Calendar of Election Events

January 6, 2009 @5:00pm Qualifying Deadline
Primary Election, Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Primary Runoff, Tuesday, April 21, 2009
      (if needed)
General Election, Tuesday, April 21 2009
      (if no runoff needed)
General Election, Tuesday, June 9, 2009
      (If there is a primary runoff)

Committee to Elect Allan Rhodes

4092 South Memorial Parkway, Suite 1A
Huntsville, AL (256) 604-5923
Allan Rhodes, Chairman
Misty Kennedy, Treasurer
email: allanrhodes@allanrhodes.com

Campaign Manager

J. Holland
email: j.holland@thehdc.com

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Position on the Issues
  • NO NEW TAXES. As a businessman, I believe that increasing our revenue streams by supporting small business growth and the creation of new jobs will bring in far more money and grow the economy in a much healthier way than putting more burden on the already struggling taxpayer.
  • Use Prior-year budgeting. In these lean times, Alabama should base its budget on actual revenue received the previous year, and not project an unreasonable expectation of increased revenues for the future.
  • Repeal the State Legislator Pay Raise. If the legislators are this irresponsible with taxpayer dollars, they don’t deserve any additional taxpayer money for themselves.
  • Repeal Annual Property Tax Appraisals. End the annual tax hike and stimulate our economy by allowing homeowners to keep more of their money. Property tax appraisals every 4 years provides a fairer assessment of true property value.
  • Stop the raid on the Oil and Gas Trust Fund. The interest on the Oil and Gas Trust Fund is the second biggest source of funding for the General Fund budget and every time we “borrow” from it we lose money.
  • Cut wasteful spending starting with “community service grants”. These “grants”, which cost Alabama taxpayers $15 million a year, are pure political pork given out by politicians to help them get re-elected. This is essentially taking YOUR money and giving it to a politician to buy votes, and this practice needs to stop.
  • I would propose a bill that would set aside 10 percent of all state revenue each year for a new Rainy Day fund, one that does not deplete the Alabama Trust Fund, to be used if state revenue dropped below a certain level (level to be determined).
  • Be responsible stewards of taxpayer’s dollars. It’s YOUR money, and it needs to be spent wisely and not wasted frivolously.
  • As your Alabama State Senator from District 7, I will be an advocate for the rights of parents with children who have disabilities, seek more funding for schools to early educate children with disabilities so that they can communicate and join the regular classroom as soon as possible.
  • I support legislation defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
  • I support the rights of the unborn and believe we should inform the people of the risks associated with Abortion. Life begins at conception.
  • As your next Alabama State Senator from District 7, I will stand as a conservative and work for smaller, leaner, transparent government who listens to the people.
  • I want to work with our local military officials to create a small business environment that will give small business more opportunity, as BRAC becomes a reality.
  • As your Senator from the 7th District of the Great State of Alabama I want to work for those in small business to reduce the State tax burden to make it easier for small business to afford insurance for it’s employees and family members.
  • Work to provide tax credits for businesses to expand and take on new work, create a work environment for companies to hire and train CoOps and interns to meet the employment needs of the district.

Education

I recently received an email from a student at the University of Alabama asking for my position on various education issues. The following is a copy of that email along with my response:

Mr. Rhodes,

I have a question regarding your views on some education issues. What are your positions on school choice, charter schools, merit pay/bonuses for teachers, tenure, increased focus on accountability (i.e., objectively measuring student progress through standardized testing, and rewarding schools and teachers on student progress), and other education reform measures that have received bipartisan support nationally (but may receive opposition from the unions)? I did not see anything on your website indicating your views of any of these reform measures, so I assume that none of these issues are a focal point of your platform, but wanted to check with you before I drew any conclusions.

Thanks for your time. Good luck in your campaign!

Allan Rhode’s Response

     I am very interested in providing the best possible education for our citizens in Alabama and believe that the current budget crisis is bringing some of these issues to light. If we don’t have a sound budget process in Montgomery to provide basic services to Alabamians, as well as provide the best education possible, then Alabama is headed down a very slippery slope. When politicians put their special interests first over those of the citizens and its students, bad things begin to happen. The reason we are addressing the budget issues over education is they are both linked so closely together. We cannot continue with such a reckless approach to budgeting. Sound fiscal judgment is needed to do some hard costing and cut backs now so that we can meet the future educational requirements for our students.

     A good State budget is the key to providing a great education for our students. The debate in Montgomery now is over who is going to pay more, the 4 year college system, the 2 year college system (by shutting down some of those campuses), or K-12. No one wants to bear the total burden of the cutbacks necessary and no one in Montgomery wants to accept responsibility for how we got here, i.e., spending more than was budgeted (the billion dollar surplus in 2006 and the real rainy day fund last year) and robbing the Alabama Trust Fund (created in 1982 from the proceeds of the off shore natural gas leases) to cover the mismanagement, but there is plenty of blame to go around.

Now your issues:

  1. School Choice – Yes, parents should be allowed to send their children to the best school possible. A voucher program may be the way to shift funding into the schools where the students are migrating. No student should be forced to accept a sub-standard education due to location or economic position.
  2. Charter School – A State sponsored Charter School in Math and Science can possibly help in the shortfall of the Scientists and Engineers the State needs now. There is a critical shortage of these students, especially here in the north Alabama area. The con to such a school is that it potentially dumbs down the other schools and we actually have a net loss. There is also no guarantee that a Charter school student will remain in Alabama after getting a degree. Such a program may be very beneficial if administered and applied properly.
  3. Merit Pay/bonuses – A good idea if the budget allows. In business most bonuses are based on performance and available funds to pay the bonus. It is an incentive for teachers and administrators to do a better job and can lead to a more rewarding sense of self-worth. As a businessman, I see daily the benefits of a merit pay and bonus system as it encourages my employees to do their best and provides them with positive feedback on their performance.
  4. Tenure – A bad program typically associated with unions (notice the problems in the Auto industry), this program allows for swelling budgets and poor performance since you cannot get rid of a Tenured teacher even if they are not performing up to expectations. The tenure system also removes much of the incentive to strive for self-improvement and promotes complacency.
  5. Increased Focus on Accountability – Accountability is good for both students and teachers, it sets a standard to meet with expectations for the classroom. However, unfunded mandates from the Federal Government should not happen, it only runs up the cost of education and most of these programs force the schools to teach the answers to questions on the accountability testing instead of the creative teaching that will capture the minds of the students and cause them to learn beyond expectations. I believe that accountability should also apply to the administration of the school system and that too much money that is intended for the students is being lost in layers of bureaucracy.

     Thank you for the questions and I hope I have given you the answers you are looking for. I am open to debate and have an open mind to discuss further in the future. A common sense approach is needed in Montgomery if we are to improve education in Alabama, and I hope you will vote for me on March 3rd.

Sincerely;

Allan Rhodes
Candidate Senate District 7, Alabama