On what was generally a bleak Wednesday across Alabama, the swearing in of Alabama’s youngest elected official served as a beacon for the leaders of today and tomorrow.

In an interview with Yellowhammer News, newly-sworn, 18-year-old Geneva County Commissioner Weston Spivey spoke about his historic election, assuming office, the role that his faith in God plays in his life, his leadership style and the major issues facing his area, as well as many rural communities throughout the Yellowhammer State.

The spring 2018 high school graduate displayed wisdom well beyond his years.

“My faith is my top priority,” Spivey said. “Because without my faith and without God involved in my life – it’s not just me out here doing this, wanting to make a change, that has given me the opportunity to do this. God has given me the opportunity to do this.”

He continued, “I don’t push my faith on people, but when I’m asked about it I’ll be the first to tell you, if it wasn’t for Him, I wouldn’t have the opportunity. Faith and government and putting yourself out there – it’s just so important. You gotta have a value system, you gotta have a plan for your life, especially if you’re a young guy. That’s the most important time, you know? Especially coming out of high school.”

“It’s just a very unique opportunity that I am blessed to have,” Spivey shared. “And I think that you gotta have that core set of values to make it through life. If you don’t have them, you’re just on a journey that is going to be very scary.”

For Spivey, he explained that “politics was like a door that opened in front of [him].” And once it opened, he did not look back.

Election

“He was just very, very popular,” Spivey told Yellowhammer News, beginning to reminisce about the up-hill battle he faced in seeking election against incumbent Republican Commissioner Bryan Hatton in the June primary.

In the end, Spivey won by just 75 or so votes. Not only did it take believing at first, but it took perseverance and unwavering hard work to get to the finish line, buoyed by his faith throughout.

“It was a very slim margin. And it was the toughest thing I’ve ever done,” Spivey advised. “But, I had a lot of great help, a lot of good people out there helping me out. I’m very thankful.”

The key to victory, according to the new commissioner, was door-to-door, face-to-face contact with voters. He also credits being on Alabama Living’s Wiregrass edition in September 2017 with getting his name out there, as well as showing people his business acumen at a young age.

The monthly magazine, which is put out by PowerSouth’s electric cooperatives throughout the state (in this case, Wiregrass Electric), has a huge reach, especially in rural areas that are harder to target with television advertising. Spivey’s cover spread and the featured article inside the edition showcased his bison ranch, which is the biggest in Alabama.

“We have about 100 head of bison,” Spivey detailed to Yellowhammer News.

When his local electric cooperative wanted to tour the operation and hear his story of building the wholesale business as a teenager, Spivey jumped at the chance.

“That just kind of broke the ice, and that’s was God’s way of telling me, ‘This is the right thing to do,’” Spivey said, praising the cooperative’s support in making his dream come true.

Now officially the youngest elected official in Alabama

Fast forward to Wednesday, with Spivey taking his oath of office surrounded by family and friends, and he is already hitting the ground running. Immediately after placing his hand on the Bible and being sworn in, he went to his first commission meeting as an official, jumping into a bevy of issues, some old, some new.

Geneva County just broke ground on a new jail, so seeing that to completion is a priority. But Spivey also wants to be a leading voice for what is an issue not just in his locale, but across rural Alabama as a whole – infrastructure. While this absolutely means road work, an integral component is also rural broadband investment.

“In my district, I’ve got 140 miles of dirt roads,” Spivey detailed. “In Geneva County as a whole, we have over 600 miles of dirt roads. Those are farm-to-market roads, too. Not state highways, but county, farm-to-market roads. And we have to be able to prioritize our infrastructure as much as possible.”

He continued, “How do you prioritize infrastructure? Good budgeting, good decisions as far as taxes – how you increase the budget.”

Spivey explained that economic development and infrastructure are intertwined in his county and areas like it around Alabama.

“You gotta have economic development. How do you get jobs here for people my age? I don’t want my generation having to leave this county to go work a job when they’re 16 years old. Because they get out of school at 10:00, and then they drive 45 minutes or 30 minutes to a job. I want them to have job opportunities here,” Spivey said.

“A true statesman”

While he wants to be an issues-focused commissioner, perhaps the biggest thing Spivey wanted to stress was his leadership style and perspective. Using Secretary of State John Merrill as a role model, Spivey has pledged to be extremely active in being out in the community, meeting with constituents and hearing their needs, wants, concerns and questions.

“Life’s a lot about looking at what someone’s doing and learning,” Spivey outlined. “When you have a politician that’s very active when it’s time to get the votes, but then falls off the cliff afterwards until the next election, people remember that. People remember if you’re using them just for their vote.”

“A true statesman, you don’t just see at election time. A true statesman stays involved — that’s what it’s all about,” Spivey added.

He also highlighted the importance of determination and energy.

“Energy and consistency and not being afraid of being told no. It’s just about trying at something and being very dogged, whether it’s on infrastructure or in business, hard work and determination will get you wherever you want to be,” Spivey extolled.

Driven by his faith and equipped with this mindset, Spivey is set to be a rising star in Alabama politics for decades to come.

And his story could be the one to inspire the next generation of conservative leaders in the Yellowhammer State.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn