Probate judge race draws four candidates

Editor’s Note: Getting to know your candidate will be a regular feature informing you about our local candidates leading to the March primary.

This week’s featured candidates are seeking the local office of probate judge of Franklin County.
Stratt Byars, Connie Green and Chris Nichols will face off in the democratic primary election on March 13. The winner of that race will face republican candidate and current probate judge Barry Moore in the general election in November.
Stratt Byars is no stranger when it comes to running for election. In 2008 he ran for the office of county commissioner for District 1 and for the past three years he has served in that capacity.
Even though he is currently part of the county commission, Byars said he felt he could better serve the people of Franklin County as the probate judge.
“Because the probate judge serves in the dual role of probate judge and chairman of the Franklin County Commission, the probate judge’s office touches every life in Franklin County,” Byars said. “The probate judge has many duties and responsibilities and is the leader of county government.
“I want to help to make Franklin County a better place to live and work and I can provide the leadership necessary to help move our county forward.”
Byars said not only does he have the desire to move the county forward but he also believes he has the qualifications to make sure the county is moving in the right direction.
“When the next probate judge takes office, I will have had four years experience preparing and implementing county budgets and adopting policy to manage Franklin County’s business,” Byars said. “This experience, along with 25 years business experience, and a degree in Business Management from UNA gives me the background to serve as probate judge.”
Byars said after being part of the county commission this past term, he understand the problems facing the county and hopes to implement several ideas to get the county back on the right track.
“If I am elected, I plan to improve the county by bringing new jobs to the county, bringing our road system back up to standards and managing our counties finances in a positive manner,” he said.
“As your probate judge, I will be a part of the recruitment and decision making process for new jobs in Franklin County and I will use all the influence and resources that are available to the probate judge’s office in cooperation with other elected officials, industrial boards and the Franklin County Development Authority to do whatever it takes to bring new jobs to the county. We need jobs here in Franklin County, and we must be successful.”
Byars grew up in Franklin County and graduated from Russellville High School in 1981. He is married to the former Connie Carr and he has three children: Stratt, 21; Anna, 9; and Conner 8.
He is currently the president of the Russellville Civitans, a member and past president of the Y.E.S. Foundation board, a member of the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association and a member of the Franklin County Archives.  He is also a member of First Baptist Church in Russellville.
“I would like to thank the voters for electing me as commissioner of District 1 in 2008,” he said. “Please consider my qualifications and experience as I seek the office of probate judge. I would appreciate your vote and support on March 13.”
Connie Green is a lifelong resident of Franklin County and got a taste for what all the probate judge has to do when her late husband, Mike Green, served as probate judge from 2000 to 2007.
Green said her devotion to Franklin County was a driving force behind her decision to run for election.
“My love for Franklin County and the citizens here are the reason I am seeking this office,” she said. “I want to continue to move Franklin County forward. With the help of all elected officials and the citizens of Franklin County, we can.”
Green said her many years of business experience will be an asset if she is elected to serve the county.
“I feel that the experience I have gained by working in the public sector for thirty-nine years has given me the ability to communicate and work with the people of Franklin County,” Green said. “I have been a successful businesswoman for over 37 years.  I am honest, hard working and dependable.
“Owning my own business is basically a small scale of running Franklin County. When things were slow I had to decide where to cut back and choose another source of revenue. As chairman of the commission, I will carry my experience and work ethic with me to the Probate Office.”
Green said she understands the importance of the position she would hold if elected and plans to serve the people of Franklin County to the best of her ability.
“The probate judge and commissioners are responsible for making all the decisions to run Franklin County and the people of this county deserve a good, honest government,” Green said. “Franklin County needs someone who will be honest and make unbiased decisions for what is best for Franklin County and our citizens.
“My success as a businesswoman has been the result of hard work and dedication and many public officials do not demonstrate this level of commitment. With this attitude in our courthouse, I feel that services to our citizens will increase while the cost of these services will decrease. Efficiency in county government is my goal.”
Green has several plans to move the county forward and industrial development is something that is at the top of her list.
“I plan to work with economic development professionals and industrial development board members to market the county’s industrial parks and spec buildings,” she said. “It is important to support local businesses and industry to help them grow and add new jobs.
“Hopefully with our proximity to Navistar in the Shoals area and the Toyota plant in Blue Springs, Miss., we will be able to get some suppliers in Franklin County.”
