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October 28, 2004
Clarke County is divided between two congressional districts.
The county was in the First District, which is centered in
southwest Alabama and includes Mobile, for many years but recent
reapportionments have chipped off larger and larger chunks of the
county, shifting those chunks to the Seventh District, which
stretches northward to Montgomery and Birmingham.
The two freshman representatives have proven themselves well in
two years in office and shown a vigorous commitment to their
districts and to the common territory they share—Clarke County.
They are different. Jo Bonner of the First District is a white
Republican. Artur Davis of the Seventh District is a black
Democrat. But both are young, energetic and totally committed to
their constituents. They differ on many national issues, sure, but
they put aside those partisan differences when it comes to their
districts and the districts’ residents.
They have held joint meetings in Clarke County and sponsored and
participated in programs concerning the economy and community
development issues in their districts.
Congressmen Bonner and Davis know that they may be national
representatives but that their constituents want them to work for
them, their districts and local concerns. The two men readily do
just that.
We sometimes differ with both men on their votes on national
issues but we cannot fault their hard work in their districts.
Clarke County is fortunate to have Rep. Bonner and Re. Davis
working together for our welfare. We heartedly recommend that they
both be returned to office.
State court selections In trying to come up with words to express
our feelings on Alabama Supreme Court races we read the following
in The Moulton Advertiser. It mirrors our opinion on those races
exactly so we’ll let The Advertiser speak for us. We will add our
support for Alabama Court of Civil Appeals Judge Sharon Yates for
re-election, based on the same reasoning used here.
In recent years, Alabama’s Supreme Court has seen a drastic
makeover. The state’s business community, responding to the
hot-button issue of tort reform, outspent trial lawyers and turned
statewide judicial elections into high-dollar affairs.
Their success has been almost complete. Alabama now has the best
court business money can buy.
Three Supreme Court seats are on the ballot next month. Perhaps it
is time to return some balance to the court.
In Place 1, Democrat Robert Smith faces Republican Tom Parker.
Smith has no judicial experience, but he has years of experience
as a litigator. Parker has no judicial experience either, but
seems to be basing his entire campaign on his allegiance to ousted
Chief Justice Roy Moore, and threatens to take us back down the
expensive and fruitless road of defiance of the law.
In Place 2, Democrat Roger Monroe has served as both a circuit
judge and a judge on the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. His
Republican challenger, Patti Smith, has served briefly as an
assistant district attorney and as a district judge.
For Place 3, Democrat John Rochester has served as a circuit judge
since 1985. Republican Mike Bolin has been a probate judge for 15
years, but to listen to his ads, you’d think all he ever did was
handle adoptions. It gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling, but hardly
qualifies him for the state’s highest court.
To bring balance and experience to the Alabama Supreme Court, we
recommend the election of Robert Smith, Roger Monroe and John
Rochester. |
