states. Of the first 16 governors, 15 were born in one of those five states and of the 100 delegates at the Secession Convention in 1861, only 17 were native-born Alabamians, while 72 were born in one of the above five states.
When Alabama became a state in 1819, it accounted for 1.3 percent of the nation’s population. There was rapid growth during the next few decades as cotton and slavery dominated the antebellum economy and culture. By 1840, Alabama’s proportion of U.S. population was 3.5 percent.
However, Alabama’s proportion of the U.S. population has been in steady decline since the end of the Civil War. Today we account for only about 1.6 percent of the country’s people. My belief is that the trend will reverse in the next few years as we continue to grow with automobile and high-tech industries, especially in the Huntsville area.
Alabama has been castigated as a backwards state and less opportune for women leaders. However, I would suggest that with the beginning of this new quadrennium we may be leading the nation and more so-called progressive states with women leadership. We have just elected a female governor, Kay Ivey, and Katie Britt has been chosen to lead the Business Council of Alabama.
Legendary Legislator Pete Turnham of Auburn turned 99 on New Year’s Day. Mr. Pete represented Lee County in the Alabama House of Representatives for 40 years from 1958-1998. He brought a lot of bacon home to Auburn University. Happy Birthday Pete, and Happy New Year to you.
See you next week.
December 26, 2018 - We Lost Some Great Leaders in 2018
As is my custom at the close of the year, I like to memorialize great Alabamians who have appeared and lived legendary lives upon the stage of political history in the Heart of Dixie.
This year we have had some real legends. I have expanded the geographical limits to outside of Alabama to include two of the greatest men in American history. America’s greatest preacher and one of the nation’s great presidents passed away. Most of these fellows lived a long time.
One of my favorite men I ever had the privilege to know, Mr. John “Bubba” Trotman, died in February at age 93 in Montgomery. Mr. Bubba was born and raised in Troy, but he spent his entire life in Montgomery. He was the best known cattle farmer in Alabama. He served a stint as President of the National Cattleman’s Association. Bubba played football at Auburn and loved the Loveliest Village on the Plains. Bubba Trotman epitomized the term, a true southern gentleman. My mama grew up with Bubba in Troy. They graduated high school together. One day I told mama that Bubba was one of the finest gentlemen I had ever met. She said he was just that way growing up in Troy. A lot of people in Montgomery loved Bubba, but a lot of people in Troy did too.
Billy Graham died in February at the age of 99 at his beloved mountain home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. He was probably the greatest preacher in American history. He was America’s preacher.
Speaking of great preachers, Dr. John Ed Mathison, the legendary Methodist minister in Montgomery did not pass away this year, however, he has made his mark as one of the greatest preachers in Alabama history. John Ed Mathison gave a masterful Eulogy for his friend, Milton McGregor, who passed away in March at age 79. Milton McGregor had a lot of friends throughout the state. He was born and raised in Hartford, and spent his early adult life in the Wiregrass.
Alabama lost one of its greatest entrepreneurs and charitable benefactors when Milton passed away. He created thousands of jobs and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes for Macon County and the State of Alabama. There are untold stories of people who he personally helped who were down on their luck. He used his personal jet to transport people he did not even know to hospitals all over the country for medical care, more than he used it for himself. He and his wife, Pat, donated millions to charitable organizations as well as their church, Frazer United Methodist in Montgomery.
Milton McGregor was the ultimate family man. He was devoted to his wife, Pat. They were married 50 years. He loved his wife Pat and their two daughters, Cindy and Kim, better than life itself. He was an intensely loyal friend to those he called his friends.
Birmingham Congressman, John Buchanan, Jr. passed away in March at age 89. He was one of Alabama’s and Jefferson County’s first Republican Congressman, having been elected in the 1964 Goldwater Republican landslide in the state. His father was the longtime pastor of the legendary, prominent, Southside Baptist Church. His congregation included most of the City’s wealthiest and most powerful businessmen. It was where Liberty National Life founder, Frank Samford, went to church along with his friends and associates. Samford University was built with Liberty National money.
