VNN
ANNOUNCES PLANS TO SUPPORT A BIRMINGHAM MAYORAL CANDIDATE
Birmingham -- Voter News Network will lend support to one of the
candidates in the Birmingham mayoral race by infusing $200,000 in cash
and $100,000 in in-kind services to the office seeker with the best vision
of progress for the city and realistic plans for making it happen.
William Parker, director
of VNN said the organization of independent voters decided to be involved
in the October 14, Birmingham race because of the impact the city has
on the state and the Southeast.
"Birmingham is a major center for banking and health care. We are
at a critical juncture in this city and the direction of its leadership
at this point will determine how we grow businesses, enhance communities
and develop solutions to transportation problems," Parker said.
"To date, about
11 people have either qualified to run for mayor or have expressed interest
in the office. More than likely, there'll be a run off," Parker said.
"We are certain that the best candidate is out there and VNN is committed
to supporting candidates with a proactive agenda for addressing the needs
and concerns of our constituents."
--More--
Money for the support of mayoral candidates will come from 10 political action committees that are coming together to assist in providing the needed revenue. VNN has already raised $240,000 for the election. He said Mr. Donald Watkins Jr. has played a key role in raising the PACs' cash.
Dr. Richard Arrington Jr., Voter News Network's director for political affairs will set the framework in place for establishing candidate support. "Dr. Arrington has more than 28 years experience in Birmingham city government and has led the city from a period of turbulence to prosperity. We have full confidence in his ability to work with candidates in this year's election."
Parker stressed that candidates will be selected for support following an evaluation process developed by the group. "VNN is committed to identifying candidates who appeal to independent voters and want to address issues that affect our pockets and provide a better quality of life," Parker said. "No other organization has publicly stepped forward to say that it is ready to support candidates. But this is an important election, and VNN will be involved on October 14 and in the runoff if one is necessary."
Founded just two years ago by businessman Donald Watkins, VNN already has established a track record of supporting winning candidates. In Alabama's 2002 general election, VNN's bipartisan slate of statewide candidates won all nine statewide races, including Governor Bob Riley, Attorney General Bill Pryor, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, State Treasurer Kay Ivey, Associate Supreme Court Justice Harold See and State Auditor Beth Chapman, all Republicans. Democrats elected statewide and endorsed by VNN included Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley, Secretary of State Nancy Worley, and Commissioner of Agriculture Ron Sparks.
In addition to the Alabama races, VNN has also supported successful candidates in other states including New York Governor George Pataki and Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker.
"The scope of
VNN is not limited to Birmingham. Our network is nationwide, therefore,
we must take an active role in areas where we know our supporters will
benefit," Parker said. "While we are now setting in motion our
support for a candidate in the Birmingham mayors race, we have even greater
tasks ahead with the 2004 national elections." Parker said VNN will
be active in the 2004 presidential election in key states such as California,
Illinois and Florida.
A TALE OF TWO FUTURES: PUBLIC EDUCATION IN ALABAMA
By Paul R. Hubbert
Next year could be the worse of times for public education or it could be the best of times. You will help decide which it will be on September 9th. We are truly facing a crossroads leading to the future. As accurately as possible, I will attempt to paint a word picture of public education facing the worst times, followed by the best of times. Of course, the times described below are hypothetical scenarios but are one of many variations of a scenario that could become very real in the 03-04 education budget. Either one could really happen.
First, proration of $150 to $200 million is likely just to finish this year on September 30th. To avoid it, we will borrow from the Oil and Gas Fund. But, that money will have to be paid back over the next five years.
Next year (03-04), as school starts, about 6,000 pink slipped teachers and support professionals are brought back at a cost of $140 million - money that we don't now have.
However, the full faith and credit stand behind Senate Bill 1. So there should be no fear of calling personnel back. Local systems will be paid. That means we are now $340 million in the hole funding our schools and we haven't included the $145 million from the ETF needed for PEEHIP and TRS.
In our worst of times scenario, the reform and tax measure failed on September 9th so, we now face the need for #340 million. On September 10th or 11th, the legislature comes into special session and refuses to pass any new taxes, since the voters rejected the Amendment 1 package. So the 03-04 Education budget must be cut.
Let's see - where do we start cutting. The 6,000 called back to work must go at the end of the year. That saves $140 million (for 04-05) but we need to cut about $300 million for 03-04.
