election 2012: time to vote
DESCRIPTION
Election 2012: Time to voteTRANSCRIPT
ElEctionThe Anniston Star
Editor: Ben Cunningham, [email protected] Sunday, March 11, 2012 • Page 1F
I N S I D E• Profiles of the Calhoun County
School Board Candidates. Page 2F• Local attorneys run for seat of
longtime Circuit Judge Malcom Street. Page 3F
• Republicans will have many more choices than Democrats on Tuesday. Page 3F
• Sample Ballot. Page 4F
• Trio vying for Calhoun County Circuit Clerk. Page 6F
• Bankson, McIntyre running for District Judge Place 2. Page 6F
• Polling places and voter informa-tion. Page 6F
• Goals collide as Republican rivals ready for Tuesday primaries in the South. PAGE 5F
Page 2F Sunday, March 11, 2012 The Anniston Star
David GilmoreAge: 52Residence:
409 Woodbrier Lane, Anniston
Profession: Minister of Music, Lakev-iew Baptist Church; Special Promotions Director, Prism Music Inc.
Education: Oxford High School graduate
Offices Held: Current Board of Education member
The budget is the most press-ing problem facing the school system.
“Proration has been kind of difficult. I’m very proud that we’ve been able to keep our teachers working,” Gilmore said. “We asked all of our people to cut back to the bare minimum. It seems like all of them are very willing to do it.”
Dale Harbin Age: 46Residence:
407 Watertower Road, Weaver
Profes-sion: depart-ment manger at Lowe’s in Anniston
Education: bachelor of technology from Jacksonville State University
Offices held: Current Board of Education member
The most pressing issue facing the school system is finances.
“There are just a lot of ques-tions out there. I don’t like the instability of the state,” Harbin said. “I think you just kind of have to look outside the box.”
Tobi BurtAge: 37Residence:
50 Tomahawk Trail, Anniston
Profession: Owns B & B Developers and works as a gen-eral contractor
Education: Alexandria High School gradu-ate; attended Jacksonville State University
Offices held: noneFunding is the most pressing
problem facing Calhoun County Schools today.
“We need to certainly take a common-sense approach,” he said. Burt also said he supports looking for alternative sources of funding, like grant writing and added that, if elected, he would use his school board salary to develop a local scholarship pro-gram.
Doug MooneyhamAge: 40Residence:
1056 Chosea Springs Road, Anniston
Profession: Attorney
Education: Bachelors degree from JSU, Juris Doc-torate from Bir-mingham School of Law
Offices held: noneA lack of teacher-resources is
the most pressing problem facing Calhoun County Schools today.
“As the spouse of an educator, I know what teachers spend out of pocket in their classrooms,” Mooneyham said. “I think there is a direct correlation between the resources available and the results of education.”
Jason GranholmAge: 36Residence:
1403 Herndon Drive, Weaver
Profession: administrator for Camp Rob-ert E. Lewis
Education: bachelors of science in crim-inal justice from Troy University, master of science in criminal justice from Jackson-ville State University, master’s in public administration from Jack-sonville State University.
Offices held: noneA real pressing issue in Cal-
houn County Schools is the over-burdened teachers with the amount of paperwork they have to do.
“I was able to curtail a lot of the paperwork that my teachers have to do,” Lewis said. “Can I fix every problem? No, but I promise I’ll look into every problem.”
Debbie Hess Age: 58Residence:
700 Creek Trail, Anniston
Profession: Retired teacher
Education: Bachelor of Sci-ence in Second-ary education from JSU, Mas-ters in Special Education from Jacksonville State University.
Offices: noneProration is the most press-
ing issue facing Calhoun County Schools.
“I think we’re going to have to look at new alternatives to get funding,” Hess said. “And use every means possible to get extra funding.”
Dara MurphyAge: 46Residence:
343 Lisa Drive, Alexandria
Profession: Hillcrest Baptist Church special events and chil-dren’s director
Education: bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Jacksonville State University.
Funding, school lunches and bullying are the most pressing problems facing Calhoun County Schools.
“I think they’re going to have to join together as a unified group,” Murphy said, and “review our policies that are already in tact concerning these matters and make sure they’re up-to-date.”
Mike AlmaroadAge: 60Residence:
699 West Point Road, Jackson-ville
Profession: administer at the Opportunity Center Easter Seal
Education: bachelor’s in business administration from Jacksonville State University
Offices held: noneFunding is the most pressing
problem facing Calhoun County Schools.
“We’ve tried to tighten our belts everywhere in the central office,” Almaroad said. “I think the board has to do exactly what we are doing now, which is watching every dollar.”
June EvansAge: 62Residence:
5006 Buggy Lane, Anniston
Profession: retired teacher
Education: bachelor’s in physical educa-tion from Jack-sonville State University, masters in English and physical education from Jacksonville State University.
Finances are the most press-ing issue facing Calhoun County Schools today.
“Our focus is and has been as a board is to try to keep our teach-ers in the classroom,” Evans said. “I hope it remains our focus.”
Ron ChamblessAge: 63Residence:
2399 Cedar Springs Road, Jacksonville
Profession: high school principal
Education: education spe-cialist degree from Jacksonville State.
Apathy is the biggest problem facing Calhoun County Schools today.
“For the parents, they’re not getting involved,” Chambless said. “We need more parent involvement … I’d like to see the superintendent elected so the parents have more of a say in who is running the school system.”
