12 minute read
NEWS
from 5.5.22
STATE SENATE DISTRICT 15 PRIMARY
The Incumbent
Roberts Seeking Second Term to Continue Working on Making the State Competitive
By RuBin E. GRant
When Dan Roberts was elected to the Alabama state Senate four years ago, his primary focus was on making the state competitive in business and education.
That’s still his focus as he seeks re-election in the upcoming Republican primary for state Senate District 15. Roberts, who lives in Mountain Brook, will face challenger Brian Christine, who also lives in Mountain Brook, in the Republican primary May 24. The winner of the primary most likely will take the seat, unless an independent or third-party candidate qualifies, because no Democrat is seeking it.
“I want Alabama to be competitive when it comes to new jobs and industry,” Roberts said. “We also need to provide our children and their teachers with the tools they need to succeed.”
Roberts believes the best way for that to happen is through tax reform. He pointed to the tax credit bill he sponsored that Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law in February. The law will keep Alabama families from paying state taxes on the federal child tax credit, the dependent care credit and the earned income tax credit, which were increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If you have two children, this is probably right around $200 that they will not pay,” Roberts said after the legislation became law. “They’ll get a tax credit on it and save them $200 in taxes.”
Roberts said, “Helping families has been a key component of my tenure.”
Roberts has focused on tax issues since he was elected in 2018 following a career in real estate development, private equity and international trade. Another bill he sponsored changed the way the state taxes businesses, which he said will make them more competitive.
“This really helps the small businesses, such as heating and cooling, roofing and even restaurants and convenience stores,” Roberts said.
Roberts serves on Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth’s workforce development committee, which is studying how to improve the
workforce. “We need to improve and educate the Alabama workforce,” Roberts said. “This can be done by expanding vocational training in our schools. The more skills our workforce has the more growth our state will see. We need to ensure that our workforce is the best prepared in the U.S.” With that in mind, Roberts believes education is one of the most important issues in the state. “You look at testing scores, and we’re so far down,” he said. “If we don’t fix this, we are so badly hurt.” Courtesy Roberts said the state needs to expand vocational training Dan Roberts in Alabama high schools so students can take advantage of job opportunities when they graduate. He pointed to the Smuckers plant that is expected to open by 2025 in Jefferson County as one such opportunity. The plant is expected to bring 300-plus jobs to the area as part of a $1.2 billion investment. Roberts also mentioned a plant that is on track to open by the end of 2022 in Selma that will produce surgical masks and N95 facial masks and could employ as many as 300 workers. Roberts, however, has questions about an education lottery because he’s concerned about where the money eventually would go and believes it could pave the way for more casinos throughout the state. Christine has criti-
‘I speak to people every cized Roberts for being out of touch with day. I have kept track of District 15 constituents, how many hours since but Roberts said he regNovember of 2021 I ularly meets with may ors, city leaders and have spent meeting with school officials as well people and it comes to 82 as business owners throughout the district. days and 23 hours. It’s a “I speak to people privilege to do what I do.’ every day,” he said. “I have kept track of how DAN ROBERTS many hours since November of 2021 I have spent meeting with people and it comes to 82 days and 23 hours. “It’s a privilege to do what I do.” Roberts has been campaigning this spring without his wife, Anne, who died at the age of 64 on March 4 of COVID-related symptoms. They were college sweethearts and had been married for 41 years with three sons and eight grandchildren. “It was the heartbreak of my life when she died,” Roberts said. “It’s very hard doing this without my best friend, but I am going as hard I can go.”
The Challenger
Christine Wants to Lead From the Front Should He Be Elected
By RuBin E. GRant
As a surgeon, Brian Christine is used to doing things hands on. He hopes to take that same kind of approach to Montgomery if he is elected as a state senator.
Christine, a urologist with Urology Centers of Alabama in Homewood, is challenging incumbent Dan Roberts in the Republican primary for state Senate District 15. The winner of the primary most likely will take the seat, unless an independent or thirdparty candidate qualifies, because no Democrat is seeking it.
“I am blessed and fortunate to be a surgeon, but I see all the division and strife in our state concerning education and health care, and I want to make a difference the same way I do in the operating room with my patients,” Christine said.
Christine spends plenty of time building relations with his patients, but he said many of the elected state legislators do not make an effort to know the people they are supposed to serve, including Roberts.
“When I go around and speak to groups in the district and ask them who their state senator is from District 15, the vast majority of them don’t know,” Christine said. “There’s a tremendous disconnect with the people. It’s not the people’s responsibility to know who their legislator is, it’s the legislator’s responsibility. I want them to know me and I want to know them.”
Christine lives in Mountain Brook with his wife, Helena Christine, an attorney at UAB. They have a married daughter and a granddaughter.
Christine considers himself a staunch conservative — as does Roberts — and sees himself as a political outsider. He grew up in a military family and his father severed in Vietnam and was severely injured.
Christine said he wants to take a fighting spirit to Montgomery while being a voice for his constituents as a “straight talk” public servant.