What do we cut next? PEEHIP has increased $103 million over last year. It could be paid for out of pocket by the teachers, retirees, and support professionals. That cuts our school funding deficit to $200 million in the Education Trust Fund budget.
Let's see now, another $50 million could be saved by delaying our funding of TRS for a year or two until times are better. That leaves us $150 million short in the ETF budget. Then by cutting classroom supplies, technology, teacher center funding, professional development funds, at-risk programs, the textbook program, and then cutting the remainder out of 2- and 4-year colleges, presto, we have a balanced budget - except we still have four more payments owed to the Rainy Day Fund, which kept us out of proration this past school year.
Now, how does next year look after balancing the ETF budget with no new revenue?
Because of personnel cuts we had to put 50,000 students into other classrooms and increase all other class sizes, take $100 million out of the employee's pockets to fund PEEHIP, leave TRS actuarially unsound by $50 million for future retirees, drain off all instructional support funds from the classrooms, and decrease the public school employee rolls by 6,000 teachers and support professionals, and take money from 2- and 4-year colleges. And oh yes, one other I almost forgot, no money for future raises for employees or COLAs for retirees was left over.
That's just on example of a scenario that could happen if we fail on September 9th. There are other ways to paint the picture but, believe me, none of them are pretty.
On the morning of September 10th, the world looks the same but a new day is dawning in Alabama. For the first time since 2000, education's funding is not in jeopardy. The loan made from the Oil and Gas Fund to get through the 02-03 fiscal year can be repaid easily and now additional funds are available to be budgeted to start improving our schools next school year. Students who work hard and make average or higher grades can apply for and receive a scholarship. Reading, math, and science will see a new emphasis, as additional personnel (approximately 1,500) are made available and every school will get more instructional supplies and resources in the classroom to improve student achievement in the basic subjects.
Stipends and scholarships will be available for teachers willing to teach in difficult geographical and low socioeconomic locations and in content areas with personnel shortages.
PEEHIP and TRS will be funded as required by the actuaries (from state dollars) and these programs will remain sound and safe. Funds will be available from time-to-time for cost of living raises for active personnel and for retirees. All personnel contracts will be honored and the annual spring pink-slipping for financial reasons will cease.
Classroom supply money ($525) allotted to teachers will get to the classroom and additional funds for common purchases, i.e. paper, ink, etc., will be sent to the schools in a category called "Additional Instructional Supplies" and not taken from teacher allocations.
Class size will continue to grow smaller as new courses in reading, math, science, advance placement, foreign languages, music and art programs, along with vocational education programs continue to expand and personnel are employed to handle them.
More accountability in handling public school dollars will be imposed. The superintendents must demonstrate their competence in handling money just as teachers must now show competence in their classrooms. They will be given written examinations on finance and law. A custodian of funds must report expenditures and disbursements to the board of education and must face review by the Department of Education's Finance Division and submit to an audit by the Examiners of Public Accounts. The days of misspending in the central office, causing cuts in classroom teachers and support professionals, will be drawing to a close.
As important as these educational changes are, they are no more important than shifting a huge tax burden from the backs of poor people, who make as little as $4,600 a year and pay income taxes, to those more able o pay. Wallace Malone, who holds $123 million in SouthTrust bank stock and draws a salary and bonuses in the millions each year, has come out against Governor Riley's Plan. Need I say more? Rumor in Montgomery has it that he and some other organizations plan to spend up to $3 million fighting to kill a program that, in my opinion, is out last chance to do the RIGHT THING for education and for the future of Alabama.
When this package passes, Alabama will still have low taxes, keeping us in line with the Southeast. Only Arkansas and Louisiana will have lower property taxes, for example. No business will be able to leave Alabama for lower taxes in another state.
Years ago, I decided I wanted to live and raise my family in Alabama. No one could love a state any more than I. One daughter, with her husband and my grandchild (soon to be another), has chosen to live here, too. I want to leave Alabama better for them. That is why I believe, investing in Alabama's future makes good schools. In fact, the entire infrastructure of our state has its roots in the quality of our schools.
On September 9th, you, too, will make a choice about the king of Alabama you want. By doing nothing, not voting or by voting no, you will say that schools should move backwards, as described in the first scenario. That will be an expensive non-vote or no vote, because of the cost to our students and the cost to ourselves, because of the out-of-pocket increases in PEEHIP, the lack of future COLAs and raises will surely happen, not to mention letting Alabama drift to the economic backwaters of America.
