Grantland not seeking reelection

By By Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
Eleven years after first being elected, Rep. Ronald Grantland said he’s not seeking another term representing District Nine in the State Legislature. That doesn’t mean the Hartselle Democrat is leaving the world of politics behind him entirely.
If he’s not a candidate himself, Grantland said he would like to help lobby for causes he supports.
Grantland opted not to seek reelection to his post earlier this month, saying the prospects of a negative campaign influenced his decision. Grantland wasn’t facing any opposition in the June Democratic primary but would face the winner of the GOP primary in November. Two candidates, Hartselle Mayor Dwight Tankersley and Ed Henry, both of Hartselle, are seeking the Republican nomination.
As a boy growing up in a three-room house on Antioch Road in Morgan County in the 1950s, Grantland said the serving as an elected official wasn’t even a dream. Now, he said he looks back with pride on his time in Montgomery.
For now, Grantland is preparing to return to Montgomery in February.
There’s plenty of work to be done, he said, including education funding and providing for the general fund. Of particular interest to Grantland is a proposal to reduce state taxes on groceries.
“If we could reduce the taxes on groceries this would be about a $350 million dollar stimulus package for the working people of Alabama. These are tough economic times and now is not the time to raise taxes. We need to be looking at lowering taxes to put more money into the pockets of the middle class. Hopefully taking the taxes off groceries will do just that,” he said.