Green said she also understood the importance of other issues such as the condition of the county’s roads and support for other county agencies.
“Roads are a big issue in Franklin County and I plan to aggressively pursue all state and federal money that is available to improve the conditions of our roads,” Green said. “As for the various law enforcement agencies and fire departments across Franklin County, I plan to support funding so they will be able to operate efficiently and protect the law abiding citizens of our County and respond to fires and other emergencies in a timely manner.”
Green and her husband, Mike, were married for 35 years before he passed away in April of 2007. They had three children: the late Tina Green McNatt; Mike Green Jr., and his wife, Leslie; and Lisa Green Niedergeses and her husband, Frank. She also has three grandchildren with another one on the way: Michael Green, III, Shelby and Caroline Niedergeses, and a baby boy, Joseph Niedergeses, due in June.
Green and her husband owned and operated Gas Mart West for twenty-seven years. She currently owns and operates Connie’s Creations, a business she has had for the last ten years. She attended Belgreen High School and is a member of New Friendship Baptist Church, Eastern Star, Franklin County Archives and the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association.
“I promise to be honest, hard working and dependable,” she said. “I would greatly appreciate your vote and support on March 13.”
Chris Nichols has a wide-range of experiences that he hopes to use if he is elected as the county’s probate judge.
After growing up in Franklin County, Nichols lived in and traveled to many different places before ultimately returning to Franklin County in 1992 to raise his family in a place where he knew morals and values were cherished and instilled above all else.
Nichols said his experiences in other cities and other countries, his eight years of experience in the U.S. Navy and his 18 years of experience in the Army National Guard have allowed him to see the bigger picture and see ways that Franklin County can improve and grow in the future and he wants to use that experience.
“It’s not just a simple answer why I’m running for probate judge,” Nichols said.
“My thoughts about running for public office started back in 1992 when my wife and I decided to move back to Russellville and raise our children in a place we grew up and loved. I noticed Russellville businesses were slowly but surely going by the wayside and people I grew up with had moved on to find jobs in other communities or even other states. Talking to these people made me realize that things were changing at a pace I couldn’t really understand at the time.
“In 2001 my life, as well as others, changed with the terrorist attack on these United States. I was going to war and I found myself in Mosul, Iraq, helping to rebuild a country I wasn’t at all familiar with.
“But something started happening in my little hometown of Russellville. I sent out a request for some food items so we could build a small kitchen where others and myself could eat what we were accustomed to. Within the next month the communities all over Franklin County were sending food for our cause. This lesson of care and giving made me realize what we have here in our county is second to none. I had conversations with (former county commissioner) Norris Lewey about how to repay the citizens for what they did for us and how my life experiences could benefit Franklin County. That’s when I made the decision to run for probate judge and give back to a community that so graciously gave to me. My desire is to help make the lives of the people of Franklin County better.”
If elected, Nichols said he plans to put a strong emphasis on the schools and on industry as the means for revitalizing the county.
“With our schools being the backbone for the foundation for our kids’ lives to our jobs we work day in and out, the probate judge works hard behind the scene to make sure these areas are secure,” Nichols said.
“I want to bring vocational education back to the forefront of the schools. All students need the opportunity to take classes in the areas of drafting, electronics, mechanical education, wood shops, and other areas because most all jobs in Franklin County deal with hands-on work.
“Giving the students the ability to use what they have learned to acquire a job in Franklin County will help begin to keep our children here and not force them to seek employment elsewhere.
“As far as economic development is concerned, we need to focus on the people of Franklin County for jobs as well as outside resourcing, showing what we have to offer to encourage recruiting to this area.
“I would like to start an entrepreneur center to teach people how to start a business of their own here in Franklin County. I would like to show them how to take those ideas and dreams and turn them into a reality. .  I would like to provide them with a place to start their business in a building with low overhead, then after a couple of years help them transition into our industrial parks that haven’t seen any growth in 12 years.”
Nichols said plans to think outside of the box and bring a fresh perspective to the probate judge’s office to revitalize the budget and make a way for much-needed projects like road repairs and marketing the tourism opportunities in the area.
“I have a passion and a vision for growth and prosperity,” he said. “I have ideas that will create jobs and add more to Franklin County’s tourism, which will create much-needed revenue that can then be used to build roads and generate jobs. Doing this will make all of us here in Franklin County say, ‘I’m proud of what we have to offer.’”
