January 4, 2023 - Two New U.S. Senators for Alabama
Richard Shelby walked out of the U.S. Senate this week after 36 years. Walking out with him is almost all of Alabama’s seniority and power in Washington.
Seniority equates into power in the Halls of Congress, especially in the Senate. National publications have illustrated the fact that Alabama has benefited more than all 50 states from federal earmarked funds due to one man, Richard Shelby.
It will be impossible to replace Shelby. His legacy will last for generations, especially in Huntsville, Birmingham, all defense facilities in Alabama, and the new docks he built in Mobile. There has been no senator that brought more federal dollars to their state, unless it was Robert Byrd of West Virginia.
You would think that we would be what some say, “up the creek without a paddle.” We are a state that depends on federal defense dollars, and we have zero seniority in the U.S. Senate. Our senior Senator, Tommy Tuberville, has two years seniority and our junior Senator, Katie Britt, has zero years. That probably makes us 50th in seniority in the senate.
However, I contend that our freshman senators, Tuberville and Britt, are the best and right choices for this time. First of all, they will work together as a team. They like each other and deeper than that, Tuberville’s people covertly and almost overtly campaigned for Katie Boyd Britt. She well knows that and appreciates it.
Primarily, Tuberville’s and Katie Britt’s personalities will prevail to Alabama’s advantage. They both have larger than life gregarious, vivacious, winning personalities and in a 100-member body, this is admired, respected, and appreciated. You have some pretty big personalities and egos in that 100 member elite chamber.
Shelby has shared with me in past years that you can recognize the prima donnas and show horses, who are running for president, immediately. Then there are those that want to be a long term, effective workhorse senator for their state. The first group immediately starts looking for a TV camera to get in front of. The second group are finding their offices, making friends, building a solid staff and jockeying for committee assignments that help them be effective for their state.
Katie Britt Boyd will be greeted and treated like a rockstar. She is young and looks even younger than she is. She is a very articulate and attractive media subject. However, if you know Katie, she will not be swayed by this allure from the national media. She is grounded and has already made inroads with the senate GOP establishment leadership and will be rewarded with surprisingly powerful committee assignments. She will settle in to being in Washington as a Senator for Alabama rather than a show horse.
Tuberville is now our senior U.S. Senator. When he ran and won two years ago, most of us thought it was a whim, something he wanted to do in his later years. When you first meet him, you can gather that he is a very patriotic fellow. He is doing this for the right reason. He truly wants to serve his country.
Tuberville, from the get-go, fell in love with politics. He campaigned. Especially, one-on-one. But, when he got to the senate, it has been like Katie bar the door. Folks, he likes it and the other Republican senators like him. He has really fit in. He has the brightest, happiest contented smile on his face. He looks 10 years younger than his 68 years. He is always around his GOP senate buddies. He votes totally with the Republican caucus and does not seek fanfare. He knows the golden rule of politics, “Your word is your bond,” and, “You dance with those who brung you.”
He knew the Alabama Farmers’ Federation (Alfa) was an integral part of his election. His first allegiance was to gravitate to committees that could help Alabama farmers as well as Alabama military veterans. He has put together a good staff. It will not surprise me if Coach runs for another six year term in 2026.
The aforementioned Alfa Farmers’ Federation is the most important lobbying group in the state with our two U.S. Senators. Alfa early and ardently supported both Tommy Tuberville and Katie Boyd Britt. Their endorsement of Britt and Tuberville were pivotal and instrumental to their wins. Both know it.
Another young man named Paul Shashy was an integral part of both Britt’s and Tuberville’s campaigns.
We may be in better shape in the senate than some think.
See you next week.
December 28, 2022 - Richard Shelby Coming Home
Our iconic Senior United States Senator, Richard Shelby, will walk out of the Senate chambers in Washington, D.C. next week and come home to retirement in Tuscaloosa. History will reveal Senator Shelby as Alabama’s greatest U.S. Senator, especially when it comes to bringing home the bacon to the Heart of Dixie. To say Shelby is the greatest is saying a mouthful, because we have had some great ones. Shelby will rest along with the likes of John Bankhead, John Sparkman, Lister Hill, and Howell Heflin. He has served longer in the Senate than any Alabamian in state history – 36 years. He served eight years in Congress before beginning his senate tenure in 1986.