Trudy HardegreeAge: 58Residence:
71 Moana Drive, Alexandria
Profession: retired Calhoun County com-missioner of license chief clerk/ substitute teacher
Education: business admin-istration associate degree from Gadsden State Community Col-lege
Offices held: none Aging buildings and finan-
cial shortcoming are the biggest problems facing Calhoun County Schools today.
“They’ve got to be able to find funding to build those buildings,” Hardegree said. “We’ve got to find a way to try to raise money with-out taxing people.”
Phillip MurphyAge: 59Residence:
985 Comanche Trail, Anniston
Profession: minister with nonprofit orga-nization, Circle of Champions
Education: bachelors in education from University of Ala-bama, master’s in theology from Liberty Seminary
Offices held: current Board of Education member
Economics is the most press-ing problem facing the school system.
“I’m proud to say that we are solvent, that we’re in the black, but due to proration and the tightness of the dollar, handling a $100 million budget is a chal-lenge,” he said.
Joseph RobersonAge: 64Residence:
1885 Mohawk Cliff Road, Ohatchee
Profession: retired lieuten-ant colonel from the Air National Guard
Education: bachelor’s in business administration and master’s in public administration from JSU
Offices held: mayor of Ohatchee, 1984-2008
Funding is the most pressing issue facing the system.
“I’d like to get inside the orga-nization and evaluate it and see if there’s ways I could recom-mend to save money or make the resources we have go further, perhaps pursue private and cor-porate funding for schools,” Rob-erson said.
Robert Smith Age: 45Residence:
76 Collins Road, Ohatchee
Profession: owns Awards to Remember in Ohatchee and sports broadcaster for WHMA
Education: bachelor’s in finance and marketing from JSU
Offices held: noneFunding is the most pressing
issue facing the system.
Larry StewartAge: 64Residence:
409 Newberry Drive, Weaver
Profession: retired educa-tor
Education: bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Jacksonville State University
Offices held: current Board of Education member
With the Legislature debating changes to the Education Trust Fund, budget uncertainty is the most pressing issue the board members will face.
“We might be dealing with budget issues up to the last minute or even after the school year starts,” he said. “The budget affects personnel ... It’s supposed to let you know how many teach-ing units, but if the budget’s not passed, then that creates a quan-dary.”
Gene TaylorAge: 62Residence:
612 Connemara Place Apt. F1, Weaver
Profession: retired coach and teacher
Education: master’s degree in physical edu-cation from JSU
Offices held: none
Interference by the federal government is the biggest issue the board of education will face.
“I’d like for the federal gov-ernment to get out of the local education business,” Taylor said. “I believe we have too much interference in local matters by the federal government, too many regulations and too much gov-ernment.”
Jeff WinnAge: 55Residence:
7465 U.S. High-way 431, Alex-andria
Profession: retired Calhoun County admin-istrator, works part time as a sales represen-tative
Education: bachelor’s degree in physical education, master’s degree in public administration and AA (now called a specialist degree) in public administration.
Offices held: noneBelieves funding is the most
important issue school board members will face.
“Because of looming proration and cut backs and teacher cuts and personnel cuts, to look for creative ways to secure money so that teachers can teach and stu-dents can learn,” he said.
Jerry YarbroughAge: 62Residence:
4763 Nisbet Lake Road, Jacksonville
Profession: Calhoun Coun-ty bus driver, retired truck driver
Education: attended Southern Union and Wallace State junior colleges
Offices held: vice chairman of Republican Party of Talladega, constable for Talladega County for eight years
Money shortage is the most important issue the board mem-bers will have to deal with. Jerry Yarbrough said he would have to examine the budgets before he could make any sort of recom-mendation.
Tom Young Age: 53Residence:
4929 White Gap Road, White Plains
Profession: attorney
Education: bachelor’s in political science from JSU, Juris doctor from University of Alabama School of Law
Offices held: current Board of Education member
Good budgeting while pro-gressing academically is the most pressing issue for system.
“We’re one of the only county systems in the state that hasn’t had a terrible financial problem, and part of that’s attributable to good money management,” Young said. “We just need to con-tinue good money management to avoid fiscal problems.”
CALHOUN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES
Dennis ChristopherAge: 50Residence: 861 Noah
Valley Road, JacksonvilleProfession: Retired
from JSU Building Ser-vices
Education: Alexan-dria High School gradu-ate
Offices held: NoneBudget will be the
most important issue for the board members.
“I’m sure it’s all going to be on the bud-get with the economy the way it is,” he said.
Paul FordAge: 43Residence: 1060
Ingram Well Road, Ohatchee
Profession: owner of Pool Boy Pool Service
Education: high school graduate
Offices held: none Thinks supporting
teachers is the most important thing a
board must do.“The discipline in the schools, I just
feel like it’s lacking,” Paul Ford said. “Sup-port teachers more. A teacher will send a student out of the room for disrespect or something like that and they’re back in there by the end of the day.”
Sharon GainesAge: 56Residence: 181
Saddle Club Road, Jack-sonville
Profession: retired
educatorEducation: master’s degree in elemen-
tary education, certification in administra-tion
Offices held: noneTight budgets are going to make deal-
ing with rapidly changing education needs difficult.