Nichols graduated from Russellville High School and spent two years going through aviation schools through the Navy. He attended three and a half years at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He has been married to Denette Sparks for the past 35 years and they have two children, Mellissa Lane and her husband, Michael, and Aaron Nichols, who is currently serving in Afghanistan with the National Guard and is married to Jessica King. He has three grandchildren, Kristina and Hailey Vandervort and Karrah Grace Nichols.
He attends church at North Russellville Baptist Church, where he teaches the men’s Sunday school class. He served with the Russellville Police Reserves for five years as the vice president of the reserves, during which time he started the Fun Fest near Sloss Lake.
“I would like to bring my experience to Franklin County as your probate judge,” Nichols said. “It’s a big responsibility and I would like for you to entrust me with this opportunity to serve you by asking for your vote on March 13.”
Current probate judge Barry Moore will face the winner of the democratic primary in the November general election.
Moore was appointed to the office of probate judge in 2007 after former probate judge Mike Green passed away.
He has served the county for close to five years and said he made the decision to run for the office and continue to serve because he is committed to seeing Franklin County grow.
“I am very interested in serving the people of the county by listening to their concerns and trying to resolve those issues when possible and it would be an honor to continue to serve all the citizens of Franklin County with dependability and accountability,” Moore said. “I am seeking re-election because I would like to have more time to finalize the projects that the County Commission has started that are not complete at this time. Due to the recent recession and shortage of funds, we have not been able to do all the things we would have liked to do, but I feel we have made improvements in spite of the poor economy.”
Moore said the projects and programs the County Commission was able to accomplish and implement this past term have been things that will be extremely beneficial to Franklin County and its citizens.
“We have accomplished getting a website set up along with a Geographical Information System that will be a great resource and asset. We have set up the office in Red Bay to sell business licenses, hunting and fishing licenses for the convenience of the citizens who live in the west end of the county. We set up a recycling program throughout the county, acquired some Community Development Block Grant funds for water, and we worked with federal and state officials to get funding for road and disaster issues.”
In addition to these accomplishments, under Moore’s leadership, Franklin County also received a prestigious award from the Alabama County Commission Association for their participation and efficiency during the 2010 census.
Moore said his past record of being committed to the needs of Franklin County, his experience in business and his experience for the past five years serving in the capacity of probate judge have more than prepared him to handle the job for another term.
“I have a B.S. degree in Business Management and I have 15 years of business management experience,” he said. “I have served in the Alabama National Guard for 23 years and served one year on active duty in Iraq.
“I understand how important this position is and I take it very seriously. As probate judge, I will make sure the office will provide friendly, fast service to customers. I will continue to make unbiased decisions within the statutes of the law to protect the rights and estates of the citizens of Franklin County.
“As chairman of the County Commission, I will continue working with the elected county commissioners to make Franklin County a better place to live and work. I will use conservative values, common sense principals and transparency in the county’s finances and I will be a good steward of the county’s business and record keeping.”
Moore said if he is re-elected, he hoped to see significant improvements in the county’s road system and in the area of economic development.
“I will continue to work with federal and state officials as well as with the Alabama County Commission Association in order to get funding for our road systems,” Moore said. “I also plan to work with the education systems in regards to the career tech opportunities that are available to our young people because I believe this is a rich source of workforce development that is important to our area in terms of drawing in more industry because I know with the tough economic times we have, our current industries are the backbone of community.
“I will continue working with school officials, economic development, mayors and city council members to ensure the needs of Franklin County are met. As a member of the Northwest Council of Local Governments, I will strive to work with other community leaders to help bring better opportunities to our citizens in our area.”
Moore is a lifelong resident of Franklin County. He graduated from Russellville High School in 1984 and attended Northwest-Shoals Community College for two years before graduating Cum Laude from the University of North Alabama with a B.S. Degree in Business Management in 1990.
He is a member of the Russellville Rotary Club and the American Legion. He is a board member of the Northwest Council of Local Governments, Bear Creek Development Authority and Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. He is also the quartermaster of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and he received the Friend Award from the S.P.A.N. Program.
He has been married to Deedra Seale Moore, who is a Business Education Teacher at Russellville High School, for 19 years. They have one daughter, Ashton, who is 11, and they attend North Highlands Church of Christ. His parents are Lowell and Ann Moore.
“If elected I will be a dependable and diligent official and I will make it a priority to represent the working men and women of Franklin County,” Moore said. “Your vote and support on November 6 for the general election will be greatly appreciated.”