Many of you have perceived, and correctly so, that I admire and appreciate the accomplishments of Senator Shelby. A good many of you will be glad to see me stop writing such glowing things about him. Over the years many of you have accused me of actually being his press secretary. My favorite restaurant is the historic Bright Star in Bessemer. A good many Tuscaloosans, especially older ones, Shelby’s contemporaries and friends and neighbors drive up to eat at the Bright Star. Invariably, they will ask me to come over to their table to visit. They always say, “you sure do like Richard Shelby.”
Many of them are familiar with the fact that we are also friends. We have, indeed, been political friends and confidantes for close to four decades. This does not take away from the fact that in my humble opinion, he is Alabama’s greatest Senator. The facts speak for themselves.
In Washington, Shelby is considered royalty with omnipotent power. He is treated like a king. Shelby has served in the Senate alongside eight different presidents. He has been more powerful than the last three. He has controlled the federal purse strings. Therefore, national political pundits know the political golden rule, ‘those that have the gold make the rules. Presidents, congressional leaders, and especially powerful lobbyists, treat Shelby with deference akin to royalty. When he enters a room, people stare and stand up. This is especially true when he enters any famous Washington restaurant. The maître de has assigned him the best table. When he enters the fine dining establishment, every head turns to see which million dollar a year lobbyist has been bestowed the honor of dining and visiting with the king, Richard Shelby. Other lobbyists will reserve a table next to him to simply be able to say they sat next to him.
However, when Shelby comes home to Tuscaloosa next month to the home he and his wife Annette have shared in the Druid City for over 50 years, his peers and neighbors will just call him Dick Shelby. “A setting sun sets off very little heat,” and a “prophet is not recognized in his own country,” “familiarity breeds contempt,” and “Alabama is just a big front porch,” all of these admonitions will ring true for ole Shelby. However, I do not think he will mind. Even though he has lived his life as a public person – eight years in the state senate, eight years in congress and 36 years in the U.S. Senate – he is a private person and really enjoys his time with Annette. He will very much enjoy his anonymity.
This coming home to rest in obscurity has played out throughout the years with our Washington giants. Old timers in Jackson County say that the legendary, powerful, Tennessee Valley Congressman, Bob Jones, in his retirement would go into a restaurant to eat in Scottsboro by himself and nobody would hardly know him.
I was friends with Senator Howell Heflin, who we all called “Judge.” After 18 years in the Senate, Judge came home to the Quad Cities. He would ask me to come up to visit with him and talk politics, which I gladly did. We would go to breakfast or early lunch at a downtown restaurant, which doubled as a coffee club gathering place in Tuscumbia. We would walk in, and they would nod, and he would speak, but they would not make a fuss over the former, powerful, U.S. Senator. In fact, I am not sure some of them even knew who he was. Tuscaloosa is a bigger place than Scottsboro or Tuscumbia, so Shelby will be private.
In the meantime, Alabamians will soon begin to realize what immense power Shelby had in Washington.
See you next week.
December 21, 2022 - The McMillan’s of Baldwin County
Alabama has a treasured history of famous political families. Many of the legacies are of father and son dynasties. The most prominent being the famous and powerful Bankheads of Jasper, which included a U.S. Senator, John Hollis Bankhead, and sons, Senator John H. Bankhead and Speaker of the U.S. House William Bankhead.
There is a long line of fathers and sons who both served in the state senate. We have had one father-son governor legacy. James E. “Big Jim” Folsom, was governor in the 1940’s and 1950’s. His son, Jim Folsom, Jr., was governor in the 1990’s. Little Jim was literally born in the Governor’s Mansion during his daddy, Big Jim’s first term as governor, 1946-1950.
During this generation there are two brothers from Baldwin County, who have made history. John and Steve McMillan have left a mark on Alabama political history. Decades from now, people will look at these twin brothers and say they have contributed a lot to Alabama. Yes, John and Steve are twins, both born on July 6, 1941.
Steve and John McMillan have deep family roots in Baldwin County. Before Alabama was even a state their ancestors settled in the Stockton Community near Bay Minette, which is where they call home. Their family is in the timber business.
Steve represented his home area in the Alabama House of Representatives for 43 years. The Baldwin County we see today as the fastest growing suburban county in the state was not the same Baldwin County they were born into 81 years ago. It was a large, sparsely populated, agricultural county. As fourth graders we would read that it was the potato growing county of the state. John remembers getting out of school for almost a month in the fall to help harvest potatoes when he was in high school.
John and Steve’s ancestors were not only the early leaders of Baldwin County but also of the state. Their great grandfather, John Murphy, was Governor of Alabama. John was named for him.
