Shorter, Alabama - After serving as a mayor and county commissioner, Drew Thompson is prepared to take a step up to the Alabama Legislature.The Macon County Commissioner for District 3 revealed he’ll make a bid to be the Democratic Party nominee for the District 28 seat in the Alabama Senate. That seat is held by two-term senator Myron Penn of Union Springs who won’t run for a third term so he can focus on a his growing law practice.
A resident of Shorter, Thompson owns the Qwik Stop Kold Keg convenience store and service station. Thompson served one term as mayor of his hometown and is in his second four-year term as a Macon County Commissioner. Drew Thompson believes his experience as a mayor and county commissioner gives him a unique perspective about a legislator’s role with cities, towns and counties.“I believe I understand the needs of local government as it relates to the legislature,” Thompson said. “I thoroughly enjoy being a county commissioner, but in and of itself a county commission has limited authority to do certain things. The county has to go to the legislature to get so many things done.”
Thompson believes he has grown from the experience of losing the mayoral election and moving on to defeat incumbent Earnest Magruder for District 3 commissioner in 2004. Thompson outlasted Terrence Johnson and Janice Cowan for reelection to the commission without a runoff in 2008.
“I testified before a legislative committee against Governor (Bob) Riley’s Task Force on Gambling. No matter what your opinion of gambling is, we in Macon County can’t afford to have the Governor’s Task Force shut down VictoryLand,” Thompson said in recalling his testimony. Also testifying against the Task Force at that hearing were country music giants George Jones and Randy Owen.
“We’re talking about what will be about 2,000 jobs and a new $150 million investment for Macon County when the expansion at VictoryLand is completed. To shut down VictoryLand would about shut down Macon County--and that wouldn’t be right.”Thompson is also a strong family man. He and and his wife, Skye, have been married 21 years and have three daughters, Erica, Kathryn and Margaret.
Former Tuskegee mayor Johnny Ford and current Alabama House of Representative members Locy Baker Harold Powell the Town Clerk of Shorter and Billy Beasley had previously made public their intentions to run for the senate.
