Election season joy

By Patrick Johnston

Published: July 15, 2008

Oh, the joy of election season.
Qualifying doesn’t end until today in our county, yet Baker Hill mayoral candidate Aaron Grubbs has already filed a complaint with Attorney General Troy King’s office because he said he couldn’t qualify. It seems that town hall was closed for several days because there was nobody available to staff the office.
There were phone numbers posted on the office for those wishing to qualify or in need of other county business. But Grubbs said he was not able to reach anybody.
Fortunately the town clerk, who as out on doctor’s orders, has returned to work, allowing Grubbs and any other citizen interested in qualifying to do so at town hall. A city council member is also assisting until today.
But the early controversy leads us to believe it will be a tense election season in Baker Hill.
And it’s not just Baker Hill where there are election headlines.
In Clio, one council candidate is complaining that her opponent does not even live in the county.
In Eufaula, it appears that many of our incumbents will not face challengers - though who knows what will happen today.
And according to our friends at The Clayton Record, the clerk at Blue Springs cannot be reached. Thus there are questions as to who if anybody has qualified.
Barbour County has a rich political history. We’re home of former governor and presidential candidate George Wallace, former lieutenant governor Jere Beasley and former House Speaker James Clark and other men and women who have served our state and region well.
But it seems that in the last few years, our political scene has been remembered for unique occurrences.
We had two mayoral elections in 2004 - Baker Hill and Eufaula - that were so close, recounts were needed. Eufaula’s election was decided by 12 votes. Baker Hill’s election, which was decided by one vote, went all the way to the Alabama Supreme Court. Grubbs lost that election to current mayor Jimmy Cochran.
And in Clayton’s mayoral election, 21 percent of the ballots cast were absentee - a much higher than average percentage.
We thought 2004 was a bizarre year.
But if the last week is any indication, then 2008 may be just as interesting.