Ingram: High hopes for state Republicans
MONTGOMERY — They may be whistling in the dark, but Republican legislators think they have a shot in the 2006 elections to win control of both houses of the Alabama Legislature.
Leaders of the Republican legislative caucus say they hope to raise a whopping $6 million during the next 18 months to wrest control of the Legislature from the Democrats.
To say that the GOP forces have their work cut out for them would be an understatement. Democrats hold a 25-10 majority in the Senate and a 62-41 edge in the House. There are 105 seats in the House but two of them are vacant.
What that means is that the Republicans would have to pick up eight seats in the upper chamber and 12 in the Senate.
One of the weapons the Republicans hope to use — other than the $6 million they hope to raise — is a likely lawsuit challenging the reapportionment plan adopted some years ago.
There is no denying that when the seats were re-shuffled a concerted effort was made to dilute Republican strength in some of the districts.
A similar lawsuit was filed in Georgia and in that instance the courts did indeed throw out a reapportionment plan that had favored Democrats. This led to a reapportionment plan that resulted in Republicans winning a majority of the seats.
It is no coincidence that the two lead attorneys in the Georgia case have been retained as co-counsel for the suit in Alabama.
Crowded counties
If you are in the rush hour traffic from Birmingham to any surrounding counties, from Mobile to Baldwin County, or from Montgomery to Elmore and Autauga counties, you knew this without being told.
The counties adjoining those three major metropolitan areas are the fastest growing in the state according to population data released last week.
Not surprisingly, Shelby County, which has become the “bedroom community” of Birmingham, ranked No. 1 in population growth, followed by Baldwin, Elmore and Autauga.
Candidate Moore
It seemed only appropriate that former Chief Justice Roy Moore, he of Ten Commandments fame, should visit the Dead Sea Scrolls now being exhibited in Mobile.
One of the scrolls, the Deuteronomy scroll, includes texts from the Ten Commandments.
Be sure Moore was questioned by the press about his political intentions, and be sure he continued to play coy about his future plans. He said, as he has said before, that he is “seriously considering” a race for governor, but that is as far as he would go.
Another award
Because for a couple of years or so he was in politics — he was press secretary for Gov. Albert Brewer — I hope I have the license to mention that my good friend Bob Inman, a native of Elba but now living in Charlotte, N.C., was honored by the Alabama Library Association at its annual convention in Birmingham last week.
His latest novel, “Captain Saturday,” was picked as the best work of fiction written by an Alabama author in 2004. This marked the third time Inman has won this award during his remarkable career as a novelist.
A few months ago I told you about a couple of good ole boys in Birmingham who decided to have a motorcycle race on I-459 late one night last fall.
It was quite a race. One of the guys was clocked at 164 miles per hour, but he couldn’t keep up with his buddy, who was clocked at 167 miles per hour. Both were given hefty fines.
Now comes a more bizarre interstate incident, this one on I-65 in Conecuh County. Several motorists reported seeing a streaker standing on the shoulder of the interstate.
State Troopers and county deputies were dispatched to the scene, the streaker hopped in his car and took off but alas his vehicle blew a tire and he was apprehended.
All he was wearing was a pair of tennis shoes. Whether they were Nike, Reebok or Keds was not reported.