“That’s the reason why we’re going to have to be very open and communicate and stay abreast of the needs in Calhoun County,” she said. “We need to listen to parents and listen to the children and know where they’re headed when they graduate so we can have them prepared.”
D E M O C R A T S
R E P U B L I C A N S
The Star’sON TWITTERFOLLOW THE NEWS @ANNISTONSTAR
HAUTE HOMEMADE THE CRAFTER’S CORNER IN SUNDAY’S LIFE SECTION▶
The Anniston Star Sunday, March 11, 2012 Page 3F
By Cameron [email protected]
Three local attorneys all agree on at least one thing: Experience is a necessity for the candidate who fills the seat of longtime Circuit Judge Malcolm Street in January 2013.
That’s when the presiding judge of Calhoun County Courthouse will have spent 36 years on the bench and, with that milestone, will retire from his post.
Each of the three lawyers hoping to win election to the judgeship has promoted his own experience with the Calhoun County court system as an attractive quality for voters.
Bud Turner and Ray Bryan, who both have practiced law in Anniston for decades, will face off in Tuesday’s Republican primary. The winner of that race will run against Democrat Foster Marshall, a longtime prosecu-tor for the Calhoun County District Attorney’s Office.
Bud TurnerBud Turner, 59, has practiced law
for 24 years and also served a previ-ous term as a 7th circuit judge, begin-ning in 1999 until he was defeated in a 2004 election. Cur-rently, he serves as the municipal judge for Piedmont and has also temporar-ily filled in that role for Anniston and Oxford.
The Golden Springs resident said his years as an attorney have given him the opportunity to handle the felony criminal cases and large civil cases that circuit judges deal with on a daily basis.
During his past term as a circuit judge, Turner said, he reduced the number of pending criminal cases in Cleburne County from approximately 220 to 50.
That kind of hard work and abil-ity to keep a court docket moving is essential, he said, especially in light of the funding cuts the state courts have had to endure and most likely will continue to battle.
The 1985 Cumberland School of
Law graduate said, if elected, he plans to reduce the stress of an understaffed courthouse.
“I will reduce the labor intensity on our clerks and law enforcement by using the best available technologies,” he said. “I will give particular atten-tion to victims’ rights to assure their voices are heard.”
Turner said he will do that by studying the special circumstances of each case that comes before him.
“Though there are hundreds of cases on the docket,” he said, “I will look at each one with the perspective that every case is unique and requires thoughtfulness and thoroughness.”
Ray BryanTurner’s primary opponent, Ray
Bryan, has been a local attorney in Anniston for more than 22 years. The 55-year-old lawyer was elected as cir-cuit judge for family court in 2008 but was disqualified after then-incum-bent Judge Mannon Bankson turned in evidence that Bryan had filed one of his campaign finance reports too late.
“It was really disappointing,” Bryan said. “This (campaign) pro-vides another opportunity to serve in a different capacity.”
If elected to the seat vacated by Street, Bryan said, he plans to discuss ideas about how to reform sentencing practices for felons.
Specifically, Bryan is concerned about the “revolving door” aspect of the corrections system and the fact that convicted felons rarely serve the sentences they’re given because of overcrowding.
He mentioned creating a program that allows the county to confine fel-ons locally and put them to work dur-ing their sentences.
That way, the community would be taking care of its own while work-ing to address the root of the prob-lems that lead individuals to commit crimes, Bryan said.
He proposes seeking grant money as part of the way to fund such a proj-
ect. He also said the county could ask the state to pay half of what it costs the Department of Corrections to house one inmate for every offender the county keeps out of state custody.
“We can do it much cheaper here if we can get the state to pay us to do it,” Bryan said of such a program. He also noted that his idea would address prison overcrowding issues.
“It would reserve prison for those who need to be there,” he said.
Foster Marshall Foster Marshall said his focus is on
keeping the court dockets “moving and current.”
The 43- year- old has spent the past 11 years as a pros-ecutor — first under Joe Hubbard and now as part of Brian Mcveigh’s staff.
He said he would address prison overcrowding issues by examining sentencing options on a case-by-case basis.
For non-violent offenders, the Birmingham School of Law graduate said he will take into consideration sentencing alternatives such as com-munity corrections, probation and drug rehabilitation.
But more than anything, Marshall said, he promises to keep residents safe by seeking proper prison sen-tences for violent offenders.
“The citizens need to know that the primary importance and the primary concern … is safety for the community,” he said, noting that he has received positive feedback from members of the Alabama State Bar Association.
He attributed that support to his well- roundedness: Before his time as a prosecutor, Marshall spent three years in civil practice.
“I have been a tough but fair pros-ecutor, and I will be a tough but fair judge. I will carry all these qualities and values to the bench,” Marshall said. “I will make the best candidate because I am ready to serve.”
Star staff writer Camerson Steele: 256-235-3562. Twitter: @Csteele_star.
Trio of local attorneys run for circuit judge seat
turner
Bryan
marShall
Republicans have more choices to make on TuesdayBy Paige rentz
Special to The Star
The changing tide of local party politics is finally playing out on paper. When Calhoun County voters head to the polls for Tuesday’s primary, they’ll find an unusual sight: No local Demo-crats will appear on the ballot.
A Democratic voter’s only choices will be between President Barack Obama and an uncommit-ted candidate for president and then eight Obama delegates to the Democratic National Convention. A quirk of the state Democratic Party requires voters choose from among two gender-specific can-didate lists — four men and four women.