C.C. “Bo” Torbert passed away in June at age 88 in his beloved Lee County. He served eight years in the Alabama House and served two four-year terms in the Alabama Senate. He was elected Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 1976 and was Chief Justice for 12 years. He was a great Alabama leader and a gentleman.
Our 41st President, George H. W. Bush passed away at the age of 94 in Houston, Texas on December 1, 2018. Bush served as President from 1989 to 1993.
Bush was a true statesman and gentleman. He served his country in the U.S. Navy during World War II and later as a Congressman, U.S. Ambassador, our CIA Director, and Vice President prior to being elected President of the United States.
Even though the above resume of distinguished service puts him in a league very few Americans in U.S. history can lay claim to, he personally was probably prouder of having been a star first baseman on his Yale Baseball team.
We lost some icons in 2018.
Happy New Year.
December 19, 2018 – Very Few White Democrats Left in Legislature. Several Legends Retire
The Republican tidal wave that swept Alabama’s statewide office holders to landslide victories filtered down to legislative races.
Even though our legislature really didn’t need to become any more conservative or Republican, it did anyway. We had a super majority Republican State House and Senate. We now have a super, super GOP majority. Republicans picked up five more Alabama House seats and added another state Senate seat. That gives the GOP a 27 to 8 advantage in the Senate and a 77 to 28 edge in the House.
If you make a trip to the Capitol and view the circus-like atmosphere of the January organizational session, you will be as likely to see a dinosaur on display as to spot a white Democratic legislator. There are two in the 140 membership. The two relics are Billy Beasley in the Senate and Neil Rafferty in the House.
Three Democratic House Icons did not run for reelection this year. Retiring House members, James Buskey of Mobile, Marcel Black of Tuscumbia and Richard Lindsey of Centre, were legends and they will be missed. They epitomized the class and quality of individuals who have rendered outstanding leadership and statesmanship to public service for not only their constituents but also to the State of Alabama.
James Buskey is retiring at 81. Mr. Buskey has served 42 years in the Alabama House of Representatives. He first won election to his House Seat in a Special Election in 1976. He subsequently was reelected overwhelmingly to 10 four-year terms. His leadership has made an impact for all of Mobile County. Over his legislative career he served on Ways and Means and Rules Committees. Over the past decade he has been the leader and wise shepherd of the Democrats in the House even though he let young members hold the Title.
His professional career was as an educator. He served as a Vice Principal and Principal of several Mobile High Schools. I watched him be pushed to the limit numerous times in his efforts to represent his constituents. I never saw him lose his temper or his dignified yet humorous demeanor.
As long as I live I will never forget a speech he made on the floor of the House in 1983. George Wallace was in his last term as governor and he was trying to tax everything that wasn’t nailed down. Even though Mobile had always been good to Wallace, he was aiming a good many of his tax initiatives at the Port City. Buskey took to the microphone and an impassioned yet hilarious portrayal of Wallace’s tax men in a flotilla of vessels sailing into Mobile Bay to rob the Mobilians. I will fondly call him Admiral in memory of that speech for the rest of my life.
Representative Marcel Black is retiring at age 67after 28 years in the Alabama Legislature. Marcel is one of the finest gentlemen I’ve ever known. He was born and raised in Tuscumbia and represented his hometown of Tuscumbia and County of Colbert for seven four-year terms. He is a proud graduate of the University of Alabama and Alabama Law School. Besides being an outstanding legislator, he is one of the most prominent lawyers in his part of the state. He was a great friend and admirer of Tuscumbia’s most prominent lawyer and judge and Senator Howell Heflin. Heflin, who served as Alabama’s Chief Justice and our United States Senator for 18 years, however, was not Tuscumbia’s most prominent citizen. That title belongs to one Helen Keller.
Marcel served in a host of legislative posts. He was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and would have probably been elected Speaker of the House had the Democrats retained the majority in 2010.
Representative Richard Lindsey is retiring at the ripe old age of 62. He has served 36 years in the Alabama House of Representatives. If you assume that you are an adult at 21, then that means that Richard has served almost his entire adult life representing his home folks in the Legislature, 36 of his 41 years as an adult has been as a legislator. He was elected in 1982 at age 26.