John M. McMillan, Sr., John and Steve’s father, was an outstanding civic and church leader and also served 30 years on the Baldwin County school board
Our current John Murphy McMillan graduated from high school in Bay Minette then went to Rhodes College in Memphis where he graduated with honors.
John was serving as county commissioner when he was elected to the state legislature in 1974. He was reelected in 1978. However, two years later, Governor Fob James chose John to serve in Fob’s cabinet as Alabama’s Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources. It was under his watch that the state created the Alabama Trust Fund, a plan that saved all revenues from leases on offshore oil operations. This fund has grown from the original investment of just over $400 million to a sum approaching $4 billion.
In 1985, John McMillan became the Chief Executive Officer of the Alabama Forestry Association. He served as head of that powerful statewide association for 20 years. In 2010, John was elected the 29th State Agriculture Commissioner. He was reelected, overwhelmingly in 2014. Thus, serving eight successful years from 2011-2019 in this very important statewide office.
In 2018, he was elected Alabama State Treasurer. He served successfully in this post through late 2021, when he left to become the head of the newly created Cannabis Commission.
Steve McMillan, being John’s twin brother, had pretty much the same childhood as John. They grew up together in Stockton and worked on their uncle’s farm and family sawmill. Steve went on to Auburn University where he graduated with honors. He came back home and started a real estate business, along with overseeing their family timberland.
When John became Conservation Director, Steve was elected to the House seat John vacated. Steve served in that seat for 43 years. Steve was quiet effective voice for his beloved Baldwin County. He passed away in April.
Steve was a very diligent and well prepared legislator. He was extremely conservative and was always on the side of the business community. He was dignified, but if you got to know him, very witty. He was not flamboyant and would seldom go to the well and speak. Yet, when he did, people listened. He exuded class and epitomized the term gentleman.
The McMillan brothers of Baldwin County have made their mark on Alabama Political history.
See you next week.
December 14, 2022 - Two Jefferson County Legends Retire
As we begin to celebrate the Christmas season and close out 2022, allow me to share the story of two great Jefferson County/Alabama political legends.
Alabama Supreme Court Justice, Mike Bolin, is retiring at the end of the year from the state’s highest judicial tribunal. Judge Bolin is a young 72 and would not have retired and would have sought and been elected to another six-year term if it were not for an antiquated state law that disallows someone running for a judgeship in the state after age 70. Justice Bolin is one of the most popular and well-respected judges in Alabama.
He is a big man, physically and figuratively. He is beloved throughout the state, but especially in his native Jefferson County. Mike Bolin was born in and is a lifelong resident of Jefferson County. He attended elementary and high school in Homewood, and graduated from Shades Valley High School in 1966, with honors. He stayed in Homewood for college graduated from Samford University with a degree in Business Administration in 1970. He then continued on and got his law degree from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. He graduated from law school in 1973. He was on the Dean’s list and was associate editor of the Law Review.
Judge Bolin was a practicing attorney in Birmingham from 1973 through 1988. In 1988 he was first elected Probate Judge of Jefferson County. He was reelected Probate Judge of Alabama’s largest County in 1994, and again in 2020. He served in that position until his election to the Alabama Supreme Court in January 2004. He began serving on the Supreme Court in January 2005. Thus, at the end of his tenure in six weeks, he will have served 18 years on the high court.
Justice Bolin and his wife Rosemary have one daughter, Leigh Anne. Mike Bolin is known and respected for his integrity, humility, and kindness.
Another Jefferson County legend, Tony Petelos, retired from public service last year. Tony is a lifelong resident of Jefferson County and is a real American and Alabama success story. Tony Petelos has carved out a niche in Jefferson County and Alabama political history.
His parents are first generation immigrants. His family fled Greece when Mussolini and later Hitler invaded and decimated Greece. His father fought in the Greek Army and then later became a member of the United States Army. Tony is the youngest of nine children. He had five siblings born in Greece, one died in the war. His father made it to the United States in 1947. His mother arrived in 1950. They had four sons born in America. Tony is the youngest. His father and mother settled in Ensley. Tony’s father was in the construction business and became quite successful. Tony and his three older brothers joined their father in the family business. He earned his college degree at UAB while working during the day. He met his wife Teresa while both were studying at UAB. She became a Jefferson County Circuit Judge and served 18 years on the bench.
Tony began his political career in 1986. He defeated an incumbent and became one of only 14 Republicans in the 105 member House of Representatives. He was reelected in 1990 and again in 1994. In 1997, after 11 years in the House, Governor Fob James named Tony Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources for the State of Alabama. He was reappointed Human Resources Commissioner by Governor Don Siegelman in 1998 and served through 2001.
