Rumors & Rumblings

“Rumors and Rumblings” is a weekly feature that runs each Wednesday. It includes short nuggets of information that we glean from conversations throughout the week. Have a tip? Send it here. All sources remain confidential.

1. Shedd v. Alldredge runoff:

The special election in House District 11 is heading to a runoff between Randall Shedd and Danny Alldredge after no candidate was able to crack 50%.

Alldredge: 28%
Shedd: 47%

Recent polling had Alldredge in third with ALFA pushing hard for another candidate, Lydia Haynes. Alldredge definitely surprised some folks and is now threatening to make this race very interesting.

The runoff election day will take place on March 26, six weeks from now. The winner will face Democrat Kelly Evans in the Special General Election on Tuesday, May 7.

2. Two Blackwells in the Senate?

John Blackwell, longtime Auburn Trustee and father of State Senator Slade Blackwell, is planning to run for the State Senate in District 8. The District 8 seat is currently held by freshman senator Shad McGill. Many insiders speculated that McGill may not seek re-election, but he announced two weeks ago that he would indeed run for a second term.

Blackwell is rotating off the Auburn board in March after serving 12 years. He’s currently chairman of INKANA Properties, a real estate development company. Prior to that he spent over 20 years working in higher education administration, serving as CFO for two State Universities, and was the Development officer for the AU College of Sciences and Mathematics.

“This will be a primary to watch,” one veteran campaign operative told Yellowhammer Tuesday night. “Blackwell has a ton of relationships, will have the financial resources to compete, and is well liked by a lot of people in the 8th District. McGill’s had a tough first term, but don’t underestimate his appeal to parts of the conservative base.”

It will definitely be worth watching what happens when the fundraising window opens in June.

3. Confusion in the Senate

Lt. Governor Kay Ivey in January appointed Brigadier General Richard F. Allen to serve as Senate Parliamentarian. Allen, whose resume is impressive to say the least (see HERE), took over a role that had previously been played by Secretary of the Senate Pat Harris.

Allen’s interpretation of Senate rules has caused a bit of confusion on the Senate floor this week, and no one’s quite sure how things are going to proceed.

Here’s one example…

Without going into too much detail, each Senator is allowed two one-hour blocks of time to debate a bill. Historically, Senators could come to the mic and ask a question or two without starting the clock, and would then let the Secretary of the Senate know when they are ready to begin their filibuster, at which point the clock would begin. Allen’s interpretation of when the clock should start is much stricter than that, as several senators found out this week after going to the mic.

One Senator told Yellowhammer Tuesday afternoon, “I don’t want to go to the mic because I have no idea what the rules are anymore.” Another said, “I’m all for change if it’s needed, but right now this is really affecting the deliberative process.”

Lobbyists and observers could clearly sense the frustration building among some Senators. “It looks like they’re afraid to debate,” one lobbyist said. “The senate has operated under a certain set of rules for decades so there’s plenty of confusion when things are suddenly different.”

4. AEA vs. School Flex heating up

The AEA is opposing the School Flex bill because they feel like they need something to fight against to keep their members ginned up. Their political operation is also advising them to “flex (see what I did there?) some muscle” going into 2014. Last year the AEA successfully deceived some folks on charter schools, but this year legislators don’t seem to be buying it.

The visual aid being handed out by AEA chief Henry Mabry on flex bill. twitter.com/bhamnewslegis/…

— Kim Chandler (@bhamnewslegis) February 13, 2013

School flexibility bill by Sen. @billholtzclaw approved by Senate Ed. committee

— BusinessCouncil ofAL (@BCAToday) February 13, 2013

5. TRS Board Election Results Coming Soon

The results of the Teachers Retirement System board elections should be in by the end of the week. This will conclude a brief but fierce battle between teachers union boss Henry Mabry and RSA chief David Bronner. Insiders say the results could have significant ramifications for the retirement system moving forward. We’ll probably have more to say about all of this once the election results arrive.

6. Power & Influence 40

Nominations for the 2nd annual Yellowhammer Power & Influence 40 have been coming in hot and heavy. The list will be released next week, ten names per day. We’ll also release a “Who’s Next?” list, which will include 10 rising stars who are well positioned to play a major role in Alabama politics moving forward. Want to make a nomination? Send as an email or let us know on Twitter.