Recent editorials from Alabama newspapers:
___
Aug. 21
Gadsden Times on Gov. Kay Ivey’s possible 2018 run:
More than once, we’ve wondered about Gov. Kay Ivey’s future plans. Would she seek a full term of her own in 2018, or be content with cleaning up the mess left by Robert Bentley?
We aren’t wondering anymore.
Nothing’s official - her spokesman will only say that she’s “seriously considering” it - and we haven’t seen any “Vote for Kay” bumper stickers or yard signs yet.
But she’s running. We’re as confident in that assessment as we were that the full sun would reappear following Monday’s eclipse.
It’s not just because paperwork was filed last week with the secretary of state’s office to reserve the name “Kay Ivey for Governor Inc.” Check out what some potential rivals are doing.
Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said he wouldn’t run for governor if Ivey did - and has announced that he’ll seek another term in the Legislature.
Public Service Commission President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, who had signaled her intention to create a gubernatorial campaign committee, switched gears after the Ivey news broke and instead will seek the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.
Both are veteran politicians and understand what kind of formidable candidate Ivey will be. She’s only been in office for a few months, but that shouldn’t lessen her incumbency advantage.
Media outlets attempt to keep coverage balanced during election campaigns, but it’s difficult to get past the reality that when a governor - or a legislator, mayor, even a sheriff - does something in the performance of his or her duties, it attracts attention.
As the incumbent - and a veteran of the political wars herself - Ivey also should have no problem raising sufficient campaign cash.
Don’t think we’re conceding the race to her, however. Of the declared candidates on the Republican side, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle looms as a serious threat. He’s running hard and touting an impressive résumé of economic development in his city.
State Auditor Jim Zeigler also is exploring a gubernatorial run. He’s somewhat of a gadfly and perpetually “on a mission,” but that mission regularly lands in the bull’s eye of state government, and he also has a populist appeal to voters.
There are two potentially strong Democratic contenders, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox (who’s considering the race) and former Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb (who’s already in). However, it would take more than a political shift - try cataclysm - for that party to be competitive in a statewide race, even with a worthy standard bearer.
Ivey also has two vulnerabilities - her age (she’ll be 73 in October) and her link to the PACT college tuition program debacle. (The latter happened on her watch as state treasurer, although in fairness she had little control over the markets where the program’s money was invested, or colleges’ apparently endless desire to see how often and how high they could raise tuition.)
Ivey has stressed her priority of “steadying Alabama’s ship of state,” something that was needed given the circumstances of her taking office.
However, she’ll be governor from the start of next year’s legislative session, and by that time we expect Alabamians to be looking for more than stability and someone with a broom and a dustpan. They’ll be expecting her to offer a serious, constructive agenda bearing her name that meets the state’s needs, and guide it through the Legislature.
We’re talking about a different kind of audition than she experienced this year. The voters will determine whether she passes it.
Online: https://www.gadsdentimes.com/
___
Aug. 21
Tuscaloosa News on Alabama’s unemployment rate:
It was about time some good news came our way. With all the negativity pervading the news these days, reasons abound for a pessimistic outlook. But this past Friday afternoon, some good news flowed in like a cool glass of lemonade on a hot summer day.
Alabama’s unemployment rate dropped again; down now to 4.5 percent in July, one-tenth of a percent lower than it had been in June. That’s a remarkable drop from the same time last year when it was a 5.8 percent.
According to Gov. Kay Ivey, there are fewer unemployed people in Alabama than there have been in a decade. And many who call Tuscaloosa home are very familiar with one of the people who should be celebrated for the strong performance. Fitzgerald Washington left a secure position at Buffalo Rock a few years back to join the administration of fellow Tuscaloosa native Robert Bentley as secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor. When Bentley resigned the office of governor, many in his cabinet were replaced when Ivey took over. Washington has remained, and this is why. He’s delivered the kind of results that have far-reaching implications.
“In addition to this being the lowest unemployment rate Alabama has seen since January 2008, we also continue to see yearly growth in many of Alabama’s industries, including manufacturing and construction,” Washington said Friday. “Upticks in manufacturing and construction jobs are indicative of positive economic growth.”
That kind of thing doesn’t happen by chance and it doesn’t happen overnight.
In Tuscaloosa, we still have a lot of work to do, but things are improving. The county’s jobless rate was 5 percent, down from 5.2 percent a month ago and down from 6.2 percent a year ago. The city’s unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, down from 6.4 percent in June and down from 7.3 percent a year ago.
Statewide, Alabama still has not recovered from the economic recession that began at the end of 2007, but we’re making up lost ground in huge chunks. The last time Alabama’s economy included two million jobs was just before “The Great Recession” hit. We’re not back to that mark yet, but we’re closing in and if trends continue, we have a chance to hit that mark by the end of this year or early in the first quarter of 2018.
Alabama unemployment also still remains a bit worse than the national rate, which has fallen to a 16-year low of 4.3 percent, so there’s no time to rest. And our rate still represents 96,251 people who are unemployed. That’s almost enough to fill Bryant-Denny on a football Saturday and far too many people who still need a job. But each month that number continues to fall, is a good month.
Gainful employment is always a good thing. Any job where a person can get an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work is honorable.
Online: https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/
___
Aug. 20
Decatur Daily on low turnout in Alabama’s special election for U.S. Senate:
The statewide turnout for Tuesday’s special election primary for a U.S. Senate seat was below 18 percent. Out of 3.2 million registered voters, only 589,175 took the time to vote.
Voters had 10 GOP and eight Democratic candidates to choose from, so the low turnout should not have been a reflection of the quality of the candidates. With 18 people on the ballot, some were bound to be more worthy of a Senate seat than others.
Nor could the low turnout be explained by the election’s importance. Republicans have a narrow majority in the Senate, so narrow that a much-touted health care bill could not pass. For voters who lean Democrat or lean Republican, this is a pivotal contest.
Adding insult to the societal injury of the low turnout was its cost, about $15 million for the combined primary, runoff and general election.
Before resigning in disgrace, former Gov. Robert Bentley in February appointed Luther Strange to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated when Jeff Sessions was named U.S. attorney general. It was a troubling move, as Strange - then the state attorney general - had used his position to stall the House Judiciary Committee’s impeachment investigation of Bentley. The ethics of the appointment became even more suspect when Bentley ignored state law and declared Strange would remain interim senator until the general election in November 2018.
When Kay Ivey became governor, she quickly reversed Bentley’s decision and called for an accelerated special election cycle.
“Surely, there are costs with any election . but what’s really important is that the authority of the people is returned to the people to select their representative,” Ivey said when announcing the decision in April. “Not allowing a vote by the people is an even greater cost.”
With so much turmoil and expense surrounding the special election, it’s a shame fewer than one in five registered voters bothered to cast a ballot in the primaries. It was a $5 million investment in self-governance that had a pitiful return.
The state is committed to spending another $10 million on the GOP runoff Sept. 26 and the general election Dec. 12. Will turnout improve? There’s reason for skepticism. As Jess Brown, a retired Athens State political science professor, put it, “Eighty-two percent of voters didn’t care (Tuesday). I don’t think we should assume many more will care six weeks from now.”
It’s both cliche and true that many have died protecting Americans’ right to vote. In this case, it’s also true that a new governor went out on a limb and spent $15 million in taxpayer money to protect that right.
Online: https://www.decaturdaily.com/
Please read our comment policy before commenting.