Political parties discuss Pounders’ position

With Wyman Pounders’ recent passing comes a period of several months before the November election, during which Pounders was set to face off against Republican candidate Jason Miller.

For the interim, Gov. Robert Bentley is tasked with appointing a candidate to fill the role. The local Republican party will make a recommendation to the governor.

Friday, Republican Chairman Jerry Mays said the members of the local Republican party “have been talking back and forth with people, and we’ve got a meeting set up to discuss it next week.”

“We have talked with several people involved in it, and we will have a committee meeting and the decision will be reached at that time,” Mays said.

Additionally, Roxann Pounders has voiced her intent to write a letter to the governor expressing her interest in completing her husband’s term of office.

“I feel like it’s something he would want me to do. He was so passionate about helping people, and he and I have a lot of the same ideas and goals,” she said. “I feel I could finish out what he started.”

Interim Democratic Chairman Eddie Britton said the Democratic party will meet tomorrow to discuss an appointee to run in Wyman Pounders’ place on the November ballot. With Roxann Pounders declining to throw her hat in on the election, the perhaps obvious choice would be Terry Bolton, who ran unsuccessfully against Wyman Pounders in the primary election. Bolton has confirmed his continuing interest in the role and in a possible appointment – with one caveat. “It would have to have 100 percent backing from (Roxann),” Bolton said. “(Wyman) was a good friend of mine; I was not running against him.”

Roxann Pounders said she would, indeed, support Bolton’s appointment, if the committee so chooses. “He ran a fair, honest campaign. There was never a hard word said,” she said. “I think he should be the one to fill that position. I think he would be a good one to run.”