A yes vote will make
all the difference in your future, your family's future, and especially,
Alabama's future. Its passage will truly mean "Morning in Alabama"
and we will begin to take our place among the country's leading states.
BIRMINGHAM AREA RESIDENTS WANT REGIONAL COOPERATION
By Dave Adkisson
There are 32 cities in Jefferson County and seven counties in the newly-designated Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area. There are more than 90 cities and towns in those seven counties. And there are several hundred political leaders elected in those jurisdictions, each one expected to represent, or even fight for, the interests of his or her voters.
Meanwhile, there are exactly zero (0) elected officials in that seven-county region who are elected to represent the interests of the entire region. Regions don't elect leaders; municipalities and districts do.
Yes, many of us expect our elected officials to see "the big picture" and realize that our entire region must experience progress if our individual communities are going to prosper. And many do. But elected officials are first and foremost expected to represent the interests of their immediate districts or jurisdictions. And they are certainly not elected to give up the individual interests of our neighborhoods, cities, or counties in pursuit of some vague regional goal like "a better economy" or "cleaner air" or "better transit service".
Elected officials can get in political trouble with their voters, and perhaps even legal trouble, if they go too far in accommodating broader regional goals. As a former elected official in my hometown in Kentucky, I recall a group of my detractors collecting evidence of my malfeasance by photographing city landscaping crews planting trees and shrubs outside the city limits as a part of a partnership with our county government to improve the entrances of our city. The group of malcontents attempted, but failed, to enlist the state attorney general to stop such blatant corruption.
The point is: Political leaders are elected with an expectation that they will take a parochial view of their constituents' interests.
So it should not be surprising, on issues such as the current transit issue in Jefferson County, that objections are raised primarily from political leaders who are concerned that their constituents will somehow lose political control in a regional transit system. Losing political control apparently outweighs the theoretical benefits of a better transit system for their constituents. And an elected official can't be perceived as giving away control in return for benefits that are vague or perhaps unimaginable. Or benefits people don't trust local government to ever produce.
A recent poll conducted by the Chamber asked 400 adults in the metro area the following question about regional cooperation
Which of these statements
best reflects your opinion?
a. We need to have more regional cooperation between the cities and counties
in the Birmingham area if we're going to move ahead.
73% chose this statement.
b. Regional cooperation is okay, but it's not that important one way or
the other.
17% chose this statement.
c. I'm suspicious of talk about regional cooperation because of what my
community might lose in the process.
9% chose this statement.
An additional 1% wasn't sure.
Clearly citizens see a bigger picture, beyond their individual neighborhoods and municipalities. They realize that our greatest community challenges (highway congestion, air and water quality, economic development, etc.) are usually bigger than one city or even one county.
Businesspeople have a strong reason to think regionally because their businesses either cover the region or draw their customer base from the entire region. Whether you're a bank or a bicycle shop, you don't care whether a customer lives in Pell City or Walker County. You just want them to do business with you. If anything, political subdivisions get in the way of doing business because they create different rules by which you have to operate, different tax rates to calculate, etc.
It is important that concerned citizens and businesspeople continue to push for regional cooperation on our major issues and provide support to elected leaders when they are called upon to think bigger and make decisions beyond their immediate boundaries. If we are going to enjoy progress and be competitive as a metropolitan area, our cities and counties must work together, with each local jurisdiction feeling good about winning something good in the process.
[Dave Adkisson
is President and CEO of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce]
B'HAM
POPULATION: FEELIN' LIKE A MILLION!
By Dave
Adkisson
A long-awaited announcement from the U.S. Census Bureau finally came to the Birmingham area a few weeks ago. It made official the new designation of our metro area, with a seven-county population of more than one million residents.
There were several
interesting aspects to this announcement:
1) Three new counties were added to our metro, based on statistical formulas
used by the federal government. Walker County (which had been in our metro
before but had been removed during the 1990s), Bibb County and Chilton
County now make our MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) a seven-county
area.
2) We topped a million in population. With the three new counties, the
estimated 2002 population was 1,068,177....and growing!
