Political announcements

By By Special to the Enquirer
Franklin seeks sheriff’s post
Ana Franklin is seeking the Republican nomination for Sheriff of Morgan County.
Franklin said her priorities as Morgan County Sheriff would include providing a school resource officer in all Morgan County high schools.
“We are the only school system in our area that doesn’t provide law enforcement officers within our schools. Protecting our children and developing relationships with law enforcement as role models can only serve to better our community,” she said.
Franklin also said she wanted to work on cooperation with Volunteer Fire Departments to reopen the Morgan County Substation Offices through a mutual facilities agreement at no cost to the citizens.
“If we work together, we can accomplish tasks and find resolutions to problems we have in our community.”
She also pledged to find additional funding for basic services through grants and restructuring the current budget.
Franklin began her career in law enforcement as a reserve officer in Limestone County, where she handled K-9 narcotics, explosives and search and rescue dogs. She is a graduate of the Jefferson County Law Enforcement Academy, where she earned an Academic Achievment Award and was vice president of her class.
She later returned to Morgan County, where she worked with the late Sheriff John McBride as an undercover narcotics and vice agent and K-9 handler. She was also assigned to the Morgan County Drug Task Force and worked with state, local and federal agencies as an undercover drug agent, investigating and infiltrating narcotics trafficking organizations.
Franklin was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division and Morgan County Drug Task Force. She also led the Sex Offender Unit, investigating child abuse and molestation cases and violations by convicted sexual offenders.
Franklin has assisted with homicide, burglary and other criminal investigations.
Franklin was named Morgan County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for 2007. In 2008, She received the Award of Merit from the City of Falkville for a robbery in-vestigation. That same year, the DEA presented her with the Agent Appreciation Award for work in a federal, drug trafficking case for the US Northern District. Franklin is a certified expert witness for clandestine methamphetamine lab manufacturing and also for child sexual molestation investigations.
She also holds several national certifications in-cluding child forensics, K-9 cadaver, clandestine me-thamphetamine seizures, interview and interrogation techniques, and FBI Asset Forfeiture.
Franklin is a founding member of the North Alabama Search Dog Association, a member of the Alabama Association of Rescue Squads, North American Search and Rescue Association, Decatur Charity League, Morgan County Repub-lican Women’s Club, National Rifle Association, Fraternal Order of Police and Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce.
She is also an active member of First United Methodist Church in Hartselle.
Vest seeking district two seat on commission
Oak Ridge resident Randy Vest is seeking the Republican nomination for Morgan County Commissioner District Two.
Vest said he decided to run for the post after being encouraged by community and business leaders.
Vest owns and operates Randy’s Body Shop. He has also worked as a maintenance supervisor for Dura Coats Products in Huntsville and is an installation specialists for Moss Audio Systems.
He is a member of St. Luke United Methodist Church, where he serves as co-worship leader and on the board of trustees.
Vest and his wife, Saronda, have three children and three grandchildren.
Vest has served with a local camp of Gideon International, where he has held the offices of vice president, assignment secretary and treasurer. He is also a certified lay speaker for the Northwest District of North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Tankersley seeks state house seat
Hartselle Mayor Dwight Tankersley has qualified with the Alabama Republican Party as an official candidate for the District 9 seat being vacated by the retiring Ron Grantland in the State House of Representatives.
In addition to demanding a higher ethical standard from public officials, discouraging illegal immigration and recruiting jobs and industry, Tankersley said improving public education for our children and grandchildren is another priority of his campaign. His education platform inclu-des the creation of charter schools, enacting incentive pay to reward good teachers and lowering the state’s high school dropout rate to ensure Alabama has a qualified workforce.
Tankersley first felt the call of public service when he ran for mayor of Hartselle in 2004 on a theme of unifying city government and the community. After his election, he quickly followed through by fostering a spirit of cooperation among the Chamber of Commerce, Hartselle Development Board, utilities, school boards and other entities. His efforts were a tremendous factor in theeconomic growth Hartselle experienced during his first term and subsequently.
Automated garbage collections, yard debris and recycling pickup, new soccer fields, street repairs, construction and other dramatic infrastructure improvements were just a few of the expanded city services implemented under Tankersley’s leadership. All this was accomplished, he said, without a hint of the corruption, scandal or misuse of government resources that have plagued so many other cities and counties in our state.
These tangible accomplishments resulted in Tankersley being returned to the mayor’s office for a second term in 2008, which made him the city’s first mayor in almost 30 years to serve two consecutive terms.
Outside City Hall, the 50-year-old is a past president of the Rotary Club, was named as Citizen of the Year by Hartselle Civitan Club and is a past chair of the deacon board at Fairview Church of God. Tankersley is also a former chairman of the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors. He and his wife of 30 years, Jenny, have two children and two grandchildren.
A breakdown of Tankersley’s comprehensive reform agenda may be found on his website at http://dwighttankersley.com/issue.php.
