Political Newcomer running for District 3 School Board Seat

Prichard resident and college student LaVeeshia Pittman has announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat on the Mobile County school board. Pittman, a Democrat, said she believes it's time for a "new look, with new ideas" to sit at the board table.

"If you're ready for a school board member that will work for the children and not the politicians, a board member who will be more fiscally responsible with taxpayers' money, a board member that ... will work hard to provide ample resources to increase student achievements for all students countywide," she said, "then I am your candidate."

Reginald Crenshaw a program director at Bishop State Community College and Fred Marshall local business owner and former longtime Principal of Leflore High School is also running for the same seat in the June 3rd Primary.

Pittman said she believes that every child, educator, parent and teacher in District 3 should have effective leadership that will unite the community, government and schools. As the school system faces major budget cuts, Pittman said, she will work to bring unity to the school board and balance the budget to protect administrative and teaching jobs in Mobile County. She said she would also try to get better school facilities for children in her district.

Pittman has a 4-year-old son who is in pre-kindergarten at Whitley Elementary in Prichard.
She is an ambassador at Bishop State, where she is also president of the campus Students in Free Enterprise chapter. She is a member of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.

"I feel that it's time for a change," Pittman said. "I just really want to get down to business and try to just help the children." Ms. Pittman is also scheduled to join the Democratic Coalition of the South on Sat. March 29th to officially kickoff her campaign at the Prichard Public Library in Downtown Prichard at 3:30pm.

You can visit her online website at http://www.pittman2008.synthasite.com/.

Predictions are strong for 2008 voter turnout in the general election.

Every state has seen a record turnout just for the presidential and state primaries in 2008; just imagine what the turnout would be this November.

After a primary season marked by record-shattering voter turnout, election officials across the country are bracing for what might be an Election Day like no other. Many state and local election officials expect turnout in the Nov. 4 presidential election to exceed that of 2004, when voter turnout hit 61 percent — which was the highest level since 1968, according to the Center for the Study of the American Electorate.

While election administrators love to see higher-than-usual voter participation, the prospect of a turnout wave in November has many officials biting their nails over whether they’ll be able to handle it. Throughout the protracted presidential primary season, complaints ranging from long lines at polls to ballot irregularities frequently surfaced, in addition to concerns voiced over the reliability of electronic voting systems, now even shortage of ballots. Though states have made significant strides since the 2000 Florida presidential election debacle, voting procedures are still deficient in many respects — even after passage of the Help America Vote Act, which directed the federal government to pony up money to prepare states for Election Day.

In Alabama we seen a record turnout for a primary on February 5th, I really believe that the early primary this year paid off. Voters showed up at the polls. This November Alabama voter turnout may reach over 75%. The question is what will your local democratic or republican leaders do to make sure the process is fair to all voters who show up on Election Day? Will they make that your vote is being accounted for, that there is enough ballots at the precincts, or that the hours may be extended if need to be. Call your local official or leaders and voice your concerns and ask the tough questions because it’s your tax dollars that is paying for this process.

Is the City of Mobile going to far with you and your pets?

The City of Mobile has proposed a City ordinance that proposes a $25 fine on pet owners who can’t control their dog barking and leaving poop in other people yards and property. Which mean you must clean up after your pets and keep them quite, if you can’t then here come the fine. Incessant barking for 10 minutes would lead to a warning on the first occasion, a $75 fine the second time and a $150 fine each time thereafter. Both ordinances are expected to be sent to the public services committee for fine tuning before coming back to the council to be voted on.

The first violation would result in a written warning and the second a $75 fine, according to the ordinance. Any subsequent violations would require a court appearance, when a judge could issue a minimum $150 fine, up to six months of community service or both. The ordinance would also allow officials to fine people who walk a dog on public property without having the necessary tools to pick up after the pooch. There is already an ordinance in place, why not enforce that ordinance.A police officer or animal control officer would have to witness the infraction to enforce the law, the question is do you think this is a waste of taxpayer’s dollars. I surely believe so; Councilmember’s could have come up with a much better proposal than this. Because this is outrageous!

We will wait to see how and if this moves on, I will bring you another update as information comes available.

They are at it again

Did it end in 2007? At least we thought it did, well they are at it again today this time in Washington, DC before the United States Supreme Court. Governor Bob Riley and Attorney Troy King have state attorneys arguing on his behalf that his appointment to the Mobile County Commission District 1 seat was legit and that the lower court was wrong to remove Mr. Juan Chastang from office.

Gov. Riley a republican appointed republican African American Juan Chastang to fill the vacancy in District 1 on the County Commission in 2005 after Sam Jones was elected as Mayor of Mobile. After that appointment several local State Representatives filed a lawsuit to stop the appointment of Chastang and that a local election would held to fill the vacancy in District 1 a majority black and democratic district.

We hope that the United States Supreme Court would decide this case immediately, and be fair in its decision it renders in this case. What we see is that partisan politics again on the rise, seeking to end fair choice and elections by the American people. Here on the political beacon we believe that every elected office in this country should be elected by the people and not handpicked. I pray and hope that the ACLU, the Justice Department and the NAACP would make good arguments today to the United State Supreme Court Justices, which would keep America’s election fair and open not only in Alabama but across this nation. We should not disenfranchise any ethnical group or community in this country from the elective process, we all should have equal rights.

As this story develops I will bring you more.

Berry to run for State School Board District 1

Kenyon Berry, Sr. a local minister, Asst. Director of Brokered Transportation for Wave Transit of Mobile, Youth Director for Democratic Coalition of the South and a member of the A.O.H Church of God, Inc. is making his first political run for public office.

Mr. Berry has announced that he will be a democratic candidate on the 2008 primary ballots for State School Board District 1 Seat currently held by republican Randy McKinney of Baldwin County. District one on the State school board covers all of Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia Counties.

Mr. Berry says the most important issues of his campaign is to seek District 1 fair share of educational funding, restore the integrity, honesty and effective leadership district 1 needs and deserves, creating a new District 1 community and educational network initiative and seeking additional funds to create more technical and vocational trade schools in District 1 to train our area high schools for the skills needed in the growing workforce demand and college preparations.

Mr. Berry said the reason he decided to run is because of the children that he care about is so important in this day and time.

If Mr. Berry is the Democratic Party nominee to face the republican in the general election in November for the State school board he will likely face Mr. Randy McKinney on the GOP ticket. Mr. McKinney is vulnerable this round, as you may remember Mr. McKinney ran for the vacant senate seat left open by Bradley Byrne in Baldwin County in 2007 and lost to political newcomer and businessman Trip Pittman. Not only that Mr. McKinney who is claimed to be working hand in hand with the Governor, had the Governor backing who carried Baldwin County in the 2006 Governor election, why didn’t the Governor endorsement help Mr. McKinney. There is word that others may square off with Mr. McKinney in the GOP primary, which may knock Mr. McKinney out of the race all together and be defeated during the primaries.

I talked to several local resident of Baldwin County some whom live in the same neighborhood as Mr. McKinney and they tell me that Mr. McKinney is just out of touch with the citizens and the educational system. As more become available we will bring it to you first right here on the political beacon.

Mr. Berry will officially kickoff his campaign on Sat. Mar. 29th at the Prichard Public Library beginning at 3:30pm.