The Montgomery Advertiser newspaper's blog on all things related to Alabama politics and state government, featuring the writings of Sebastian Kitchen and Markeshia Ricks
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Bryan Taylor releases new ad, continues to hammer on pay raise
Republican state Senate candidate Bryan Taylor has released another ad and continues to go after the more than 60 percent pay raise lawmakers voted for themselves almost four years ago. He faces longtime Democratic state Sen. "Walking" Wendell Mitchell.
State Senate candidate Bryan Taylor, a Republican who was policy adviser to Gov. Bob Riley, released another ad on Wednesday that began running in frequent rotation in the Montgomery market. Taylor is challenging longtime Democratic Sen. "Walking" Wendell Mitchell, who is running for his eighth term representing District 30, which includes all or part of Autauga, Butler, Crenshaw, Elmore, Lowndes, and Pike counties.
State Senate candidate Bryan Taylor of Prattville said, if elected, he would give the more than $20,000 increase in compensation that lawmakers have received since 2006 and donate it to schools and teachers in the six-county district. Taylor, a Republican who was political director for Gov. Bob Riley, is trying to unseat longtime state Sen. "Walking" Wendell Mitchell, a Democrat running for his eighth term. Taylor is one of several Republican legislative candidates who have made the pay raise an issue in the campaign. Mitchell said he is already giving much of the salary increase away to four nonprofits: AGAPE, Compassion 21, Mexico Mission, and the United Way.Those charities help children who need a home or are in poverty. Mexico Mission takes trips to Mexico twice a year to help residents there with housing, healthcare, and food. "I have been doing that a long time," Mitchell said of donating his raise. Mitchell said he has realized during his travels through the district that the most important issues are jobs, a balanced budget and ethics reform, "all of which I have supported long before my opponent got in this race." Predominantly Democratic legislators pushed through a 62 percent increase in salary and expense allowance as one of their first acts in 2007, the first year of the current four-year term. Lawmakers also included an automatic cost of living increase tied to the U.S. Consumer Price Index. In 2006, before the pay raise, Taylor said lawmakers received a minimum of $30,660 in compensation. Now, with the raise and cost of living increases, lawmakers receive $52,596, according to numbers Taylor received from the Legislative Fiscal Office. Taylor said that increase is now more than 71 percent with the hikes for cost of living. "Legislators are making $10,000 more than half of all Alabama families make in an entire year," he said. He added the lawmakers are only on official business three months of the year. Most lawmakers would quickly point out that their jobs require full-time attention even though they are only in Montgomery three days a week for three months of the year. Mitchell said it was not an increase in pay, but in expense allowance. He said, when he drives, sends out mail, travels or needs to pay for housing, he uses that expense allowance. He said he sometimes drives 400 or 500 miles in a day driving in his six-county district. Mitchell said he knows some senators, who after all of their expenses, clear less than $20,000 a year. The senator said, before the 2007 increase, the last increase was in 1992. Mitchell said he believes members of the Legislature deserve "a reasonable wage for the service they perform. It ought to be commensurate with the work they do. If it needs to be adjusted, I am all for that." Taylor said the pay for legislators has increased while state budgets are strained, while the education budget is in proration, and teachers and parents are paying for supplies out of their pockets. "This is symbolic, but it's also very real," Taylor said. "This is a way to help teachers and schools in the district." Taylor is one of several challengers who have vowed not to take all or part of the pay raise. "The pay raise is just one of those issues that shows that career politicians in Montgomery are out of touch with the challenges facing Alabamians," he said. District 30 includes all or part of Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Butler, Crenshaw, and Pike counties. Taylor, in writing, has also asked Mitchell to participate in a series of town hall-style forums, one in each county. He said they want to hear back from the senator by Sept. 1. Mitchell said he would welcome an open dialogue, looked forward to discussing issues, will remain accessible to constituents, and would appear at forums with Taylor if his schedule allowed, but "I am not going to be dictated by him when I meet and greet my constituents." When he talked to the Montgomery Advertiser on Wednesday afternoon, he said he made six appearances in his district in the last 72 hours.
Taylor launches first video in general election bid to unseat Wendell Mitchell
Bryan Taylor, the Prattville Republican who resigned his job as policy director for Gov. Bob Riley to run for state Senate, released his first video of the general election on Wednesday. He is running for the District 30 seat occupied by Sen. "Walking" Wendell Mitchell, the Democrat who is running for an eighth term. The ad is titled "Service" and references Taylor's time in the military and as a Boy Scout. He also vows never to vote himself a pay raise. Despite previous well-funded attempts to unseat Mitchell, the popular Democrat has been reelected overwhelmingly to District 30, which includes all or part of Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Butler, Pike and Crenshaw counties.