In 2004, Tony Petelos was elected Mayor of the City of Hoover, one of the state’s largest cities. He served eight years as mayor and earned a reputation as one of the state’s premier municipal administrators. In 2011, the Jefferson County government was in chaos to say the least. The County Commission lured Tony away from Hoover to be the Administrator of Jefferson County’s government. He cleaned up the corruption and financial problems and spent 10 years in that position. He retired about this time last year at 69. He and his wife, Judge Petelos, are doing well. They live in the same home they have lived in for the last 24 years in Hoover. They have two adult daughters, who they are very proud of. Tony’s story is a great Alabama political success story.
Happy Holidays.
December 7, 2022 - Some Legislative Leaders Retire and Pass Away
Allow me to share the stories of three of my favorite legislative colleagues. Two of these gentlemen are retiring from the Alabama House of Representatives this year, and one passed away in April.
Representative Victor Gaston of Mobile and Representative Howard Sanderford of Huntsville are going home. A third legend and true gentleman, Steve McMillan of Baldwin County, passed away during the last session in April.
Representative Victor Gaston is Speaker Pro Tem of the House. Victor is retiring after 40 years in the legislature. He decided that at age 79 and having spent half of his entire life in the legislature, that the timing was right to end his career and not run for reelection. Gaston, who was an educator by profession and also has family timber interests, lost the love of his life, Jean, only two years ago. They were married for 46-years and were very close. You can tell he misses her immensely. His two sons, Hank and George, have been helpful to him.
Victor was first elected to the House in 1982. In that year, he was only one of eight Republicans in the 105 member House. His district is an affluent silk stocking area of Mobile, and one of the few areas that voted Republican in local races in that era.
He serves as a deacon of the Springhill Baptist Church. Additionally, he is active in Mobile with the Penelope House, Home of Grace for Women and the Mobile Mental Health Center. Besides serving as Pro Tem in the legislature, he has been active with the American Legislative Exchange Council and is on the State Building Commission.
Victor and I came to the House as freshmen together in 1982, and became and remain good friends. I like to give my friends nicknames, I dubbed him, “To the Victor goes the spoils.” He is a formal person and seemed to enjoy the frivolity of the term. Also in our class were Spencer Bachus, Beth Marietta Lyons, and Mo Brooks to name a few.
My friend Howard Sanderford came to the Alabama House of Representatives in January of 1989. We became fast friends. He succeeded my friend, Steve Hettinger, who became mayor of Huntsville. Howard has represented the 20th District which is comprised of southeast Huntsville. He was elected to this very Republican district seven times and has served a total of 33 years. He was a true blue business Republican, who was perfect for that district. He represented his people well with class and distinction. Howard was an accountant by profession and had a successful career with IBM, retired early, and was able to serve in the legislature with ample time and without the need for the renumeration.
He is a devoted family man. Howard and his wife Dot are very close. She accompanied him to Montgomery most of the time during his 33 years in the legislature. They are active members of the First Baptist Church of Huntsville. At 87 Howard felt like it was time to retire from his second career.
Our friend, Representative Steve McMillan of Baldwin County, passed away at 80 in April after a tough bout with cancer. Steve was a great man and great legislator. He was a quiet yet very friendly gentleman. Steve served with distinction for 43 years in the House of Representatives. He was a very diligent and well prepared legislator. He was extremely conservative in a dignified way. He was not flamboyant and would seldom go to the well and speak. Yet, when he did, people listened. He was well-respected and knew what he was talking about. He exuded class and epitomized the term gentleman. Steve is survived by his wife Gayle, two sons, and six grandchildren.
The House is losing a lot of experience and leadership with the loss of Steve McMillan and Victor Gaston, and Howard Sanderford.
Coupled with the decision by Speaker of the House, Mac McCutcheon, to not seek reelection, this will leave a void in the Speaker and Pro Tem posts in the House. In addition, the House is losing veterans Mike Ball (R-Huntsville), Allen Farley (R-Jefferson), L.L. Brown (R-Jacksonville) and Harry Shiver (R-Baldwin).
The state and many of us will miss these folks.
See you next week.
November 30, 2022 - Alabama’s Big 10 Mayors Are Influential
Students of Alabama political history will rightly remember the 2022 midterm election. This election saw the majority of Alabama voters cast their ballots for Katie Britt, who will be the first woman elected to represent Alabama in the U.S. Senate. Governor Kay Ivey easily coasted to victory to gain her second full term in office, continuing her reign as the first Republican woman to serve as Governor. Republicans from the top of the ballot on down cemented their control of the state government by huge margins.
