Tag Archives: District 1

Alabama New South Alliance and Alabama Democratic Conference urge straight Democratic vote on Nov. 8

Posted on by

Yolanda Flowers -Governor

Will Boyd – US Senator
Wendell Major- Attorney General

Pamela J. Laffitte- Secretary of State
Curtis Travis- State Representative
Anita L. Kelly- Alabama Supreme Court

Yvette M. Richardson State Board of Education District No # 4

Bobby Singleton – State Senator

By: John Zippert, Co-Publisher

In Greene County, and many places across the state, the Alabama New South Alliance (ANSA) and the Alabama Democratic Conference (ADC) are urging voters to vote a straight Democratic Party ticket in the November 8th General Election.

The state’s two major Black and progressive voter organizations are encouraging voters to color in the oval next to the Democratic Party, at the top of the ballot, and vote for all the statewide and local candidates on the Democratic Party slate.

Some of the candidates you will be voting for if you follow this advice are pictured in this article. “Many people do not know that we have Black candidates concerned about all the people running for statewide offices in Alabama,” said Lorenzo French, Chair of the Greene County Democratic Executive Committee.

Yolanda Flowers is running for Governor against incumbent Kay Ivey.
Flowers, a retired educator, has a platform of more equitable policies in education, criminal justice, and healthcare than the current Governor. “All you need to know is that Flowers supports Medicaid Expansion and will sign for it as soon as she is in office,” said French.

In the U. S. Senate race, Dr Will Boyd is supported over Katie Britt for the seat being vacated by the retirement of Senator Richard Shelby. Boyd supports overturning the filibuster to allow for passage of voting rights, reproductive health care, and progressive economic policies in the Senate.
Boyd and other statewide candidates will be in Greene County at the Renaissance Theater on Thursday, November 3rd, to rally for a strong voter turnout next Tuesday.

Other statewide candidates endorsed by ANSA and ADC include: Terri Sewell for U. S. House of Representatives, Wendell Majors for Attorney General, Pamela Laffite for Secretary of State, Anita L. Kelly for Supreme Court Justice, Place 5, Wendell Majors for Attorney General and Yvette M. Richardson for State School Board, District 4.

Also endorsed are Bobby Singleton, State Senate District 24 and Curtis Travis, State Representative District 72.

In Greene County, all local Democratic candidates for local office, chosen in the May primary, are endorsed for the November 8th General Election, including: Joe Benison for Sheriff, Greg Griggers for District Attorney, Ronald Kent Smith for Coroner; Garria Spencer, District 1, Tennyson Smith, District 2, Corey Cockrell District 3, Allen Turner District 4 and Roshanda Sommerville District 5 -Greene County Commission; Robert Davis, District 1 and Brandon Merriweather, District 2 for Greene County Board of Education.

Amendments

Also on the November 8th ballot is one referendum and ten amendments to be voted on by voters statewide. ANSA has given the following recommendations on the Amendments.

First, there is a referendum on the recompilation and removal of racist language from the Alabama Constitution. ANSA suggests voting “YES” on this proposal.

On the Amendments, ANSA suggests voting “NO” on Numbers 1, 3 and 4 and “YES” on the others: 2, 5, 6, 7. 8, 9 and 10.

Amendment 1, is based on Anaiah’s Law and would allow judges in Alabama to restrict bail for persons charged with felony crimes, including:
Murder (other than capital murder), kidnapping, rape, sodomy, domestic violence, human trafficking, burglary, arson, and robbery, all in the 1st degree, as well as aggravated child abuse, sexual torture, and terrorism.
ANSA feels this would limit the power of judges to use their discretion in setting bail, based on the specific circumstances of the case. ANSA recommends a “NO” vote because too many Back people are in jail now, with high bail requirements they cannot meet. Some have been incarcerated for years, without trail, because they cannot meet bail.

ANSA urges a “NO” vote on Amendments 3, because it requires the Governor to notify the families of victims before commuting the sentences of offenders; and Amendment 4, because it would not allow changes in election
Laws within six months of an election, which limits changes required by emergencies like the recent pandemic.

ANSC urges a “YES” vote on Amendment 2 which would allow use of public funds from county and city government toward broadband; Amendment 5, which deals with “orphans’ business”, and I obsolete language; Amendment 6, would allow cities and towns that collect a special property tax to pay bonds or other debt service on public capital improvements.

Amendment 7 would clarify the authority of counties, cities, and towns to use public funds for economic development purposes. Amendments 8 and 9, apply locally to Shelby, Tuscaloosa, and Jefferson Counties for dealing with utility systems; Amendment 10, is a companion to the proposed recompiled Alabama Constitution of 2022. It would allow future amendments to the Alabama Constitution to be properly placed in the Constitution.