Republicans push forward with plan to take over Legislature
Alabama Republicans are targeting more than 20 legislative seats as part of their goal to take control of the Legislature in the November election. The Alabama Republican Party rolled out the latest phase of its Campaign 2010 program on Monday, trying to inform voters that "136 years is long enough" and launching the website http://www.136years.com/. "That is a message we intend to send throughout the state of Alabama," said state Rep. Mike Hubbard, who is also chairman of the Alabama Republican Party. Democrats have controlled the Legislature for 136 years. They hold an eight-vote advantage in the 140-member House and a three-vote margin in the 35-member Senate. Republicans launched Campaign 2010 in 2007, seeking to raise $4 million, to recruit quality candidates and to target specific districts. Joe Turnham, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, said Democratic legislators have balanced budgets in the worst economic environment since the Great Depression without major layoffs, helped save the state's Prepaid Affordable College Tuition program, reformed juvenile justice laws, and worked with Republican Gov. Bob Riley to help land major economic development projects. Instead of "chest-thumping," Turnham said people need to be talking about how to put people back to work, the large anticipated budget shortfalls in the state, and cleaning up the Gulf after the oil spill. Hubbard said the party is currently targeting about 15 seats in the House of Representatives and eight or nine Senate seats, which he said they will probably trim down to six. Looking at polling, he said there is an opportunity to win virtually all of them. Hubbard believes the retirement of some Democratic lawmakers, the national political climate and President Obama's low approval rating also bolster the Republicans' chances. Those targeted Senate seats include that of Sen. Wendell Mitchell, a Luverne Democrat who represents portions of Elmore and Autauga counties; the east Alabama district represented by Kim Benefield of Woodland, who is retiring; and the district represented by Sen. Ted Little of Auburn. Turnham said Democrats here, unlike those in most other southern states, have stopped Republicans from taking control of the Legislature. Because they are in power, Democrats "have more ground to defend," he said. That, Turnham said, creates more opportunities for Republicans. He said the Democrats will also be on the offensive. "There are a number of bright starts running in these Republican districts," Turnham said. " ... They're going to have to play some defense too."
Republicans have also hurt themselves in areas like the Wiregrass where they removed Sen. Harri Anne Smith from the party's ballot, Turnham said. The state GOP has raised more than $4 million, which was the goal and more than the party has ever raised, Hubbard said. The party did spend to pick up seats in special elections, picking up one seat in the Senate and two in the House. Those wins, the chairman said, are evidence their plan has worked. Turnham said the Democrats have done well to defend Democratic seats in Republican-leaning districts in other special elections. Hubbard said the Republicans have spent some of that money on the special elections, polling, data and looking at the districts they intend to target. He said they continue to raise money. "We won't be able to match the Democrats," Hubbard said. He said the Democrats can lean on the Alabama Education Association, which is run by two vice chairmen of the Alabama Democratic Party, for financial help. The AEA heavily funds legislative races and other campaigns. Turnham said about a third of Alabamians are independent so neither party will be able to win on partisan rhetoric. Turnham said the Democrats have recruited quality candidates who can speak to the issues of the day. Hubbard also slammed the Democrats' Covenant for the Future, a 2006 campaign promise to bring up certain issues early in the next legislative session if Democrats remained in the majority. The Democrats did not pass substantial reforms outlined in the covenant. They did, however, give themselves a pay and expense allowance increase of 62 percent, Hubbard said. Turnham said Democrats tried to make progress on many of the issues in the covenant. He said Republicans have worked to deny people the right to vote on whether to tax and regulate gambling, whether to remove the state sales tax on groceries, and whether they want a constitutional convention to rewrite the state's constitution.