Goodwin enters house race
The race for who will represent District Nine in the State Legislature won’t be decided in the June Republican Primary. Instead, Kathy White Goodwin decided to turn a two-man race into a three-person contest and seek election to the office as a Democrat.
Goodwin, who is finishing her term on the Hartselle School Board, is seeking election as a Democrat. She’s unchallenged in the June Democratic primary and will face the winner of the GOP primary in November. Hartselle Mayor Dwight Tankersley and Ed Henry are both seeking the Republican nomination.
Goodwin, the marketing director for Hartselle Medical Center, said she was reminded of the words of John F. Kennedy when she was first asked to seek the office.
Goodwin said she believes in voting for the person as opposed to their party affiliation.
Once a Democratic stronghold, Morgan County has followed the rest of Alabama in the last decade in its move towards the Republican party. Qualifying for both parties ended April 2 and few Democrats qualified to seek local office.
If the District Nine race appears to be heated, the race for Morgan County Commission chairman could prove to be downright sizzling.
Current chair John Glasscock faces three challengers, all of who currently hold elected office. Glasscock faces GOP opposition from Somerville Mayor Ray Long, County Commissioner Don Stisher and County Revenue Commissioner Amanda Scott.
Other races include:
Burrell seeking reelection
Morgan County District Attorney Bob Burrell has announced plans to seek reelection. Burrell, who also serves on the Morgan County and State Republican Executive Committees, will be a candidate in the June 1 Republican Primary.
During his time as District Attorney, Burrell said he has overhauled and modernized the way the office operates.
"We have eight Assistant District Attorneys, one investigator and eight support personnel to handle the ever-growing caseload. We are extremely efficient in our work as a result of computerization and the use of other technology in our office," Burrell said. "We spend tax dollars wisely and frugally. In fact, many of the improvements to this office have been funded through restitution funds collected from those convicted or charged with certain crimes.”
In 2002, Burrell implemented a Restitution/Court Costs Recovery Unit, that has collected more than $1 million in unpaid court costs, restitution and fines. The work done by this unit was done without any increase in personnel in the District Attorney's office. In addition, more than $450,000 in cash, 61 vehicles, and other property connected with criminal activity, such as drug trafficking has been confiscated and turned over to law enforcement agencies for their use.
"I am also very proud of the Worthless Check Unit, which has collected over $9 million in restitution for our local merchants and individuals who have taken bad checks from white collar thieves." Burrell said.
"My office has worked hard to investigate and successfully prosecute crimes in Morgan County. The District Attorney's office handles approximately 17,000 felony, misdemeanor and traffic cases a year. Although it is a day-to-day battle, I believe that we're successfully and efficiently fighting crime in Morgan County," Burrell said.
Burrell's leadership as District Attorney touches every part of the criminal process.
"I personally review every felony case and present them to the grand jury myself to ensure that each case gets proper treatment and to maintain consistency and fairness in the way that each case is handled," Burrell explained. "I also personally assign each and every prosecutor to each trial, according to his or her skill and ability to get a conviction. Our goal is to put criminals behind bars without mistakes or appeals that would overturn the hard work of the law enforcement officers who make these cases and risk their lives everyday for our safety."
Burrell also said he has the experience needed to do the District Attorney’s job.
"I have tried more felony jury criminal cases than anyone in this county. I have personally tried and convicted 11 defendants for capital murder, plus a significant number of others for rape, robbery, drug trafficking and child abuse," Burrell said.
"I am especially proud of the Child Advocacy Center that my office established to serve the needs of abused and neglected children in Morgan County. Child abuse cases have always been and always will be a priority for me. It is my belief that a society's first obligation is to protect its children."
Chunn qualifies for county coroner’s post
Jeff Chunn of Hartselle has qualified with the Morgan County Republican Executive Committee as a candidate for Morgan County coroner subject to the June 1 Primary Election.
Chunn, 46, served as assistant county coroner from 1987 to 1997 and is currently employed at Huntsville International Airport as a captain with the Department of Public Safety (police/fire/EMS). He has over 30 years of experience in public service as a paramedic, firefighter and police officer.
“My mission as coroner will be to provide professional morals, responsiveness and compassion to the residents of Morgan County.”
A graduate of Brewer High School, Chunn attended Calhoun Community College and Wallace State Community College, where he earned certification as a paramedic. He also earned the Alabama Firefighter Certification after attending Decatur Fire Academy and earned the Alabama Police Officer’s certification at the Northeast Alabama Police Academy at Jacksonville state University.
Chunn is a native of Morgan County and the son of Frederick and Ima Rhea Chunn of Valhermoso Springs. He is married to the former Lisa Frost of Eva and they have a 22-year-old son, Matthew Chunn, of Hartselle.
Bartlett seeking third term as sheriff
Sheriff’s Greg Bartlett is running for his third term as Morgan County Sheriff.