3) We moved from the 55th largest metro area in the country to 48th. The
higher ranking was good news, but making it into the ranks of the top
50 metros was great news! Joining the elite "top 50" will cause
more businesses to consider locating in Birmingham, more national advertisers
to spend money in this media market, more researchers to include Birmingham
in their studies, more entertainers to consider Birmingham venues on their
tours, etc. The list of new opportunities is beyond our current comprehension.
4) The official name of our metro area (at least in Washington) is now
the Birmingham-Hoover MSA, primarily because Hoover has more than 50,000
residents and is considered a "job generator;" i.e. more people
come to work each day in Hoover than leave Hoover each day for work.
All of this is positive news about our region. Our metro population grew by about 10% in the 1990's and our new ranking within the United States reflects that growth.
Sometimes we here in the Sunbelt take our economic and population growth for granted, or we get discouraged by comparing ourselves to hyper-growth areas such as Raleigh-Durham, Orlando, and Atlanta. I was recently reminded of this when I addressed chamber of commerce leaders in Buffalo, New York. I was on a program with the presidents of the chambers of Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Milwaukee. As I heard them talk about the challenges facing their communities, I was reminded how extremely fortunate we are to be centered in a growing region of the country.
But population growth is only one aspect of the story about our new ranking. The addition of new counties is more about the connectedness and interdependence of a region than it is about population growth. The new counties were added because of increasing commuting patterns between our counties.
The inclusion of a
new county in the MSA is triggered by a simple statistical requirement:
if more than 25% of a county's workforce is commuting to an adjacent county
for employment each day, the two counties are considered sufficiently
interdependent to be included in the same MSA.
While that statistical threshold seems fairly dry and rigid, it does speak
to the level of daily connections between our neighboring counties. It
speaks to our economic interdependence for jobs and income, but it also
hints at closer ties between counties for shopping, entertainment, dining
and a variety of other services.
The expansion of our official region also speaks to how much individual communities and counties need each other and how much we benefit when we operate from a "we're-in-this-together" regional mindset.
A worker in Walker
County benefits when the Birmingham Regional Chamber lobbies in Washington
for the completion of Corridor X, making it easier and safer to get to
work.
A business in Birmingham benefits because a new marketplace is opened
up in the Jasper area when the new highway provides easier access.
Workers in Jefferson County benefit if a new automotive industry locates in Bibb or Chilton counties because of the new job opportunities and more disposable dollars being imported into the region.
Our fates as communities
within the Birmingham-Hoover region are more tightly bound together than
ever before in the history of our region. While the new rankings give
us a legitimate point of civic pride about our growing region, let's not
lose sight of the new designation as an indicator of the increasing economic
and social cohesion of our region.
[Dave Adkisson
is President and CEO of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2003
VOTER NEWS NETWORK
SUPPORTS AMENDMENT ONE
Birmingham,
Alabama -- Voter News Network, a news source for independent voters,
today adopted an analytical report supporting passage of Amendment One.
The report was prepared by the Birmingham-based consulting and polling
firm, Jennro, LLC. The report was developed for Jennro, LLC by Richard
Arrington, Jr., President, Dr. George Munchus, Professor of Business -
UAB, and Dr. James Slack, Professor and Chairman of Department of Government
- UAB, all of whom are experts in governmental finance and taxation.
The consultants performed a critical review of voluminous documents and records in support of and in opposition to the Amendment. After their review, the consultants "strongly recommended" that VNN support Governor Riley's tax reform initiative. The strongest point made by opponents to Governor Riley's tax program was that the $1.2 billion expected to be raised by passage of Amendment One is more than the amount the state needs to meet a projected $675 million deficit. The opponents claim that this is "an over-kill" on taxpayers. Merely meeting the $675 million deficit maintains the status quo for Alabamians at the bottom of the quality of life scale among states.
The report cites five major reasons for supporting passage of the Amendment. They found that the tax reform package proposed by Governor Riley would provide the people of Alabama with:
· Greater State
Government Efficiency
· Greater State Government Effectiveness
· A Giant Step Towards State Government Reform
· A Fair Structure
· Hope For The Poor And Vision For The Middle Class
The report also noted the Amendment faces an uphill battle. The poll conducted by Jennro pollsters between August 22 - 25, 2003 of 500 likely voters in Alabama showed that 48% opposed the plan while 32% would vote for the referendum. Twenty percent were undecided. The margin of error for this poll was ± 4%. Riley's plan continues to build support among black voters, with 39% now saying they favor the plan.
