County Commission | The Magazine November 2019 | Page 8

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to buy the dealership. Karen and
I invested the first 40 years of our
married life into that dealership.
Seven years ago, we sold it to my
first cousin.
I remember coming home that
final Friday at the dealership, hugging
Karen and saying, “We’ve worked
hard and been through some tough
times, but we’ve persevered, raised
and educated four children, and
now it’s time to kick back and enjoy
our grandchildren.” Her response:
“We have worked hard, and I’m very
happy for you.” But that was followed
by, “Now go find a job.”
God sometimes has an
incredible sense of humor. The
very next week I got a call from
a man representing a group of
citizens who wanted to meet with
me about the possibility of running
for probate judge. A summer of
contemplation transitioned into
an autumn of prayer and decision,
and at a Thanksgiving family
gathering, the decision to run was
finalized. Fourteen months later, I
was sworn in as Henry County’s first
Republican probate judge in more
than 150 years.
You may be wondering: what
purpose is served by sharing these
events in my life? What does any
of this have to do with county
government? To me — everything!
We’re all called to service. We should
be about helping those around
us, just as we’ve all been helped at
various times in our lives. We should
strive each day to try to make things
better than we find them.
In 53 of Alabama’s 67 counties,
the positions of probate judge and
county commission chairman are
held by two different people. Henry
County is one of only 14 counties
where the probate judge also serves
as the chairman of the county
commission — two jobs for the
price of one. I think maybe I’m in
a bit of a unique position. As the
8 | NOVEMBER 2019
2018-2019 ACCA President Tony Cherry of Choctaw County (left) passes the gavel to
his successor, 2019-2020 President David Money of Henry County. As immediate past
president, Cherry is chairing the ACCA Legislative Committee this year.
first probate judge to serve as your
president since our friend, Hardy
McCollum, more than 25 years
ago, it presents a real opportunity to
establish better working relationships
with the Probate Judges Association
on matters of mutual interest, to
build relationships that will benefit
us in Montgomery and, ultimately,
in our local courthouses.
Six years ago, folks like Judge
McCollum, Mark Culver, Roger
Hayes, Ricky Harcrow, Marcus
Campbell, Rhondel Rhone, Ray
Long and others extended the
hand of welcome to this 64-year-
old rookie county official. They
pledged to help me have a better
understanding of the workings of
county government.
Henry County in the past
has not traditionally been very
involved in our state association.
That’s changed over the past several
years. As a county, we now clearly
understand the many advantages in
being active participants in ACCA.
I’d like to recognize several members
of our Henry County family in
attendance tonight…
I continue to encourage our
Henry County family to be actively
involved in ACCA. As a relative
newcomer to county government,
I see our state association for what
it really is: the most influential
force for public policy change in
the State of Alabama. It’s led by
Sonny Brasfield, who I’ve often
referred to as the “Nick Saban of
County Government.” We had
a “come to Jesus” meeting with
Sonny earlier today. He asked us
how we thought we had gotten to
this point, to this level of respect
and effectiveness. He reminded us
that it had been through hard work,
a common vision, unselfishness,
strong leadership, helping each
other — and being UNIFIED. 67
Counties, One Voice! Are we willing
to sacrifice what we want for “our
county” in exchange for what is best
for the 67? Or will we be content to
just sit on the front porch and watch
the bus roll by? Tonight, let’s all
pledge to be on the bus as we travel
down this road to achievement. Let’s
get off the porch and on to the bus.
Not the “Gus Bus” — this bus will
be called the “Us Bus!”