Circuit Clerk Ted Hooks said this is the first time he’s seen such an empty Democratic ballot in his 18 years in office.
The county pays a pretty hefty price for ballots with no local can-
didates. Although no cost projec-tions are available for this year’s election yet, the county paid $123,271 to run a similar primary in February 2008, according to County Administrator Ken Joiner.
The ballots alone in 2008 cost $28,660 for the Democratic ballots and $29,990 for the Republican ballots. “I’ve never seen it go down, I’ll tell you that,” Joiner said of the anticipated costs for the primary election.
The Democratic choices might be slim, but the double-sided Republican ballot includes seven presidential candidates and more than a page of potential delegates committed to each of the candidates. In addition, there are Republican candidates for six state and local offices, including 19 candidates for seven at-large seats on the Calhoun County Board of Education.
But the Democrats do have
a few candidates for local office come November. They are field-ing three candidates to the GOP’s 19 for those seven school board seats, and Missy Hall and Foster Marshall are running for circuit clerk and circuit judge, respec-tively.
The Republicans are “pleased as punch” with the new state of things, said Gene Howard, chair of the Calhoun County GOP. Of the 27 local officials within the county, 24 of them are now Republicans, most of whom were initially elected as Democrats, he noted.
Howard said those who have switched parties in recent years have expressed to him discomfort with the atmosphere of the Dem-ocratic Party on a national level.
Sheila Gilbert, the chair of the county Democratic Party, said the state of the Democratic ballot shouldn’t be a great surprise with the recent trend. But she said she
believes the trend may be tempo-rary. “I think the Democrats just need to ride out the storm and wait for 2014,” she said, noting that once the policies of Republi-cans play themselves out, voters may be ready to return Democrats to office.
But the present disparity in local candidates between the parties, Hooks said, could lead to cross-voting on Election Day. The Alabama Republican Party has no rule against it, and with no local offices to vote on, he expects that even national Democrats will request a Republican ballot to vote for their local officials.
“That is what is going to hap-pen, believe me,” he said.
But Hooks wonders whether the somewhat-complicated Republican ballot will be confus-ing for voters on Election Day.
Clayton Turner, a project man-ager for the Alabama Republican
Party, explained that the state party requires that a voter’s choice for delegates must match the choice for presidential candidate.
But voting for non-matching delegates will not invalidate a bal-lot, said Calhoun County Probate Judge Alice Martin. “Our voting machines will not reject the bal-lot if you vote under every single delegate and you vote for one can-didate as it directs you to.”
The vote for presidential can-didate supersedes any votes for delegates, said Turner, so any votes for non-matching delegates simply will not be counted.
“Technically, a person should vote for the delegate for the per-son that is associated with the candidate they’ve chosen,” said Martin, “but as long as they don’t over vote — don’t vote for two when it says vote for one — their ballot will be accepted by the machine.”
11A3F
OTE JOSEPH K.
ROBERSON
Board of Education• Married to Pat Borders Roberson for 45 years.• Father (2 children, Monica and JoJo)• Education: Graduate of Saks High School Degree in Business Administration - JSU Masters Degree in Public Administration - JSU• Former Mayor of Ohatchee for 24 years.• Veteran of U.S. Army - 1967 - 1969• Retired Lieutenant Colonel, Alabama Air National Guard (1974-2002)• Retired federal employee, Fort McClellan (31 years)• Former Project Manager, Engineering & Industrial Support Services (EISS), for Homeland Security, at McClellan (2007-2009)• Occupations listed above provided experience in management analysis, training and training support, student support, transportation, maintenance, planning/coordinating, supervision, public speaking, construction planning, and human resources.• Very Active Member of the Ohatchee United Methodist Church• Proven Leader with the knowledge, experience, time and dedication to work and support the County School System, Teachers, and the Children.• A person that recognizes the importance our teachers and their contributions to the success of our children.
VOTEJOSEPH K. ROBERSON
“A NEW VOICE FOR EDUCATION”CALHOUN COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
Alabama Civil Justice Reform Committee• ALFA • Alabama Hospital Association • Automobile Dealers
Association of Alabama • Associated General Contractors • Manufacture Alabama• Alabama Retail Association
• Alabama Self Insured Association• Alabama ManufacturedHousing Association • Home Builders Association of Alabama
• Rep. Richard Baughn • Rep. Dickie Drake • Rep.Alan Harper • Rep. Mike Hill • Rep. Wes Long • Rep. Mac McCutcheon • Rep. John Merrill • Rep. Bill Poole • Rep. Elwyn Thomas
• Rep. Jeremy Oden • Rep. Kurt Wallace • Rep. April Weaver • Rep. Jack Williams
• Sen. Greg Reed • Sen. Gerald Allen • Sen. Clay Scofield • Sen. Cam Ward
• Judge Mike Joiner • Judge Liles Burke
Chief Justice Chuck MaloneTough, but fair
Seldom does a candidate receive such a wide range of endorsements. Business, legislators, and organizations all
over the state are putting their trust in Chuck.
CHUCK MALONEʼS SUPPORTERS
PAID FOR BY CHUCK MALONE FOR CHIEF JUSTICE, INC. • P.O. BOX 2663, TUSCALOOSA, AL 35403
Page 4F Sunday, March 11, 2012 The Anniston Star
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s.
