State is overlooking qualified local leaders
When I was elected to the Alabama State Senate in 1978, I was 39 years old. Now at the age of 87, when I go out in the community, I meet people who remember me and say hello. In our conversations they sometimes ask about my service of 32 years in the State Senate and say … “I suppose you have a very good retirement?” They are so wrong!
As per the 1901 Alabama Constitution, Alabama legislators have no retirement and have no health insurance. And the constitution also says a legislator receives only 10 cents per mile to and from his or her home county courthouse one time for the three and one-half months of a legislative session. They received $35 per day for expense three days per week, and $10 per day salary only while in session. No monthly salary.
A legislator years ago would take a train from their home county to Montgomery and stay for the entire three and half months.
In the late 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the state of Alabama to reapportion (redistrict) the legislative districts to have equal population. The districts were grossly uneven in population. For example, Jefferson County, the most populated county in the state, had only one state senator while some small counties had two state senators, which was very unfair representation. In 1978, the state senate had no women, no Republicans and only tree Black senators. Now, the Alabama Senate has 35 members and the House has 105 members. They are elected in equal population districts.
In earlier days, most of the members were attorneys or wealthy people; some were conservative and some were liberal.
Most of the time, we knew how other members would vote on the issues. The Senate votes by voice vote; the clerk calls the role alphabetically.
The Alabama Senate operates much like the U.S. Senate. The lieutenant governor is president of the Alabama Senate like the U.S. vice president is president of the U.S. Senate. However, Alabama Senators serve four-year terms and the U.S. Senators serve six-year terms.
Alabama’s greatest need is a new constitution! It is holding our state back in many ways. We must vote on issues regarding other counties all over the state, resulting in almost 1,000 constitutional amendments.
Constitutional reform has been an issue for many years but has been rejected by special interest groups since 1901. The state legislature and the governor should make this change a major priority soon.
Politics in Alabama has aways been centered in the southern part of the state. Seldom do we have statewide elected offices held by people from north Alabama. This is because in the early days of our state, special interest groups and large landowners lived in south Alabama and sadly that is still the case.
Bobby Denton 1978
There are numerous highly qualified people in north Alabama who would serve the state well and provide new ideas. We have the population and knowledge to govern and provide progress for the wonderful Sweet Home Alabama.
Bobby Denton is a former Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, who represented the First District from 1978 until he retired in 2010.