 

Zippert seeks re-election for District 1 school board seat

Posted on by

Dr. Carol Zippert

I am seeking re-election to the Greene County Board of Education, District 1 in the May 24, 2022 Primary Election. I have served as a school board member for the past eight years. I completed an unexpired term in 2014 and was elected to the District 1 seat in 2016. The overall role of the Board of Education is to serve our children, creating policies and supporting programs and projects that provide for and enhance their academic, cultural, physical and social development.
My main goal for serving is to always focus on the students through our administrators, teachers, support staff, families and community. This was complicated by the arrival of the COVID pandemic which made last year’s progress more difficult. I supported our administration’s efforts to keep our school family safe, yet continue to provide all the tools we could acquire for the virtual schooling forced upon us by COVID. During the virtual period, we also utilized our transportation system to deliver meals to students at home.
Once we were able to return to face-to-face classes, we provided additional safety measures including encouraging vaccinations for all who were eligible, requiring face masks, installing plexiglass shields, maintaining hand sanitizing stations and continuous sanitizing of school facilities. We also supported additional instructional programs, including a summer school program for retrieval and enrichment.
I have always been a strong proponent of the concept that it is vitally important that we learn the truth of where we come from (our history) so we can understand our living today (our present) and decide for ourselves how we want to continue to live and contribute (our future).
I introduced to the Greene County School Board the idea of infusing Black History in our academic curriculum. This has become a policy, yet there is still much work to be done in the design and implementation of that policy.
I support strong leadership development for our students at all levels for building individual self esteem and affirmation toward each other.
I also support a greater role of the arts in our school curriculum to develop the creativity in our students which helps to solidify our school and community bonds.
Although I am elected through a District, my commitment is to serve our entire school system. To keep myself prepared I attend all the workshop trainings of the Alabama Association of School Boards( AASB) on the role and duties of a board member and to stay abreast of Alabama education laws and guides.
If you support my past work and plans for the future, please vote for me in the Primary Election and urge your family and friends to do the same.

Valerie Watkins seeks Eutaw Council seat, District 1

Posted on by

I, Valerie “Nippy” Watkins, am running for Eutaw City Council District 1. For many years I have attended City Council meetings, and I have seen how the Mayor and the City Council have been exchanging or expressing their views typically in a heated or angry way. Even though disagreements can happen, we should still be determined to set an example of working in unity.
As a child growing up at home, school, church, and my community, I was blessed to see what leadership looks like, because the leaders that God had put in place exhibited a particular quality or behavior. Today we called them values, therefore we must have love for one another, respect for ourselves, and others.
I have been praying for many years that God would change the hearts of those he put in charge of the City of Eutaw, and for our community to work together, because if we continue on the path we are on without Vision we will perish. Therefore prayerfully, I decided to run for City Council. I truly believe when our hearts have been changed by the word of God nothing is impossible.
When elected as City Council Member, my vision is to work in unity with everyone, so the change can begin. We must set short term goals, and my short term goals are making sure the City of Eutaw has a budget; the lots that are not being groomed in District 1 need to be groomed; the roads in District 1 need to be repaired, and City workers need to get the raises that are due to them.
My long-term goals are to continue to work in unity with everyone, because unity= greatness=opportunity= change and that is my vision – change, so our children can see how we as a community work together for more opportunities for a better life. I would also like to see more jobs for our youth, because as a youth I had that opportunity to work on the summer program, because of the great leadership that God had in place. I would like to thank my mother Sarah B. Nickson for instilling in me to treat others how you want to be treated. District 1, I, Valerie Watkins, am asking you for your vote, and I thank you in advance for your support humbly, Valerie Watkins.

Town of Forkland has a new mayor, Charlie McAlpine

Posted on by

In a special municipal run-off election held Tuesday, December 13, 2016, Charlie McAlpine was elected as Mayor of Forkland, Alabama with 167 votes to Johnny L. Isaac’s 100 votes. The District 5 council seat went to Willie Sashington who received 27 votes to Sam Isaac’s 20 votes.
The municipal run-off elections previously scheduled, across the county for October 4, 2016, were cancelled for the Town of Forkland by the incumbent Mayor Ollie Vester, who decided to seek a recount after the appropriate dateline for a recount had passed. Vester had sought re-election as mayor in the municipal election held August 23, 2016, but had not made the run-off.
Reportedly, Vester postponed the Oct. 4 run-off elections despite instructions from the Alabama League of Municipalities to proceed with the election. These delays resulted in the recently held special run-off election on Dec. 13.
The Forkland Council Members are: District 1, Joe Lewis Tuck; District 2, Christopher Armstead; District 3, Preston Davis; District 4, Samitria Gray; District 5, Willie Sashington.
The Forkland Town Mayor Charlie McAlpine and Council Members will take office on January 2, 2017.