Boles drops out of GOP runoff for Senate seat, endorses Taylor
Ray Boles dropped out of the runoff for state Senate District 30 on Tuesday and endorsed Bryan Taylor, who finished ahead of two other Republicans in the primary, but did not have a majority of the votes. Taylor, former policy director for Gov. Bob Riley, will face longtime Democratic state Sen. Wendell Mitchell in the November general election. Boles' move allows Taylor to save his resources for the general election. The third place finisher in the race, Ken Barnett, previously endorsed Taylor, who was 130 votes short of winning the primary without a runoff. Boles said, after considering his options, he wanted to avoid a costly, lengthy and unnecessary runoff. "I got into this race for one reason: We need to elect someone to the state Senate who will look out for the people and not the politicians," Boles said. "I've gotten to know Bryan pretty well over the last six weeks, and I can tell you that's why he's running too. The people of District 30 deserve their vote back, and I'm supporting Bryan Taylor so we can finally win it back once and for all." Taylor said the race to bring conservative leadership to the Senate started Tuesday. "We'll never change the Legislature until we change who we send to the Legislature," he said.
The man who finished third in the Republican fight for the District 30 seat in the state Senate has endorsed Bryan Taylor, who finished well ahead of the pack but did not have the majority necessary to avoid a runoff. Taylor, former policy director for Gov. Bob Riley, will face Ray Boles in the July 13 runoff. Boles is a member of the Prattville City Council. Ken Barnett, who works for the Alabama Department of Revenue, endorsed Taylor a day after the primary. "Bryan Taylor is by far the better candidate, and I urge my supporters to vote for Bryan in the runoff," said Barnett, who finished with 18 percent of the vote on Tuesday. "Bryan is a conservative who will fight for our values. Ray Boles is not a conservative. Ray Boles either pretends he doesn't have a grasp on the issues, or he just really doesn't have a grasp on the issues. I'm proud to be supporting the real conservative, Bryan Taylor, in this important race." Taylor finished with 49 percent of the vote. The winner of the runoff will face longtime Democratic state Sen. Wendell Mitchell in November to represent the district, which include all or part of Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Butler, Crenshaw and Pike counties. With the support, Taylor said he is confident he will win the runoff and continue to victory in November. Barnett, Boles, and Taylor all lives in Prattville.
Bob Riley will not be governor this time next year, but his former policy director hopes to be pushing his agenda in the state Senate. Bryan Taylor resigned his position as policy director and legal counsel for Riley on Thursday. On Monday, Taylor announced he was running to represent Senate District 30, which includes all or part of Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Crenshaw, Butler and Pike counties. He wants the seat held by longtime Sen. Wendell Mitchell, D-Luverne, who is running for an eighth term. But, first, he has to defeat two Republican opponents including Ken Barnett of Prattville and Prattville City Councilman Ray Boles in the primary. In front of about two dozen supporters that included several members of the Riley administration, Taylor said leaving the administration he has served in for four years was difficult, but he decided to run after seeing the continued antics of the Democratic majority in the Senate. "Unfortunately, our cause to break up the corrupt, good-ol'-boy system in Montgomery has been met year after year with stiff resistance, particularly by the Democrat majority in control of the state Senate," Taylor said. He accused the majority of killing education reform, mocking accountability and anti-corruption measures they campaigned on, and pushing to legalize casino gambling. The 34-year-old attorney helped shape the administration's stance on electronic bingo. Taylor, who lives with his wife in Prattville, said the situation "reached the boiling point" several weeks ago. "Like many of you, I was absolutely repulsed by the unabashed corruption on display in the state Senate," he said. "Some defenders of the system tried to dismiss it as politics. No, it wasn't just politics; it was pure, unadulterated corruption." Taylor said the last legislative session, which ended Thursday, convinced him "this state desperately needs a new class of elected leaders who want to serve for the right reasons." Senate Democrats said last week that the legislative session was the most successful in years. They said they balanced the budgets with decreased revenue coming into the state while protecting senior citizens, children and teachers. The senators applauded the passage of bills that will let voters decide if they want to use $1 billion for road and bridge work, offer tax credits to businesses that hire unemployed workers, and help save the state's Prepaid Affordable College Tuition program. Democratic leaders have said bingo is not taxed or regulated now and that the legislation would have ended the raids by Riley's Task Force on Illegal Gambling, and the legal fight between Riley and Attorney General Troy King over the gambling-related litigation. Taylor said he is tired of the federal investigations, indictments, and convictions. "I'm tired of being embarrassed by our elected officials," he said. "We deserve better." Taylor knows the Riley talking points, carrying the governor's message of job creation and battling corruption. He talked about the accomplishments in education and economic development during the Riley administration. "It happened in no small part because Governor Riley challenged the good-ol'-boy politics of the past and has operated the most open, honest, accountable administration in Alabama history," he said. Taylor supports charter schools, disclosure of lobbyist spending on public officials, rewriting "Alabama's ridiculously weak ethics code," tax relief for small businesses, and targeted tax credits for businesses that will get people back to work. He also wants the state to continue its support of the Alabama Reading Initiative, the Alabama Math, Science & Technology Initiative, ACCESS Distance Learning and First Class Pre-K. Taylor, who was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq, joined the U.S. Army after Sept. 11, 2001, and was a captain and a JAG prosecutor prior to joining the administration. He is a member of the Alabama National Guard. Riley will join Taylor for a meet and greet in Prattville om Tuesday. Taylor traveled to Troy on Monday. He will visit Luverne and Greenville later this week.