VNN's support for
Amendment One will be emailed to its 195,000 monthly subscribers and posted
on its website at www.voternewsnetwork.com. The full Jennro report is
available on VNN"s website.
REPORT OF JENNRO, LLC TO VOTER NEWS NETWORK ON ALABAMA'S PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL, AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE, APPLYING TO THE STATE AT LARGE
PREPARED AND SUBMITTED BY:
Richard Arrington, Jr., PhD
President
Jennro, LLC
2170 Highland Avenue, Ste. 100
Birmingham, AL 35205
George Munchus, PhD
James D. Slack, PhD
Birmingham, Alabama
August 28, 2003
REPORT OF JENNRO, LLC TO VOTER NEWS NETWORK ON ALABAMA'S PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL,
AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE, APPLYING TO THE STATE AT LARGE
I. INTRODUCTION
On September 9, 2003 Alabama voters face an important voter referendum
aimed at addressing one of Alabama's most serious problems - creating
a viable and fair state taxation and accountability system. Voter News
Network (VNN), consistent with its commitment of serving as a political
information forum and a source of information for "independent voters",
has requested JennRo to assist it with educating voters about the proposed
Amendment One, which if approved, would establish "The Alabama Excellence
Initiative Fund" into which would flow all of the tax funds generated
by the eighteen (18) legislative bills that are part of the Amendment
One proposal. Voters will be given the opportunity in a single "yes"
or "no" vote to approve or reject all 18 items contained in
the Amendment. The specific tasks for the consultant panel of JennRo were
(1) analyze the arguments on both sides of the issue and render a decision
as to the merits of the arguments and the research data supporting them,
(2) recommend a position that VNN should take on the Amendment and (3)
to recommend how the ten Political Action Committees (PACs) of VNN can
most effectively use up to $200,000 of their available funds to support
the VNN position.
There is a great wealth of information available to the public on the proposed Amendment, setting forth the positions of supporters and opponents of the Amendment. In fact, it is the complexity of an 18-issue Amendment and the voluminous amount of data supplied in support or opposition to the Amendment that suggest the need for voters to be well informed as they go to the polls on September 9. JennRo consultants have compiled and reviewed most of the information available to the public. In addition to reviewing the findings of two voter-preference polls, JennRo has completed it own voters' survey or poll on the Amendment.
The members of the Consultant Panel: James D. Slack, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Government at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; George Munchus, PhD, Professor of Business at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Director, Center For Research and Advocacy on African-American Entrepreneurship; and Richard Arrington, Jr., PhD, former Mayor of the City of Birmingham, former Visiting Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Visiting Professor in Government at Miles College and President of the Consulting Firm, JennRo, LLC.
II. ALABAMA TODAY
Alabama is a State rich in natural resources. It has an abundance of water
resources, coal deposits, timber and farmland. But as is well known, in
nearly every evaluation/study of the indicators generally used to assess
the quality of life factors, Alabama ranks at or near the bottom. In the
national competition for who provides a good quality of life, Alabama
trails its sister states. Even when Alabama has earned national recognition
for leadership in some areas, such as its nationally recognized Reading
Initiative Program, its lack of adequate funding has hampered the implementation
of the program throughout its public school system.
Report after report over the past couple of decades has pointed out weaknesses of Alabama's tax revenue and accountability system. In the 1990s two Alabama Tax Reform Committees set forth recommendations for improving Alabama's Tax System. None of their proposals have been adopted to date.
Alabama's Tax Revenue System and consequently a large percentage of its people, has been hampered by an antiquated and unfair Tax System characterized by the lowest tax revenue among states, the lowest property tax, excessive earmarking of available tax funds, under-funding of schools, nursing homes, senior programs, healthcare, mental health, prisons and other essential state services. Alabama has one of the nation's most regressive tax systems.
The September 9, 2003 Amendment One tax reform election is indeed a major crossroad for the people of Alabama!
III. GOVERNOR RILEY'S PROPOSED TAX AND ACCOUNTABILITY AMENDMENT
The wording of the official ballot for the September 9, 2003 election
reads as follows:
OFFICIAL BALLOT
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ELECTION
STATE OF ALABAMA
SEPTEMBER 9, 2003
"Shall the following be adopted to the Constitution of Alabama"?