On top of all this, I suspect that students of Alabama politics will also note 2022 as the year that a new political force emerged on the scene. For the first time this cycle, the Alabama Big 10 Mayors – as the name suggests, the mayors of the state’s ten biggest cities – flexed their political muscle and put their support behind the Aniah’s Law constitutional amendment, which received a staggering 1,018,004 “yes” votes, more than any other item on the ballot.
For those who are not aware of this emerging new group, the mayors of Alabama’s ten biggest cities joined together to use their collective influence to advocate for public policy positions that they believe will make Alabama a safer, more prosperous state.
If you happen to live in the metro areas of Birmingham, Huntsville, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery, Auburn, Tuscaloosa, Dothan, Hoover or Decatur – you live in the orbit of this group’s sphere of influence.
While these mayors have been meeting regularly for several years to discuss issues like crime, infrastructure, and economic development, this election cycle marks the first time they have weighed in on electoral politics. Through a focus on local media, these mayors were able to ensure that this popular proposal stayed top-of-mind for Alabama voters. In fact, the late push against the referendum from both the far left and far right of the political spectrum was likely a reaction to the media coverage and public support that these mayors generated.
Their advantage is not just in the media. They are a bipartisan group, with credibility on both the right and left sides of the aisle. They are popular, and many are serving their third or even fourth terms. They are geographically diverse, with representation from Huntsville to Mobile to the Wiregrass. Finally, they represent a whole lot of Alabamians – approximately 75% percent of the state lives in one of their metro areas.
As our state works to attract new residents and grapple with brain drain, policymakers would do well to listen to what these mayors have to say. It is clear that the future of Alabama depends on successful cities that can attract and retain the types of people who work in our booming space, medical research, and advanced manufacturing industries. Ignoring our cities is a recipe for decreasing competitiveness across the state.
If you think we are a rural, small town state you are mistaken. In case you missed my earlier statement, a clear three-fourths of all Alabamians now live in one of our 10 major cities in the state.
Most of the real governing in the state is done by mayors. Being mayor of a city is where the rubber meets the road. It is the governmental constant where everyday problems are resolved.
The gentlemen who comprise the group of the Big 10 mayors are hardworking, true public servants. They are doing their job day-in-and-day-out without fanfare and without an eye towards moving up statewide or to Washington. They love their cities and are governing them well.
Representing the largest cities in Alabama, the Big 10 mayors include Auburn Mayor Ron Anders, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling, Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finley, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox.
It is interesting and noteworthy that two of the Big 10 cities are suburban enclaves of two of our large metropolitan areas. Hoover is one of the largest cities in the state and is an outgrowth of Birmingham. If census trends continue the next 10 years the same as the last, Hoover may be a larger city than Birmingham. It more than likely will be in 20 years.
However, if those same trends stay in place Huntsville will continue to be Alabama’s largest city. One of the most revealing things to note is that Madison, a suburb of Huntsville, is one of the 10 largest cities in Alabama.
The Big 10 Mayors should have a big story for a long time to come.
See you next week.
November 23, 2022 - All Politics Is No Longer Local
The legendary Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tip O’Neill, is credited with coining the slogan, “all politics is local.” He quoted it often and lived it.
The old Boston machine Democratic politician went home to his Irish neighborhood every week. He knew everyone in his blue collar district. He knew who was kin to whom. He knew their names, birthdays, parents, grandparents, and children. He did favors, made sure their mail was delivered, lost Social Security checks were found, and even made sure that potholes were fixed and streetlights replaced. He lived the saying, “all politics is local.”
He also worked in Washington in an era of bipartisanship. They worked and socialized with each other regardless of party affiliation to get things done. It was well known that Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan were best friends and drinking buddies when Reagan was the Republican President and O’Neill was Speaker. That is why Reagan was so successful as President. He had O’Neill as a friend.
It was certainly a different day in Washington than today. Democrats and Republicans now not only do not work together, they do not even talk to each other. They despise and denounce each other more than Reagan and O’Neill hated and denounced the Russians.
For years, in my column as well as in college classrooms, lectures and speeches around the state, I have declared the cornerstone of political theory, “all politics is local,” as a truism. However, as we end this 2022 election year and begin the 2024 presidential election campaign, I am changing my song and dance.
My theory now is that all politics is no longer local. All politics today is national. It is all partisan based and derived from national and Washington politics. Folks are either in the Republican tribe or the Democratic tribe and it applies nationally, and especially in Alabama.