The Anniston Star Sunday, March 11, 2012 Page 5F
By Michael FinneganLos Angeles Times
MOBILE — Newt Gingrich sees victory in the Alabama and Mis-sissippi primaries on Tuesday as a chance — perhaps his last — to show he remains a viable contender for president.
For Rick Santorum, wins in the Deep South hold the potential to drive the former House speaker out of the race, strengthening him for the battle to topple GOP front-runner Mitt Romney.
As for Romney, Alabama and Mis-sissippi are an opportunity to dimin-ish, if not crush, the insurgent candi-dacy of Santorum with an aggressive ad campaign.
The three colliding goals are in play as Tuesday’s vote nears. But if the stakes are high in the two states, so is the peril. The Republican presi-dential candidates have been criss-crossing the South for days, calibrat-ing their messages for an audience far more conservative than the swing voters who will decide in November whether to replace President Barack Obama with one of them.
At times, Alabama and Mississippi have proved irresistible settings for the candidates to play up appeals to the religious right, a tactic that could backfire for the Republican nominee in the fall.
Gingrich has taken the biggest gamble, in terms of strategy and rhetoric. He abandoned a six-stop swing across Kansas, where caucuses were being held Saturday — which Santorum won — to focus this week solely on the South. Even though he has captured Georgia and South Car-olina, his disappointing third-place finishes in Tennessee and Oklahoma last week cast doubt on his prospects.
In Mississippi, he went hard to the right. At a rally on Thursday in Jackson, he ripped into Obama’s patriotism and religious bearings in an effort to draw support from the evangelical Christians who dominate Southern primaries.
He accused Obama of “declar-ing war on the Catholic Church and every right-to-life institution” with a rule requiring religious organiza-tions, such as Catholic hospitals, to include contraception in their employees’ health plans. That line of attack — which Romney and Santo-rum have also used — has left many Republicans fretting that the party is alienating women, whose support
they will need in the fall.Gingrich told the crowd that
“the right to bear arms came from God,” through the Declaration of Independence and the Constitu-tion. He described the 2010 laws that overhauled health care and imposed rules on banks and investment com-panies as a “repudiation of the Decla-ration of Independence.”
In Montgomery, the day before, Gingrich used still stronger rhetoric to cast Obama as an un-American “food-stamp president.” In a state where many question whether the Christian president is a Muslim, Gin-grich used a cultural and religious framework to promote his vow to cut gas prices by expanding domestic energy supplies.
“If you want $9-a-gallon gasoline and bowing to Saudi kings, vote for Obama,” he said. The president, he added, apologizes “to radical Islamist fanatics while attacking the Catholic Church,” so “if you want somebody who believes in religious freedom in America and is willing to say to the Saudis they ought to have religious freedom in Saudi Arabia too, vote for Newt Gingrich.”
Santorum, too, has made religion a prime focus. At a banquet Thurs-day here in the Gulf Coast port city of Mobile, he renewed his criticism of John F. Kennedy for saying during his 1960 presidential campaign that he believed “in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute.”
“That’s not America,” Santorum said. “That’s France. That’s a naked public square where people of faith are out of bounds.”
Santorum backed away from an earlier statement that Kennedy’s speech made him want to “throw up,” but pledged to keep speaking out for religion’s place in public life.
“Please pray for me that I do so more articulately in the future,” he said.
Santorum also took on Gingrich obliquely, reminding the crowd that he and his own wife, Karen, have been married 21 years and home-
schooled their seven children. On Friday, he was less subtle in drawing an implicit contrast with Gingrich’s history of marital infidelity, castigat-ing him for sitting on a sofa next to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in a TV ad calling for steps to address climate change.
“I didn’t sit on the couch with any-body,” Santorum said. “I would only sit on the couch with my wife. Period. No other women — particularly not Nancy Pelosi.”
Several signs point to Santorum strength, or at least the appearance of strength, in his tussle with Gingrich — first and foremost, the political map. As Gingrich retreated south, Santorum left Alabama on Friday for a dash across Kansas and Missouri before returning to Mississippi on Sunday. Missouri holds Republican caucuses March 17.
More than Gingrich, Santorum has adjusted his pitch with an eye toward the general election, should he beat the odds and win the nomination. Asked twice about Alabama’s tough and controversial new law to crack down on illegal immigration, he avoided the sort of rhetoric that has proved toxic with Latino voters.
He also sought to broaden beyond social issues on Friday at the Ala-bama battleship museum here. Sur-rounded by vintage warplanes and military choppers, Santorum went after Obama on national security, energy and climate change.
As in other states, Santorum’s big obstacle is the blast of TV and radio attack ads aired by Restore Our Future, a “super PAC” run by Romney allies. Romney, who showcased his support by the region’s Republican establishment at a Pascagoula har-bor event with Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Thursday, is a long shot in states packed with the sort of con-servatives who have shunned him elsewhere.
But the Romney ads could block Santorum from emerging Tuesday as a stronger challenger in upcoming contests across the nation.
Goals collide as GOP rivals ready for Tuesday primary
Sw ingSouthOf thE
Ross D. Franklin /Associated Press/File
Republican presidential candidates, from left, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are all trying different approaches as they transverse the South in the days leading up to the Tuesday primaries in Alabama and Mississippi.