Riley's policy director steps down to run for Senate
Gov. Bob Riley's policy director, Bryan Taylor, resigned on Thursday and will formally announce on Monday that he is running for the state Senate. He will face fellow Republicans Ray Boles and Ken Barnett in the Republican primary. The winner will meet longtime state Sen. Wendell Mitchell, D-Luverne, in the November general election. Taylor helped shape the administration's stance on electronic bingo. He decided to run "after seeing yet another session of backroom deals and broken promises from Senate Democrats." "It is a difficult decision to leave Governor Riley's administration," Taylor said. "But I felt absolutely compelled to run so that District 30, my district, would have a conservative vote in the Senate for the first time."
Republican Ray Boles received the endorsement of the Home Builders Association of Alabama (HBAA) in his bid for state Senate District 30. HBAA represents local businesses in the housing and construction industry across Senate District 30 and has 12,000 members statewide.
“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of such a highly-respected organization whose members are so vital to economic growth in Senate District 30,” said Boles in a statement Thursday. “I’m grateful for the confidence that the Home Builders Association has shown in my campaign and my vision for job creation and economic development."
Senate District 30 includes all of Butler, Pike and Crenshaw counties and parts of Autauga, Elmore and Lowndes Counties and is currently represented by Sen. Wendell Mitchell, D-Luverne.
Ken Barnett and Bryan Taylor, both Prattville Republicans, are also running for the seat.
"I look forward to working with home builders across our district toward our common goal of creating jobs, growth and progress," Boles said.
Longtime state Sen. Wendell Mitchell is being treated for a rare blood condition, but he will return to his normal duties in four to six weeks, according to a letter from his son. Mitchell, a Democrat who represents all or part of Autauga, Elmore, Butler, Crenshaw, Lowndes, and Pike counties, is "being treated at one of the leading hematology clinics in the United States," according to the letter from Maury Mitchell of Montgomery to his father's friends and colleagues. "His treatments are progressing well, and, hopefully, he can be back to performing his normal duties within four to six weeks," his son wrote. "In the meantime, by doctor's orders, he cannot make or receive phone calls. "He very much misses being able to attend Senate sessions and conduct his normal daily workload with his school and among constituents." Mitchell is the dean emeritus of the Jones School of Law at Faulkner University. Marsha Allison, administrative assistant for Mitchell, said she talked to him Sunday and said he sounded better than he has in a while. He is the deputy president pro tem of the Senate. By virtue of his position, Mitchell is a voting member of almost all standing committees in the Senate. He is chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee. Mitchell was visibly ill when he came to the Senate to vote for the much-debated bingo bill, which would allow people to vote on whether they want to tax and regulate gambling in the state. He has said he is opposed to gambling, but supports letting people vote. At the time, some of his Democratic colleagues applauded his effort to come to the chamber in spite of his illness, which they did not know was as serious at the time. They needed 21 votes to pass the constitutional amendment and the bill passed the Senate 21-13. Some House members have discussed amending the bill, which would require 21 votes for the Senate to concur or take other action. McDowell Lee, secretary of the Senate, said members must be present and answer the roll call to vote. The Senate has three work days remaining including today. Mitchell, 69, is in his seventh term representing District 30. He filed to run for an eighth term. Jim Spearman, executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party, said the chairman of the party talked to friends of Mitchell and said the senator plans to run for another term. "As far as I know he's our candidate and he'll be a good one as he always is," Spearman said. Mitchell will face the winner of the three men in the Republican primary, Ray Boles, Ken Barnett and Bryan Taylor. He has no primary opposition. Allison did not know where Mitchell was being treated. She said Mitchell's son would be by the Senate office this afternoon to pick up an envelope of cards and take those to Mitchell.
South Union Street is the blog of Montgomery Advertiser political reporters Markeshia Ricks and Sebastian Kitchen. Always check here for the latest on the Legislature, elections and other activities and players in Alabama.
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