Even though he has been a State Representative for most of his life, he is first and foremost a farmer. He was born and raised in Centre in Cherokee County and runs the family farm business. He has been a leader in the Alabama Farmers Federation and his Methodist church. Like Marcel Black, Richard Lindsey is one of the finest gentlemen you will ever meet.
James Buskey, Marcel Black and Richard Lindsey exude integrity. Legislators on both sides of the aisle should strive to emulate these three gentlemen.
See you next week.
December 12, 2018 – Last of Famous Probate Judges: Hardy McCollum
In Alabama political history, the office of Probate Judge was the most powerful and prestigious position. In the old days, in every county in Alabama, the probate judge was not only judge, he also appointed all county positions, hired all county employees and was Chairman of the County Commission. He was essentially the “King of the County.”
In bygone days, gubernatorial candidates ran grassroots campaigns. There were no televisions, therefore, the first and maybe the only stop they would make in their quest for the Governor’s mansion, was to kiss the ring of and get the endorsement of the probate judge. The omnipotent probate judge would endorse them and that endorsement usually meant that that they would carry that county. The local folks would follow the lead of their judge. They and their county would be on the right side of the governor’s race.
The last vestige of the era of vintage Probate Judges will end this year with the retirement of Tuscaloosa Probate Judge, Hardy McCollum.
Judge McCollum is only 71. However, Alabama law disallows judges from running for reelection after age 70. He has been the longest serving probate judge in the state, and at the time of his first election in 1976, he was the youngest probate judge in Alabama. Hardy was elected at age 28, and took the coveted office of Probate Judge at the ripe old age of 29. Hardy McCollum has served his home county as Probate Judge for 42 years.
During that time, he has consistently been considered the most popular political figure in his county. He has always run as a Democrat. When the tide turned and the state went Republican in the 1980’s and 90’s and most of the state’s prominent politicians switched to the Republican Party, Hardy refused to change. He withstood the tidal wave and remained the most revered public official in Tuscaloosa County.
The anomaly of his popularity is that he continues to hold the title of Chairman of the County Commission, a rarity in this day and time, especially for a large county like Tuscaloosa. There are only 15 counties in the state left where the Probate Judge still serves as Chairman of the County Commission and, only two populous counties, Lee and Tuscaloosa.
Hardy McCollum was born and raised in Tuscaloosa. He learned at an early age how much the Goodrich and Gulf States paper plants meant to Tuscaloosa. Druid City was also dependent upon public employees. Tuscaloosa was home to the state mental health institutions, Bryce and Partlow. The University of Alabama has always been Tuscaloosa’s mainstay. Hardy grew up selling peanuts, popcorn and programs at Denny Stadium.
Hardy married his high school sweetheart, Juanita. They both graduated from Tuscaloosa High School and they both continued on and graduated from the University of Alabama.
They have three children, Jay, Jason, and Joy. Hardy and Juanita are fortunate that all three live in Tuscaloosa. They are able to enjoy their five grandchildren. Their second son, Jason, and Tuscaloosa mayor, Walt Maddox, grew up together as neighbors and best friends.
After college, Hardy began work in Tuscaloosa and became active in the Jaycees, which was a normal training ground for aspiring politicos in those days. His first political experience was campaigning for Richard Shelby for the State Senate in 1970.
In his first race for office, he was elected as Probate Judge. After that initial election in 1976, he was subsequently reelected to six more six-year terms, serving from 1976 through 2018. He had opposition every time but dispensed of his opponents easily each time.
Hardy’s last reelection in 2012 was the one that caught the eye of most political observers throughout the state. President Barack Obama was heading the Democratic ticket. It was a tsunami wipeout of almost every white Democrat in the Heart of Dixie. This red tidal wave also swept through Tuscaloosa. Hardy McCollum stood out like a sore thumb. Hardy McCollum, who had refused to change parties, withstood the tidal wave and won reelection as a Democratic Probate Judge with 67 percent of the vote against a Republican Sheriff.
There is an old saying in Alabama politics that home folks know you best. Hardy attributed his longevity and success to always doing the right thing regardless of whether it is politically popular. People will respect you if you are doing the right thing.