At times, Alabama and Mississippi have proved irresistible settings for the candidates to play up appeals to the religious right, a tactic that could backfire for the Republican nominee in the fall.
Romneytotal Elec 7 30 Day days days442 +15 +239 +330
Santorum214 +33 +122 +142
Gingrich107 0 +74 +75
Paul46 +1 +21 +37
NEEDED tO NOMINAtE1,144
tOtAL DELEGAtE vOtES2,286
ChOSEN thuS fAR812
YEt tO BE ChOSEN1,474
Source: AP
D E L E G A T E C O u N T
AP
Southern slog Mitt Romney faces a tough challenge in
the Deep South, which has favored rivals
Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum in
GOP presidential primaries. ELN ROMNEY SOUTH 030812: Map shows states won by GOP presidential candidates; 1c x 3 inches; with BC-Romney-Southern Skepticism; KSV; ETA 5 p.m.
Editor’s Note: It is mandatory to include all sources that accompany this graphic when repurposing or editing it for publication
GingrichRomneySantorumTuesday
primary
Fla.
Va.
Tenn.S.C.
Ga.Ala.Miss.States won by:
Associated Press
Southern SlogMitt Romney faces a tough Challenge
in the Deep South, which has favored rivals Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum in GOP presidential primaries.
11A5F
ELECT
DEBBIEHESS
CALHOUN COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
EVERY CHILD-EVERY SCHOOL
Retired Teacher - 25 Years Experience
BS & MS Degrees in Education from Jacksonville State University
Married to J.D. Hess for 33 years; daughter and son-in-law Jessica and Derek Cobb; granddaughter, Caroline
DEBBIE
HESSPd. Pol Adv. by Debbie Hess, 700 Creek Trail, Anniston, AL 36206
Page 6F Sunday, March 11, 2012 The Anniston Star
3 vying for Calhoun circuit clerkBy PATRICK MCCRELESS [email protected]
Three people are running for the position of Calhoun County Circuit Clerk this year but only two will face off in the March primary.
On Tuesday, voters will choose a nominee between Tina Walker, 48, of Ohatchee and current Calhoun County Commissioner Eli Hender-son, 75, of Wellborn, on the Repub-lican ticket. Missy Hall, 39, of Oxford is unopposed and will be the Demo-cratic nominee. Current Circuit Clerk Ted Hooks decided last year that he would not seek re-election.
The circuit clerk heads the chief administrative office of the court system, accounts for all the money going in and out of the courts and is in charge of summoning, organizing and paying jurors. In addition, the circuit clerk is the official custodian of court records, oversees the issuing of warrants in district court, handles payments of all traffic tickets, handles lawsuits more than $10,000, handles the filing of court motions and han-dles alimony payments and divorce filings.
The Calhoun County Circuit Clerk salary starts at about $69,000 a year and increases incrementally based on years of service. Tina Walker
Walker has already worked in every division of the Calhoun County Circuit Clerk’s office. She decided it was time to give the circuit clerk job itself a try.
Walker retired from the clerk’s office in April after working 25 years there.
“It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do,” Walker said about run-ning for circuit clerk. “But I didn’t want to do it until I retired.”
To Walker, the main issue facing the clerk’s office is budget cuts from the state last year, which resulted in several layoffs. Walker said her extensive experi-ence in the office could help ease the burden from those cuts.
“I’ve worked all the divisions and I have the experience to go back,” Walker said. “And with the shortage of people, I can help with the workload.”
Walker said she did not expect to make any changes to the operation of the office.
“They are just so short on staff — I’ll be able to assist and get the workload done,” she said.
A graduate of Oxford High School, Walker started working at the cir-
cuit clerk’s office when she was 23 years old and since then has worked for three different circuit clerks. Eli Henderson
To Henderson, when it comes to being a successful circuit clerk, it is all about who you know. Henderson sees the circuit clerk’s lack of state funding as its main issue and says political know-how is needed to fix the problem.
“You need a polished, professional
politician over there,” Henderson said. “I’m good at that.” He said a good politician would have a better chance at obtaining extra money for the circuit clerk’s office.
“It’s all about who you know,” Hen-derson said. “Particularly if you get funding … you need someone politi-cal to make that happen.”
Henderson has been a county commissioner for the last 18 years, but decided to run for circuit clerk after receiving requests.
“Ted Hooks talked me into this, he asked me to run,” Henderson said. “And three other judges asked me to get involved.”
If Henderson becomes circuit clerk, he would have to vacate his County Commission seat. Missy Hall
Hall wants to bring change to the Calhoun County Circuit Clerk’s office, such as by en-suring it remains open five days a week. The office was forced to close on Fridays for several months last year due to state budget cutbacks and layoffs.
“We can put some things in place … some time management,” Hall said. “People have a right to get in there.”
Hall said she has wanted to be the circuit clerk and serve the public for some time.
“I’m running because it is a posi-tion I’ve always been interested in,” she said. “People who come into the circuit’s clerk office usually don’t understand the system. I want to make it an easier process for them.”
Hall said she has the experience to be a circuit clerk due to her nine years working as an assistant for former Calhoun County Circuit Court Judge Joel Laird.
Star staff writer Patrick McCreless: 256-235-3561. On Twitter @PMcCre-less_Star
By BRIAN ANDERSON [email protected]
A young lawyer hoping to make the leap behind the bench and a veteran incumbent are the two candidates on the Republican primary ticket for the position of Calhoun County District Court Judge Place 2.