Bartlett, a Republican, was first elected to office in 2002. He has more than 28 years of law enforcement experience, including having served as chief investigator for the Morgan County District Attorney’s office for eight years prior to running for sheriff.
Bartlett also served as criminal and trial investigator in the DA’s office and was head of its Worthless Check Unit, returning more than $2.2 million in restitution to Morgan County merchants. Prior to joining the DA’s office, he worked for the Hartselle Police Department, where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant as supervisor of the criminal investigator’s unit.
He served as a patrol officer, narcotics investigator and criminal investigator while n Hartselle.
Bartlett said his time in the Sheriff’s Office has included many accomplishments, including:
In addition to keeping our county safe, Bartlett said his office has worked to keep up with technology.
Included in those changes are:
Bartlett said one of the most important focuses of his office is to protect children. To those ends, he has installed a sex offender web- based identification program that alerts residents when sex offenders move into their neighborhoods, around schools or daycares. Bartlett’s office is one of only three Sheriff’s Departments in the state to install the system.
The program has been so successful it has been adopted by the state.
Bartlett has also updated pistol permits to include a photo identification card to help stop the misuse of pistol permits.
of Morgan County.”
Scott running for commission chair
Amanda Scott has announced she will be a candidate for Morgan County commission chairman subject to the Republican Party Primary on June 1.
Scott said she realizes the necessity to help existing industries and small businesses succeed and provide support for the county’s educational systems and Calhoun Community College to help provide safe and meaningful educational opportunities.
She emphasized, “I will aggressively work with the chambers of commerce, economic development association, downtown redevelopment authority and the convention and visitors bureau to establish initiatives and opportunities for growth in both economic and social pursuits.
Shipley seeking district two county commission post
Ronnie Shipley, a heavy equipment operator with more than 30 years of experience, has announced his candidacy for Morgan County Commission, District 2, subject to the Primary Election on June 1.
Shipley, 50, ran for the same office in 2002 and 2006, both times as a Democratic candidate. He has since change d his party affiliation and will seek the Republican Party nomination.
A resident of Rock Springs Community, west of Hartselle, Shipley worked for District 2 for 27 years. He was a heavy equipment operator when he retired in 2006. He is now employed with Rowe Contracting.
Shipley said making improvements at West Park will be one his priorities if he is elected.
“We need to add tennis courts and a T-ball field, expand parking space and build another walking trail.”
He added, “I’ll work to make sure the rural fire departments receive the support they need to stay up-to-date, schools are safe for our children and more and higher paid jobs are created for the citizens of Morgan County.”
A graduate of Danville High School, Shipley is married to the former Vickie Walker, a 1979 Morgan County High School graduate. She is employed with ALFA Insurance at the Decatur/Beltline office in the claims department. They have a daughter, Emily Mead, who is a sixth grade science teacher at Horizon Middle School in Madison.
Her husband, Shawn Mead, is a graduate of UAH with a B.S. degree in business.
The Shipleys are members of Danville Baptist Church.
Henry wants to represent district nine in statehouse
Ed Henry of Hartselle qualified Mar. 10 as a candidate for Alabama House of Representatives, District 9, with the Alabama Republican Party in Birmingham. He will represent his party in the June 1 Primary Election.
Henry is a native of Hartselle, a graduate of Hartselle High School and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he received his training in radiology. In 1997, he went to work for Hewlett Packard as a medical sales representative, then spent six years as a CT technologist at Decatur General Hospital. He is currently employed as a cardiac imaging specialist at the Heart Center where he has been since 2007.
Henry and his wife, Wendi, are the parents of two daughters. They attend Fairview Church of God in Falkville where Ed volunteers with Youth Outreach and the audio-visual ministry.
Mac Beard seeks coroner’s post
Hartselle Heritage Funeral Home manager Mac Beard is seeking the Republican Party nomination for Morgan County coroner, subject to the June 1 Primary Election.
The position is currently occupied by his brother, Russ Beard, who has not publicly announced whether or not he plans to seek reelection. Mac Beard has served as deputy coroner for the past 11 years.
Beard is a Hartselle native, a graduate of Hartselle High School and a graduate of the John A. Gupton Mortuary School. with a bachelor’s degree in mortuary science He also graduated from Athens State College in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in management of technology and technical business.
He is licensed at national and state levels as a funeral director and embalmer and is a qualified mortuary disaster coordinator.
A member of the Alabama Coroners’ Association, he has been actively involved in the funeral home business for 26 years.
He is married to the former Becky Jarrett. Together they manage Hartselle Heritage Funeral Home. They reside on Huckaby Bridge Road, southwest of Hartselle, on a part of the Beard family farm.
Attention candidates – The Hartselle Enquirer is currently accepting political announcements from candidates for local office. All announcements will appear as space is available and are subject to editing. Color photos are also accepted. Send announcements to news@hartselleenquirer.com.