PROPOSED AMENDMENT WHICH APPLIES TO THE STATE AT LARGE
PROPOSED STATEWIDE AMENDMENT
"Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, establishing
the Alabama Excellence Initiative Fund which may be used to fund programs
including, but not limited to, the furtherance of excellence in public
education, college scholarships, health care benefits for senior citizens
and job training program to attract new high paying jobs and otherwise
provide for distributing state tax revenues; to adjust income and property
taxes; to establish the General Fund Rainy Day Account; to provide for
the replenishment of the General Fund Rainy Day Account and the Education
Trust Fund Rainy Day Account".
Proposed by Act No. 2003-78
YES
NO
IV. RECOMMENDATION
After a careful review of the information available on amendment one and
the research supporting arguments for and against amendment, the consultant
staff strongly recommends that VNN support Amendment One! Our reasons
for this recommendation are as follows:
Simply stated, Amendment One
provides:
A. Funding necessary to help improve the quality of life for all Alabamians;
B. Taxing only those who can most afford it; and
C. Assurance that politicians will not "misuse" the funds provided.
In greater detail, Amendment One provides:
A. Accountability reform that prevents waste and mismanagement of our
tax dollars;
B. Education Reform, including holding our educators accountable for their
actions; and
C. Tax reform which rids Alabama of its regressive tax system and fairly
taxes the large corporations and land owners.
Listed below are specific examples of how Amendment One will achieve the
above results:
· Sixty-seven percent
of Alabamians will pay the same or lower state income taxes
· Now a family of four must pay state income taxes starting at
$4,600 earning. Under the proposed plan this same family pays no state
tax on the first $19,000 of income.
· Provides significant tax relief by raising child exemptions for
families.
· Pension and social security income that are currently tax-exempt
will continue to be completely exempt under the proposed Amendment.
· If your family annual income is $40,000 or less your taxes will
be cut.
· If your home is valued at $50,000 or less your property tax on
the home drops to zero (no tax).
· If you are 65 years old or older you will pay no tax on the Alabama
home you live in.
· How will the projected $1.2 billion be used? $675 million will
cover our deficits for health care, public safety and prisons. $344milion
goes for education to support programs including Alabama Reading Initiative,
College Scholarships and support for our local schools. County law enforcement,
schools and senior citizens programs will get $104 million.
Those who oppose Governor Riley's tax and accountability program make
the following claims:
· That Alabama's much
maligned and unfair regressive tax system that unfairly taxes low incomes
provides an incentive for more economic development. We find no data that
support this contention.
· That Alabama schools already receive adequate funds, which are
mis-managed. The President of A-Plus, a program for education reform,
calls this claim false, listing several educational programs that are
currently inadequately funded.
· That the $1.2 billion expected to be raised by the passage of
Amendment One is more than the state needs to meet a projected $675 million
deficit. They say that this is "an over-kill" on taxpayers.
Yet if one bears in mind that $675 million will only enable us to maintain
the status quo of being at the bottom of the quality of life scale among
states, we readily see the need for more than $675 million. The $675 million
only "plugs the broken dam" and defers the crisis until next
year. Alabama needs to move up the quality of life scale not remain stuck
on the lowest rung of the ladder.
In summary we believe that passage of Amendment One means:
A. Greater State Government Efficiency. The $1.2 billion package will allow Alabama public agencies to compete more readily with their counterparts in securing federal and private sector grants for needed public services that require matching state funds. We estimate that a minimum of $10 million is potentially lost among 37 state agencies and departments as a result of insufficient funds to match available federal grants. The amount is probably greater if limitations of the majority of Alabama schools and human resource agencies are considered.
B. Greater State Government
Effectiveness. While most States earmark about 20 percent of state budgets,
Alabama earmarks well over 85 percent. This prevents state government
from having the ability to address new crises in a business-like manner.
No successful company would tie its budgetary hands to prevent the flexibility
needed to meet new challenges, heighten productivity, and create additional
wealth for the stockholder. The same is true for state government. Diffused
distrust in government, albeit justified in far too many instances in
Alabama, is counter-productive to professional management of public concern.
C. A Giant Step Towards State Government Reform. The accountability dimensions
of Amendment One are sufficient to hold elected state official's "feet
to the fire." It also opens the door to further reforms down the
road - reforms that most state and local governments in the United States
underwent a century ago. The accountability reforms in Amendment One is
the first step in returning trust to government in Alabama.