Mannon Bankson, 65, of Choc-colocco, and Chris McIntyre, 33, of Jacksonville square off in the polls March 13. Bankson now serves as dis-trict judge under an appointment last year from Gov. Robert Bentley.
The Place 2 district judge handles misdemeanor criminal cases includ-ing drunk-driving charges, bad checks and traffic tickets. This judge also oversees felony pre-trial hearings and sets bond for defendants. Like all judicial positions in the state of Ala-bama, district judges serve six-year terms. A law degree is required for the position.
Bankson estimated the starting salary for the job to be approximately $110,000.
Mannon Bankson Having worked in courtrooms for
27 years, Mannon Bankson said one word — experience — can sum up why he believes he is the best man for the district judge posi-tion.
The Arkansas native received his law degree at the Birmingham School of Law before set-tling in Calhoun County in 1974. After years serving as an attorney in the county, Bankson became a
circuit judge for two years before his appointment by Gov. Robert Bentley in 2011 to serve as district judge.
Although the district judge in Place 2 mostly handles misdemeanor crimes and traffic- related incidents, district judges can also be called upon to cover any type of trial.
“That’s where experience comes in,” Bankson said. “I have to be knowl-edgeable in all aspects. I have to know the facts and be able to handle other cases.”
“It can change at any time, and I’ve got the experience to know how to handle that,” he said.
Besides experience, fairness is the other quality important for the job, Bankson said. Bankson said a judge’s only job is to conduct a fair and hon-est trial.
Bankson said judges are the “ulti-mate attorney,” and what he’s aimed for his whole career.
“That’s what we all strive for,” Bankson said. “Being the best. That’s a good judge, an honest and fair one.”
Chris McIntyreChris McIntyre knows people
might see his age as a disadvantage in the race for district judge, but the 33-year-old said he shares something in common with another Calhoun County judge. “I want people to know, ( Circuit) Judge (Malcolm) Street was 34 when he became a judge,” McIntyre said. “I may be young, but I’m knowledgeable enough to do this job.”
Since moving to Jacksonville when he was 9 years old, McIntyre has never lived outside Calhoun County except for his college days when he studied at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and then Samford University for his law degree. He now
runs a law practice in Jacksonville, where he is city prosecutor and also served as an assistant district attorney under longtime former district attor-ney Joe Hubbard.
McIntyre said he felt compelled to run for the district judge position last year due to con-cerns he had with the current judge.
“When practic-ing in front of Judge Bankson, there were some deci-sions rendered I was
concerned with,” McIntyre said.In particular, McIntyre said he
took issue with Bankson dismissing a case on which he had worked as an attorney prior to his judicial appoint-ment.
Bankson said he dismissed the case in question after it was brought before another judge and dismissed. He said the district attorney’s office had the chance to reinstate the case, but did not exercise that option.
McIntyre said the biggest problem he saw in the court system was the low bond set for violent criminals and “extraordinary high (bonds) for drug offenders.” He said most drug offenders sentenced 10 to 15 years in prison only serve months because of overcrowding. If elected, McIntyre said, he’d like to work closely with rehabilitation centers in the state to curb the problem.
“The answer is not to lock them up and throw away the key,” McIntyre said. “Our job is to help them and get them to be productive members of the community.”
Star staff writer Brian Anderson: 256-235-3546. On Twitter @BAnder-son_Star
Bankson, McIntyre running for District Judge Place 2
BANKSON
McINTyRE
WALKER
HENDERSON
HALL
Precinct & Beat nos., Location, Address01-01 Glenwood Meadows Meeting Room, 785 Gardner Drive SE, Jacksonville 01-02 Eagle Point Church, 301 Henry Road SW, Jackson-ville 01-03 West Side Baptist Church, 713 W. Mountain Ave., Jacksonville 01-04 First Baptist Church, 230 7th Street NE, Jacksonville02-01 Civitan Club Building, 2273 Alex-Well Road, Alex-andria03-01 Four Mile Methodist Church, 536 Four Mile Church Road, Jacksonville04-01 Eulaton United Methodist Church, 401 Westover Road, Anniston04-02 Bynum School, 200 Harry Ayers Drive, Anniston04-03 West Park Heights Baptist Church, 500 West Park Drive, Anniston04-04 Betta View Hills Church of Christ, 2140 U.S. Highway 78 W., Oxford05-01 First Methodist Church, 101 Anniston Street, Weaver05-02 Angel Fire Department, 55 Angel Station Road, Jacksonville06-01 Friendship Baptist Church, 1153 Nisbet Lake Road, Jacksonville07-01 Webster Chapel Fire Department, 1152 A.P. Holling-sworth Road, Jacksonville08-01 Asberry Baptist Church, 3682 Roy Webb Road, Jacksonville09-01 National Guard Armory, 503 3rd Avenue, Piedmont09-02 Fire Station, 312 North Center Avenue, Piedmont09-03 Recreation Building, 400 McFarland Avenue, Pied-mont09-04 Community Building, 703 Cook Street, Piedmont 10-01 White Plains Fire Department, 12900 AL Highway 9, Piedmont 11-01 First Baptist Church of W.P., 160 White Plains Road, Anniston 12-01 DeArmanville United Methodist, 370 Dearmanville Road, Anniston 12-02 Choccolocco Community Center, 220 Iron City Cutoff Road, Anniston