Seventy-five years ago, Alabama was a rural state. Alabama voters were much more interested in the sheriff’s race than presidential races. In fact, Alabamians very seldom even voted in presidential contests. There were more votes cast in an off year Democratic primary for sheriff and governor than in presidential years. That has changed dramatically. Alabama is a more urban state than rural. Today, Alabamians follow national congressional and presidential politics and could not care less who is the sheriff of their urban county.
In the just completed Jefferson County Sheriff’s race, it was a Democrat vs Republican contest. Personalities were irrelevant. The Democrat, Pettway, won because he was Democrat. Hudson lost because he was a Republican. They could have been named Jones and Smith rather than Pettway and Hudson and neither campaigned and the results would have been the same.
This 2022 election confirmed and solidified the fact that Alabama is a Ruby Red hardcore Republican state in statewide elections. Twenty-three out of 23 statewide elected offices are held by Republicans.
The three candidates, Kay Ivey, Katie Britt and Wes Allen, who each had a Democrat opponent got 66% of the vote. The Republicans, who had only Libertarian opposition, like Rick Pate, Young Boozer and Will Ainsworth, got 84%. Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth got the most votes, about 960,000. He also got the most votes of any contested candidate in 2018. This will hold him in good stead as he eyes the 2026 governor’s race.
The Democratic Party is dead and irrelevant on the state level in the Heart of Dixie. Everybody with walking around sense knows this. That is why no serious candidate will run as a Democrat. Some idealistic Democrats will write me and lament that the Alabama Democratic Party leadership is inept. My reply is that it is irrelevant whether you have a Democratic Party office in Alabama or not, the result of Alabama races is going to be the same, all politics is national, now. The vote is driven from Washington.
The same is true of the Alabama Republican Party. It does not matter who is the Chairman of the Alabama GOP, the GOP vote in Alabama will be the same. In fact the current GOP Chairman is a butterfly farmer and his butterflies probably know more about Alabama politics than he does.
Folks, Alabama is in the Republican tribe, make no doubt about it. Our largest metropolitan counties of Jefferson and Montgomery are in the Democratic column.
As I have said for the past 20 years, if Mickey Mouse is the Republican candidate for President, he will carry Alabama even if he does not campaign or spend any money here and the same applies to the governor’s race. Why? Because all politics today is national.
Happy Thanksgiving.
November 16, 2022 - Jo Bonner Inaugurated as President of USA
Jo Bonner was officially sworn in as the fourth president of the University of South Alabama on September 23, 2022.
The University of South Alabama is the crown jewel and flagship of the Alabama Gulf Coast. It is a sprawling, manicured, beautiful and functional modern campus. It is currently the third largest university in the state. Under the leadership of President Jo Bonner, it will grow and prosper to where within the next decade it will be thought of as one of our premier “Big Three” major flagship universities along with the University of Alabama and Auburn University.
Its location as the only major university in the populous metropolitan Mobile/Baldwin growth area of our state, coupled with having the University of South Alabama Medical School and Center on the campus, portends for exponential growth and prosperity for the University of South Alabama.
The prosperity for USA is assured by the selection of Josiah R. Bonner, Jr. as President. Over the next decade, he will be thought of in the same terms and same breath as the legendary founding President of USA, Frederick Whiddon, who oversaw the first 35 years of USA.
There has never been a more perfect selection to be the leader of a major university in our state than the appointment of Jo Bonner as President of USA. His knowledge of the business, civic, and social community of the Mobile/Baldwin area is unique. Through his decade of service as their congressman, he is an integral part of the Mobile community.
He left Congress with the highest regard and admiration. He was so well respected by his congressional colleagues that he was Chairman of the U.S. House Ethics Committee. You can be assured that there is no university president, lobbyist, or board of trustee member who can walk the halls of Congress and bring home the bacon from the limitless federal trough than Josiah Bonner, Jr. You can also rest assured that there is no university president in the state that has the clout and reverence on Goat Hill in Montgomery than Josiah Bonner, Jr. This is a very unique and perfect blend for prosperity and growth for USA.
It is well known in political circles that Jo Bonner is Governor Kay Ivey’s closest confidante. He served as her Chief of Staff for four years. Their families go back as friends and relatives in Wilcox County for generations. Jo Bonner’s father, the first Josiah Bonner was Probate Judge of Wilcox County. Jo is the baby of the family, a good 15 years younger than his brother, Jim, who grew up as friends and in school together with Governor Kay Ivey. Jo’s sister, Judy, and Senator Jeff Sessions were in school together in grades K-12, then Jo came much later.