D. A Fair Structure. According
to the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, a non-profit and non-partisan
organization, Amendment One would remove the high tax burden on low-income
families, an issue in Alabama for many years. Even with the passage of
Amendment One, "Alabama's taxes will remain among the lowest in the
U.S."
E. Hope For The Poor And Vision For The Middle Class. Amendment One will
begin the democratic process that changes the political power equation
in the state. It will decrease the amount of fiscal power held by the
very rich and increase the fiscal power of the poor and middle classes.
This will make their votes more meaningful in the future and bring about
the opportunity for greater hope and vision for the middle class in Alabama.
V. RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES FOR VNN IN SUPPORT OF AMENDMENT ONE
An examination of recent voter preference polls on Amendment one suggests
what the strategy for supporters of the amendment must be, if there is
to be any realistic chance of success.
THE POLLS. A July, 2003 poll of 500 likely voters (conducted for The Birmingham
News and Fox 6) showed that approval of the referendum trailed 49% to
39%, with 12 % of those polled undecided. Support for the amendment was
stronger among black voters (44%) than white voters (38%). Blacks make
up 32.5% of the total Alabama voters.
Two polls conducted by The Mobile Register and the University of South Alabama on August 3 and August 17 showed almost identical results. According to those polls, 52% of the 828 voters surveyed opposed the referendum and 27% favored it. Interestingly, the voters in the economic classes that would probably benefit most from approval of the amendment showed more opposed to it than supporting it. One might assume that these voters might be persuaded to support the amendment if they better understood the benefits that could accrue to them. Yet others might argue that these voters don't trust legislators to deliver on the promises, even if the amendment passes.
A VNN poll conducted by JennRo pollsters between August 22 - 25 of 500 likely voters in Alabama showed that the Tax and Accountability Referendum still faces an uphill battle. Forty-eight percent oppose the plan while 32 percent would vote for the referendum. Twenty percent were undecided. The margin of error for this poll was ± 4%. Riley's plan continues to build support among black voters, with 39 percent saying that they now favor the plan. Most of Alabama's black legislators have indicated strong support for the plan. Voters were not surveyed by income categories. They were only asked if they were likely to vote in The September 9 referendum, and if they had to vote today, would they vote yes, for the plan or no, against the plan.
Based on the results of the known surveys/polls, the strategy for supporters of the referendum becomes clear - work for a large pro-amendment turnout using targeting and tracking data to know where the support is located and where to wage the GOTV efforts. A strong GOTV phone bank plan from September 5 through September 9 is an essential component of the plan. A large black voter turnout could push Riley's program over, Since political campaigns in Alabama's black community are historically driven by black political organizations like the Alabama Democratic Council, The Progressive Democratic Council, The Metropolitan Democratic Women, The Alabama New South Coalition, The Jefferson County Citizens Coalition, The Bessemer Civic League and Concerned Citizens, The Fairfield Democratic Women, etc., the active support of these organizations along with the push from black ministers become critical. It will not be enough for these groups to just endorse the plan and pass out sample ballots. Each one must be contacting black voters from September 5 - 9, urging them to vote.
On election day their volunteers need to be visible on the streets with
their Ride-To-The -Polls vehicles and public announcement systems. It
would be wise if their volunteers who are assigned specific areas to work
are given a projected minimum number of voters they must get to the polls
on September 9.
There should be no question that a major catalyst for voter turnout in the black community is the activity of these black political organizations and churches. Without these black political organizations actively participating in each election - sometimes competing with one another - Alabama black voter turnout would probably decrease 50 percent. Throughout their existence these organizations have educated black voters on the issues and stirred them up enough to go to the polls.
VI. WHERE SHOULD VNN PUT ITS RESOURCES?
The political action committees (PACs) of VNN would be wise to put its resources into GOTV activities, especially in the black community. We recommend that black political organizations be urged to submit to VNN a brief, no more than a single page, GOTV plan containing the projected number of voters they will work to get to the polls and how and where, and the amount of financial resources needed to successfully implement their GOTV plans. Based on the merit VNN sees in the plans it would contribute some of VNN's financial resources to those groups. The application process for VNN funds could be down loaded from the VNN website.
Richard Arrington, Jr.
President
Jennro, LLC
2170 Highland Avenue, Ste. 100
Birmingham, AL 35205
(205) 410-0388
August 28, 2003