13-01, Oxford Civic Center, 401 McCullars Lane, Oxford 13-02 Cheaha Club House, East Boozer Drive, Oxford 14-01 Boiling Springs Baptist Church, 6510 Boiling Springs Road, Ohatchee 15-01 City Hall, 715 M. L. King Drive Hobson City 15-02 Moore Avenue Church of Christ, 2200 Moore Anenue, Anniston 15-03 Carver Center, 720 West 14th Street, Anniston 15-04 South Highland Community Center, 229 S Allen Street, Anniston 15-05 Thankful Baptist Church, 2610 West 14th Street, Anniston 15-06 County Health Department, 3400 McClellan Blvd., Anniston 15-07, Anniston Meeting Center, 1615 Noble Street, Anniston 15-08 Wiggins Community Center, 2201 West 17th Street, Anniston 15-09 Church of the Covenant Presbyterian, 401 Lenlock Lane, Anniston 15-10 God’s Covenant Ministry, 1000 Parkwood Drive, Anniston 15-11 Oxford Public Library, 110 East 6th Street, Oxford 16-01 Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, 542 Vigo Rd, Piedmont 17-01 Ohatchee First Baptist Church, 2090 Spring Road, Ohatchee 18-01 Oak Grove Baptist Church, 2800 Reads Mill Road, Glencoe 19-01 Saks High School, 4401 Saks Road, Anniston 19-02 Civil Defense Building, 4510 Bynum Leatherwood Rd, Anniston 20-01 Friendship Community Center, 2930 Friendship Road, Oxford 21-01 Mount View Baptist Church, 1354 Mount View Road Alexandria 22-01 First Presbyterian Church, 1701 Henry Road, Annis-ton 22-02 Mental Health Center, 331 East 8th Street, Anniston 22-03 Golden Springs Community Center, 3125 Spring Val-ley Road, Anniston 22-04 The Donoho School, 2501 Henry Road, Anniston
Polling places are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. statewide.
Voters must be registered to cast a ballot, and should vote at their assigned polling place. To check your voter registration and polling place, visit alabamavotes.gov.
The Alabama Voter ID law requires residents to show identification at the polls. This ID can be:
A. CURRENT, VALID PHOTO IDENTIFICATION
• Government-issued photo identifications (current and valid)
• Employee identification for employee with photo of employee produced by the employer
• Photo identification card issued by Alabama college or university
• Photo identification issued from Alabama technical or profes-sional school (current and valid)
- OR -
B. ONE OF THE FOLLOWING • Utility bill of voter with
voter’s name and address • Bank statement with voter’s
name and address • Government check with
voter’s name and address • Paycheck with voter’s name
and address • Valid identification card
(authorized by law) issued by the State of Alabama (including any branch, department, agency, or entity of the State of Alabama)
• Valid identification card (authorized by law) issued by any of the other 49 states (including any branch, department, agency, or entity of that State)
• Valid identification card (authorized by law) issued by the government of the United States
of America (including any branch, department, agency, or entity of the federal government
• Valid United States passport • Valid Alabama hunting
license • Valid Alabama fishing
license • Valid Alabama pistol/revolv-
er permit • Valid pilot’s license issued
by the FAA or other authorized agency of the federal government
• Valid United States military identification
• Birth certificate (certified copy)
• Valid Social Security card • Naturalization document
(certified copy) • Court record of adoption
(certified copy) • Court record of name change
(certified copy) • Valid Medicaid card • Valid Medicare card • Valid electronic benefits
transfer (EBT) card • Government document that
shows the name and address of the voter
NOTE: Those items listed in Section B can be the original document (license, card, etc.) or a photocopy of the document.
Without one of these forms of identification, a voter is permit-ted to:
• vote a challenged or provi-sional ballot
• vote, if he or she is identified as a voter on the poll list who is eligible to vote by two poll work-ers and both poll workers sign the voting sign-in register by the voter’s name
SOURCE: Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, alabamavotes.gov
POLLING PLACESAll polling places statewide are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
HOw tO VOtE
6F
Paid for by friends of Dale Harbin, P.O. Box 977, Weaver, AL 36277, Charlie Ogle Chairman
• Started the helping schools tag program• Started employee of the month for school personnel• Part of many great building projects
I believe in Calhoun County Schools!
Experience Counts!✫ 7th Circuit Court - State of Alabama✫ Municipal Court Judge - Piedmont✫ Indigent Defense Lawyer - Oxford
✫ Attorney - Anniston
ELECT
In the Primary ElectionMarch 13, 2012
PD PO ADV BY COMMITTEE TO ELECT BUD TURNER PO BOX 401 ANNISTON ALABAMA 36202
Pd. Pol. Adv. by Tobi Burt for Board of Education, 50 Tomahawk Trail, Anniston, AL 36206
Apprenticeship with Local Businesses to Ensure ‘Career Ready’ Graduates
★ To Donate Board Salary to Students for Scholarships
★ Promote and Expand Career Tech Programs
★ To Ensure Quality Lunches★ To Be Fair and Equitable★ To Always Be Available
(7) $1,000 scholarships will be established and awarded yearly if elected - $42,000 in scholarships duing 6 year term of offi ce