The aforementioned sister, Judy Bonner, was President of the University of Alabama. Never before in Alabama’s history has there been two siblings be president of major universities in Alabama.
Jo Bonner actually became President of USA in January. The official inaugural event was September 23. It was a magnificent program. Governor Ivey gave the keynote address. She beamed with pride as she talked about her “little brother” from Wilcox County. Dr. Jack Hawkins the 30 year Chancellor of the Troy University System gave a brilliant address. He spoke for all of the university presidents in the state as the Dean of University Presidents.
Jo Bonner’s family was recognized, beginning with his sister, President Judy Bonner. His wife, Janee, along with his two outstanding children, son Robin and daughter Lee, were in attendance.
The Inaugural Event was held in the magnificent Mitchell Center. The Mitchell family have been major benefactors to USA. Mrs. Arlene Mitchell is Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Another Board of Trustees member is Dr. Steve Stokes, a radiology oncologist from Dothan. He and his wife Angela have been generous donors to USA, also. Stokes Hall is the newest dorm on campus.
It was truly fitting that Jo Bonner had a throng of political dignitaries attend his Inaugural Event. It was like a political gathering of Who’s Who in Alabama politics visiting on the floor of the Mitchell Center prior to Jo’s inauguration. The list of attendees is too long to enumerate. However, in addition to Governor Ivey was Mac McCutchen, John McMillan, John Merrill, Bobby Singleton, Vivian Figures, Young Boozer, Bill Poole, Twinkle Cavanaugh, Sandy Stimpson, Will and Liz Filmore, Cathy Randall, Gordon and Ellen Stone, Jim Purcell, Victor Gaston, Chip Brown, Margie Wilcox, Alan Baker, and Judge Sarah Stewart, just to name a few.
They were all there to honor a man who is revered and respected in Alabama – Josiah “Jo” Bonner.
November 9, 2022 - Kay Ivey is Governor Again
Governor Kay Ivey’s 2022 reelection victory run has been very impressive. Some of you may be wondering how quickly I have been able to resolve that she has indeed culminated her victorious run when the General Election was held Tuesday and my column’s published date is Wednesday. It is simply as I have told you numerous times over the past two decades, winning the Republican Primary for governor in the Heart of Dixie is tantamount to election. The General Election is Alabama is an afterthought. We are a one-party state when it comes to statewide races.
Kay Ivey laid to rest the last hope of the Alabama Democrats being able to win a statewide race, especially for governor in my lifetime and probably in yours, when she beat Walt Maddox like a rented mule in 2018.
Walt Maddox was the best shot and best mule the Democrats could ever dream up. Maddox is the young, articulate mayor of Tuscaloosa. He has been and had been mayor of the Druid City for a good while. He has been an excellent mayor with an impeccable record. He ran a good well run, well financed campaign for governor. He got 40% of the vote. This seems to be the threshold for a Democrat for governor.
Therefore, Kay Ivey’s 2022 run may not be as impressive as her 2018 race. Although, this run has been extremely impressive. Probably the reason that 2022 has gone so well is because she ran so well in 2018. She beat a very formidable field four years ago. She beat the popular mayor of Huntsville, Tommy Battle, in the Republican Primary. His credentials and fundraising prowess were equal to Maddox’s, if not better.
Having beaten the 2018 thoroughbreds, Battle and Maddox, so thoroughly, made serious candidates not even consider challenging her. In 2022, to compare Lindy Blanchard, Tim James and Yolanda Flowers to Tommy Battle and Walt Maddox is like comparing Mutt to Jeff.
Governor Kay Ivey has done a good job as governor during the four years, 2019-2022, and folks knew that, and they knew her. There also have not been any scandals or controversy. She had garnered one of the finest men and managers in Alabama political history, Congressman Jo Bonner, to be her right arm and Chief of Staff. They together ran a pretty solid ship of state.
Most of us who follow Alabama politics felt like Kay was going to only serve one four-year term when she won the 2018 race. She, deep down, may have thought the same thing. Therefore, she governed with the attitude of what is right for the state and not what is right for reelection.
When she decided to run, most of us were in agreement that she would win. She would be well financed, and national polls revealed that she was one of the most popular incumbent governors in the nation.
My thoughts were and I conveyed to you, that the only way Kay Ivey could lose the race was if she beat herself. If she misspoke or did a debate and made a miscue or misstep. She did none of the above.