“I think people want a leader who will lead
from the front,” Christine said. “If I am elected, I’m absolutely going to do that.” Christine considers the two biggest challenges facing the state as education and economic development. “With respect to state education, Alabama is ranked 52nd overall and that’s a huge problem,” he said. “Children are our future. If we can’t provide them with a good education, then they will lack the foundation for finding a good job. So educating our children is a primary issue.” On the issue of a lottery, Christine said it could be a good Courtesy thing if the money goes to the right place, chiefly education. As for economic development, Christine said, “Job growth is really important. I have been working hard the last four years to provide conservative solutions to improve the business environment of our state.” For that reason, Christine said his campaign is mostly self-funded while claiming that Roberts is beholden to political action committees or other special interest groups. “He’s receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in PAC money,” Christine said. “As with any politician, they are not giving because the person is such a nice guy but because they want something in return.” Roberts has received money from PACs such as the Forestry PAC, Mainstream PAC (a probusiness and industry PAC), Wholesale PAC and PACs representing pharmacies, poultry, retailers and construction companies. But Roberts said the support shows he’s making “positive change” in District 15. Christine realizes he faces an uphill battle to unseat Roberts. “It’s always tough to run against an incumbent,” Christine said. “For one thing, he has immediate name recognition and the political powers that be don’t like someone bucking it. But in my practice, I try to build relationships with people and make their lives better. It’s just part of my personality. I want to build similar relationships with the people in District 15.”
Mission group activities included mudding an outdoor kitchen (above), reading to children to help them learn English and repairing the village’s water well.
LIFE CHANGING
From Page One Children’s Mission.
According to its website, ACM provides Christ-centered support to people living in the Nakasongola District of Uganda and Meru County, Kenya, reaching out particularly to children in impoverished circumstances.
African Children’s Mission partners with various churches and communities nationwide to support the people of East Africa through child sponsorships, education, school feeding programs, clean water and medical clinics.
The mission group had 17 members, including Wes Wilbanks, operations supervisor for Hoover City Schools.
After hearing about the mission trip and attending a meeting one Wednesday afternoon, Dymond and Fowler were excited to start packing their bags and preparing for their trip.
“I was excited,” Fowler said. “It was a new place to get to go to and also share the word of God.”
13 Trips to Uganda
Wilbanks is no stranger to the ACM; he serves on the board and has dedicated a large portion of his life to feeding, clothing and ministering to the people of Uganda.
“This was my 13th trip to Uganda to work with ACM,” Wilbanks said. “On every trip, the highlight is that I have the opportunity to introduce new people to ACM and the work they are doing in Uganda. I get to see the impact the mission work has on the lives of the ACM volunteers and the people in Uganda.”
While Wilbanks has served on the board of the ACM since 2014 and has led many mission teams in Uganda, he said he is constantly amazed by the progress the organization is making.
“There’s a dirt road about 70 miles north of the capital, and it’s about 13 miles long,” Wilbanks said. “We have to travel this road to get to our ranch. Traveling down that road from 2000 to 2022, I’ve seen the conditions people live in.
“Every year going back down that road, I get to see what used to be a mud hut is now a brick house. You can really see the influence ACM has had on that entire community.”
“What’s cool about taking new people every year, they go down that same road that I do. I go down the road with a completely different perspective. I get to see it on their faces.”
Mission group activities included reading to children to help them learn English, serving school lunches, mudding an outdoor kitchen and repairing the village’s water well.
Children Hungry to Learn
Dymond and Fowler were surprised at how eager the children were to learn.
“It wasn’t until I read a book that the kids spoke back to me,” Dymond said. “In America, when you read a book to children, they just listen. But when I read the children a line, they would repeat it back to me to learn.”
Fowler and Dymond explained the many things they learned about the culture while they were in Uganda.
“Their culture revolves so much around dance,” Dymond said. “It was fun to get out of my comfort zone and learn their dances. I really liked it. One of the things that stuck out to me the most is that the God we worship here is the same God they worship, and they worship Him in a completely different way. They’re more active in their faith, and that touched me a lot.”
“Their daily lives are much different from ours,” Fowler said. “They’re grateful for what they have. They don’t have a lot, but they are so grateful.”
As the mission trip concluded, Dymond said, she was grateful to have had the experience.
“It was definitely a different experience,” Dymond said. “We got to see how the local people live each day. We got to experience the food and culture and experienced how God works all around the world.”
The impact of ACM goes far beyond mission trips, as the ACM also offers child sponsorships to provide a child with food, education, medical care and opportunities to learn about Jesus.
“We go out and do home visits with the children we sponsor, and sometimes you’ll come to a house and a primary student that has been in school all day is at home with a piece of chalk teaching those children who don’t have access to an education,” Wilbanks said. “That kind of stuff makes everything real.”
Wilbanks emphasizes the importance of serving the people of Uganda, stating the impact it has on students after coming home is tremendous.
“I’ve never taken anybody that wasn’t profoundly impacted by what’s really important,” Wilbanks said. “It’s neat to be able to visit with other people from other cultures and realize we’re not that different. We all struggle with the same things at different degrees.”
Record-Breaking Museum Ball Fundraiser Set for Saturday
The Birmingham Museum of Art will present the 65th Annual Museum Ball on May 7.
Co-chairs Marion and Edgar Marx, Cate and Brian Boehm and the 2022 Museum Ball Committee raised nearly $1.3 million, a record-breaking sum, in advance of the event to support the museum’s education and outreach initiatives.
The 2022 theme, Avant Garden: Let Fashion Bloom, will be brought to life by renowned event designer Christopher Confero.
Nearly 600 guests will be served cocktails on the museum’s outdoor plaza before being seated in the galleries for a three-course dinner prepared by chef Tyler Lyne of Tasting TBL in partnership with Kathy G and chef Jason Mezrano.
After dessert, there will be music and dancing under the stars courtesy of Big Blast and the Party Masters.
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