The Final Word: Three Guest Commentaries

This will be our last political blog before Tuesday's primary. We bring you a guest commentary from each county.

From Lauderdale:

Chad Holden: Ready to Lead on Day One

My wife and I, along with our son Conner, have certainly enjoyed meeting so many people in Lauderdale County since joining the race for Board of Education the very first week in February. After four months of visiting just about every town in the county, shaking many hands, eating a lot of fried fish, and enjoying a fine breakfast every Saturday morning, we are now only days away from the June 1 primary.

As I said to a group of folks assembled in Waterloo last week, the candidates are all making "closing arguments" now as we near election day. I will take a moment to say that voters have a tremendous list of qualified men and women who care deeply about Lauderdale County on the ballot in 2010. I have come to know and call "friend" just about every local candidate on the ballot, and I can honestly say it will be a tough choice when casting my votes this year. All the candidates are winners in my mind.

The candidates running for Board of Education will be the last to appear on the Democratic ballot. However, I believe the two school board seats are among the most important decisions voters will make this year. What a great opportunity voters have to make a change on the board of education! Two open seats, no incumbents, and six good candidates. Now comes the hard part: choosing the "best" from among the "good."

In my final request for your vote, I ask everyone to take a serious look at all the candidates for the school board. As I have listened to the voters, the consensus is clear: people are ready for change. People do not want "more of the same." The citizens of Lauderdale County are hungry for school board members who have a passion for public education and understand what it takes to educate our children. People are tired of the "politics-as-usual" and want the school board to put education first. I genuinely believe that I am the only candidate running for Place 2 who represents "real change" and offers a perspective that no other candidate can offer a full-time classroom teacher on the front lines of education every day.

My opponent claims to be the only one with a "vested interest" in our schools since his children are enrolled in the Lauderdale system. My "vested interest" is a one-year-old son named Conner who will be in school soon enough. This race is not a competition about which candidate has the oldest children or the most children. The issues facing our schools are much bigger than that. This is not about me, my family, or my own community. It is about electing board members who are trained and ready to lead a school system with 1,000 employees and over 8,000 students. It is about electing board members who have the education and training necessary to make decisions about curricular and extracurricular matters, as well as the tremendous budgeting challenges our school board faces.

I am a Christian leader, husband, and father. I am a classroom teacher, certified administrator, and an officer in the Alabama Education Association. As an advocate for public education both at home and in Montgomery, I have a good working relationship with our state legislators and AEA officials which will benefit our schools if elected. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and be the voice speaking for you, fighting the good fight, and putting education first.

To do that, I need your vote on Tuesday, June 1. I humbly ask that you consider my qualifications, experience, and passion for education and cast your vote for CHAD HOLDEN for School Board Place 2.

Thank you for taking the time to educate yourself about the election this year, and by all means, pray for the candidates and their families.

Chad Holden
Candidate for School Board Place 2
Lauderdale County


From Franklin:

Chief Jeff Masterson


From Colbert:

He Knows Which Children Are Worth Saving

by Tuscumbia Tom

Yes, Tim Milam relinquished custody of an adopted son, but he kept the boy's sister. That tells me he knows which children are worth saving and which ones aren't.

Tim Milam will use this same judgment in family court. We need a District Judge that will be able to decide which children are worth saving. It's a hard choice, but Milam has demonstrated he's able to weed out the chaff in his own family and can do the same in court. We don't need bleeding hearts that think every child is basically good. They aren't.


Tomorrow is the official observance of Memorial Day...then the election. We hope that each voter will pray to ask God's guidance as they make their decisions and mark their ballots.

Shoalanda