By David Palmer
The Cullman Times
CULLMAN —
Paul Bussman and Patricia McGriff are concerned about how business is conducted in the Alabama Legislature. Both assert that the Legislature operates in a culture of corruption.
And both are candidates for the Republican nomination for state Senate District 4.
Voters will decide between Bussman, a dentist and businessman who was the leader at the end of the June 1 primary, and McGriff, a longtime educator.
McGriff sent out a news release this week showing that Tom Beason, a former candidate for the seat on the Republican side, had endorsed her. In the same news release, she noted endorsements from Harold Sachs, a member of the state GOP executive committee, and the organization known as Conservative Christians of Alabama.
McGriff believes Alabama will move forward in many areas when the Legislature is inhabited by officeholders who are not indebted to special interests. Bussman shares that view with his opponent.
Nonetheless, Bussman believes his long involvement in community affairs and straight-forward approach to issues will serve district residents well in Montgomery.
“I think the voting public is concerned about the direction of the state. I think this election is important for the future of Alabama,” Bussman said. “People ask me about my experience and service in the community, and I believe I bring to this race the qualities voters are asking for.”
Bussman has served for 15 years on the board of directors of Cullman Savings Bank, which he said through conservative, effective business practices has avoided the problems that led to difficulties for many other financial institutions.
“We saw some of the practices that were taking place and recognized there would be trouble,” Bussman said. “We stuck to our conservative values.”
Bussman has also served on Cullman Regional Medical Center Foundation, the Volunteers In Public Schools program and owned two small businesses, among other endeavors.
McGriff boils the election down to making life better for families by providing honest leadership in Montgomery.
“This district is made up of wonderful people who work hard and who are deeply involved in their communities and churches,” McGriff said. “If we don’t do something about the corruption in Montgomery, we’re never going to move forward in education and providing a better way of life in Alabama. I don’t think anyone should be proud that our ethics commission has no power.”
The candidates share similar views about issues, but some variations do exist.
Education Reform
Bussman and McGriff are adamant that the observations and ideas of teachers must be a major part of achieving education reform in Alabama. They also believe a budget method called the “15-year rolling budget” should be adopted in an effort to end proration and remove politics from education funding.
“No one ever asks the teachers when the issue of education reform comes up. It’s always the politicians,” McGriff said. “Teachers have answers to a lot of our problems in education, but no one asks their opinion. Education is always in the forefront of politics with proration and criticisms, but nothing is getting accomplished because we leave the educators out of discussion.”
Bussman also says teachers need to have the leading voice in reform efforts in education. Both Bussman and McGriff say the 15-year rolling balance should be employed in funding schools.
“You look at the income of the last 15 years and determine what the budget should be through an average. If you have an excess you move that into a reserve fund for when it’s needed,” Bussman said. “This would take politics out of budgeting education.”
Bussman said one of the problems in initiating this budget practice is that legislators are unwilling to give up the political process of handing out money.
“They love to hand out money when times are better, and when it’s not they start the blame game. I don’t see how school boards can even pass a budget under the current system,” Bussman said.
McGriff said public education needs to be more flexible in recognizing that some students would perform better if they were directed into vocational studies.
“One thing doesn’t work for everybody,” she said. “With a dropout rate that’s been as high as 39 percent we need to give students a reason to want to be in school. Most kids learn hands-on. Many are bored to death.”
Bussman also favors expanding vocational opportunities in school. He said public education must realize that many students are not aiming for college.
“With proration and the cuts in education funding, you can’t say that kids today are getting the same education they did even four years ago,” Bussman said. “I’m certainly not an expert on what needs to be done in the classroom, but the teachers can figure it out when we empower them to lead the reform efforts. They see it every day and they know what is needed for the students.”
McGriff said the evolving workplace makes teaching technical skills more valuable in the education system.
“I also support incentive pay for teachers,” McGriff said. “If you praise a student and reward that student, he will continue to excel. The same is true with a teacher.”
Immigration views
“My husband was killed by illegal immigrants. A girl from Florence (Alabama) was killed by an illegal immigrant,” McGriff said. “Illegal immigration puts a strain on everyone. Studies show a high percentage of those coming in now are serial rapists and killers. I applaud what Arizona is doing and I wish Alabama would do the same.”
McGriff said she respects legal immigration and the rules that are in place from the federal government. But she also said enforcement should be followed through to ensure the American public’s safety.
Bussman said Alabama has an estimated 70,000-100,000 illegal immigrants, as much or more than the population of Cullman County.
“I’m very much in favor of the Arizona law, which only says we are going to enforce the federal law. The federal government has gotten outside its box in this one. I will be one of the ones pushing for the law in Alabama,” Bussman said.
Bussman said illegal immigrants can add pressure on schools, affect insurance rates and crime.
“If people comes here legally they should be afforded all the services that help them integrate into our society,” Bussman said. “But we need to adopt a law that is similar to Arizona’s. If not, the stricter other states become, the illegal immigrants will move to other states such as Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia to get away from the enforcement.”
Local issues
Controversy surrounding the Cullman County Commission’s formation of a new water board has drawn standing legislators into the fray. A movement also appears to be afoot to convert the three-member commission to a five-member board with wider representation. But McGriff and Bussman have been cautious about how far a legislator should become involved at this point.
“People are just so angry about this on all sides. I don’t know why this situation couldn’t have been avoided,” McGriff said. “I know that most counties have five members on their commissions. It’s a county issue, but I think it’s a good idea.”
Bussman said he believes the controversy has afforded legislators locked into election races an opportunity to grandstand before voters.
“If the people want a five-member commission, the legislative delegation should be willing to start the process, but not grandstanding,” Bussman said.
He also said the water issue probably could have been solved years ago by bringing together city and county officials to work out differences.
“Several years ago, the city and county were looking at funding two separate jails. I thought this was ridiculous. I encouraged them to sit down together, and once they did they made their decision together. That’s one thing a legislator can do is encourage cooperation, but not for show. The local boards should make the decisions,” Bussman said.
Bussman also said he has no problem with the Duck River option that the city is working on.
“Some people think I’m opposed to it, but I think it’s a good option,” he said. “We need a good, reliable water source for the public and our growth potential.”
Bussman’s brother works in the county water department, but the candidate said that has no bearing on his view of city’s project or the county commission’s actions.
The winner of this race will face incumbent Sen. Zeb Little, a Democrat, in the November general election.
* David Palmer can be reached by e-mail at dpalmer@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 213.