Hardy McCollum has done the right thing for his home county for 42-years. It’s time for him to go to the house and, hopefully, he will enjoy his retirement years. You can rest assured they will be spent in his beloved Tuscaloosa County. He will be replaced as Probate Judge by a Republican. It marks the passing of an era in Alabama politics.
See you next week.
December 5, 2018 - Further Analysis of General Election – Winners and Losers
Now that the dust has settled on this year’s elections, let’s look back at who are the big winners and losers of the year.
The obvious winner in the Heart of Dixie is the Republican Party. The GOP retained the reins of the state’s highest office and every other statewide Constitutional position. Kay Ivey was elected governor, overwhelmingly, as was Will Ainsworth as Lt. Governor, John Merrill as Secretary of State, John McMillan as State Treasurer, Rick Pate as Agriculture Commissioner, Jim Ziegler as State Auditor, Jeremy Oden and Chip Beeker as PSC members. Our entire judiciary is Republican, all members of the Supreme Court, and Courts of Criminal and Civil Appeals.
There are 29 statewide office holders and all 29 are Republican. However, more importantly the Legislature is overwhelmingly Republican. More than two-thirds of both the House and the Senate are Republicans. That’s what you call a super majority. Our Republican legislature can pass anything they want without a Democratic vote or letting Democrats speak.
Our Congressional delegation is made up of six Republicans and one lone Democrat. Folks, that makes us a pretty red state.
Several years ago, I had the honor of being a keynote speaker at the Boys State 75th Anniversary. I had attended Boys State 45 years earlier as a high school leader and aspiring young politico. I shared with these future political leaders this advice, “If you plan to run for statewide office in Alabama even if you believe you are a Democrat, you will need to run as a Republican.” This year’s election reaffirmed and confirmed that truth. Winning the GOP Primary in Alabama is tantamount to election.
Therefore, to pick the biggest individual winner of the year, you have to look back to the GOP Primary. Young Will Ainsworth, a 37-year old Sand Mountain Legislator/businessman emerges as the Gold Star award winner of the year in Alabama politics. His victory as Lt. Governor has propelled him onto the state political scene as the most prominent rising star. He was the top vote getter in the state on November 6th. He is a clean-cut, successful, family man who has been vetted by a high profile, statewide race.
The second biggest winner of the year was the loser of the GOP Primary for Lt. Governor, Twinkle Cavanaugh. In all my years of following Alabama politics, I have never seen a more graceful and gracious second place finisher. She only lost by an eyelash. She genuinely smiled on election night and said she had not gotten the most votes, even though she could have contested such a closely defined outcome. She had entered the race as the favorite having been elected three times statewide. During October, she held a fundraiser for Will Ainsworth in her Montgomery home. She will never be seriously challenged in her post as President of the PSC.
Speaking of rising stars, the third runner up is a young 18-year old fellow from Geneva County. Weston Spivey became the youngest elected official in the state by winning a County Commission seat in his home county. He won the GOP Primary before he was graduated from high school at Ridgecrest Christian School in Dothan. Young Spivey is also a volunteer firefighter with the Slocomb Fire Department. You should keep your eye on young Weston Spivey. He may become Governor of Alabama before he is 30.
Besides Will Ainsworth, there were two other Republicans who were top vote getters. Governor Kay Ivey and Secretary of State, John Merrill.
The biggest loser has to be the Democratic Party and our current anomaly, junior Democratic U.S. Senator Doug Jones. Mr. Jones won this seat until 2020. Because he was on the other side of the ballot than Roy Moore in the 2017 special election. Every left wing, ultra-liberal group and individual in the country gave to Jones to beat Moore.
Jones has never hidden the fact that he is a liberal, national Democrat. He showed his true colors when he voted against President Trump’s Supreme Court appointee, Brett Kavanaugh. Jones voted against this highly qualified jurist to appease his contributors in San Francisco and his like-minded Democratic buddies, Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, and Diane Feinstein. We essentially have only one U.S. Senator. We have ceded our second seat to California. Jones believes in the old adage, “You dance with the one who brung ya.” Hope he is renting in Washington because Alabamians are the ones that vote in 2020.
By the way, if you have Richard Shelby as your Senior Senator, you really don’t need a second senator.
See you next week.