She ran a perfectly scripted, flawless campaign. She campaigned as governor and looked gubernatorial. Most importantly, her campaign TV ads were brilliant. They were folksy with the perfect Alabama flavor. They had her looking good, speaking well and southern with a grandmotherly appeal. They made her age and demeanor an advantage. She came out of the campaign being better liked than before. Some of her ads came close to being racist when she said, “Folks think we ought to require our schools to teach everyone to speak Spanish. Well, I say, ‘No Way Jose’.” This prompted ultra-liberal Democrats around the nation to deride her. When Maxine Waters, the liberal Democratic California Congresswoman criticized her, Kay quipped, “I ought to give Maxine Waters an in-kind contribution proxy for her help in my Alabama Republican Primary campaign.”
The big question in the Republican Primary was whether Kay Ivey could win the May 24 Primary without having to go to a June 21 runoff to win. Some doubted that anyone could beat eight opponents without a runoff, especially given that Blanchard and James spent a total of $16 million dollars. She proved them wrong. She beat the field of eight without a runoff and got 54% percent of the vote.
My guess is that she got a higher percent than that on Tuesday.
Kay Ivey is Governor, again.
November 2, 2022 - Election Year Observations
This 2022 Election Year in Alabama has been monumental and memorable. Any gubernatorial year is big in the state. It is the brass ring of Alabama politics to be governor. However, the race to succeed our Senior Senator Richard Shelby has been the marquee contest. This year will be the last hurrah for our two leading political figures in the state.
Senator Richard Shelby is retiring after 36 years in the U.S. Senate at age 88. Governor Kay Ivey will be elected to her final term as Governor at 78.
An observation that occurred to me during the year that many of you may not know or realize is the power that Jimmy Rane, the legendary successful businessman from Abbeville, possesses. He is known to many Alabamians as the famous friendly giant sitting atop a horse as the Yella Fella on the ads of yesteryear promoting his Great Southern Wood Company.
In my years of observing Alabama politics, I do not believe there has been an individual that has been the closest confidant and friend to the two most powerful political people in the state. Senator Shelby and Governor Ivey are unquestionably the two most powerful political people in the state, but they are arguably two of the most important political figures in modern Alabama political history. If you sat both Ivey and Shelby down and asked them to tell you their best friend and confidant, they both would probably say Jimmy Rane.
Governor Ivey and Rane have been friends and allies since their college days at Auburn University 60 years ago. Shelby and Rane have been bonded for at least 36 years. As busy as Senator Shelby has been as one of the most important leaders in Washington and world affairs, the last 10 years a week does not go by that Shelby and Rane do not talk. Rane knows when Shelby has a cold before his wife Annette knows. Rane has been Ivey’s and Shelby’s benefactor and ally for not what they can do for him. He does not get anything out of his relationship with Shelby and Ivey. He is just their friend.
He is also loyal to his hometown of Abbeville and Henry County. The Great Southern Wood is the main thing in Abbeville and a mainstay for the entire Wiregrass. His benevolence to his hometown is unparalleled.
Another development I have watched this year is some good old fashioned hardnosed hard work on the campaign trail by some of the 2022 candidates. It is understandable that those running for office on this year’s ballot would be on the campaign trail.
However, one Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, the President of the Public Service Commission, has canvassed the rural counties of Alabama more extensively than most of the successful candidates running statewide this year. And, folks, her name was not even on the ballot this year. She runs for reelection to the PSC Presidency in 2024. To say that she will be unbeatable for reelection to her post as head of the PSC would be an understatement.
Twinkle Cavanaugh is probably the best known political figure in the state going forward in the post Richard Shelby/Kay Ivey era. She has run statewide numerous times and has been successful in most of those races. When you run that many times, you build a grassroots organization. Then you add that she has been Chairman of the Republican Party and a loyal supporter of popular past Republican presidents. She has not let any grass grow under her feet this year. She has watered that grassroots organization during this off year with one-on-one visits, especially to the remote rural counties of the state. Her diligence will pay off in future years. She is still young and a good bet to be governor or U.S. Senator one day.
Folks in Montgomery and throughout the state are glad to see State Senator Billy Beasley run again, successfully, for another term. He is one of the most well-liked and respected members of the upper chamber in the State Capitol. Billy is the only white Democrat in the Alabama Senate. Do not bet on his not running again in 2026. He is the youngest looking 82 year old I have ever seen and his brother Jere is the youngest 85 year old I have ever seen. They must have pretty good genes.
See you next week.