Long-time State Rep. Arthur Payne, R-Trussville, is retiring, leaving his Alabama House District 44 seat up for grabs. Although the primary is over six months away (June 3, 2014), three Republicans have already announced their candidacy.
Here’s some background on the current crop of candidates in House District 44:
John Amari
32-year-old Trussville attorney John Amari is the most recent Republican to jump in the HD44 race. The Amari name is well known in local Jefferson County politics. His dad is a District Judge in Jefferson County.
“My family has always lived in the eastern area of Jefferson County. I love it here so it was an easy decision for me to start my family in this area,” Amari said. “My campaign slogan is Homegrown Conservative Leadership. I chose this slogan because I come from a family that has deep roots in this area… I believe Montgomery needs more representatives who reflect the convictions and values of this community and will have the strength to stand up and demand government reflect those same values.”
He is on the junior board for Sav-a-Life, a local pro-life organization; a member of the Greater Birmingham Young Republicans; and is on the executive committee for the Jefferson County Republican Party. He belongs to the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Clay Pinson Chamber of Commerce.
Amari currently has just under $6,000 cash in his campaign account from a handful of big donors. It will be worth watching to see if he’s able to round up significant money from within the district over the next couple of months.
Joe Freeman
Freeman is currently Director of the Capital Markets Group with investment firm Crews & Associates. He has worked in public and corporate finance since graduating from Auburn University. He’s a former chairman of the Alabama College Republicans and current member of the Jefferson County Republican Party executive committee.
Freeman says he’s running on a “no-nonsense platform” of “making public funds public.”
“It’s going to take a big guy to fill the shoes of Representative Payne”, Freeman said, “and I’m that guy.”
Freeman has spent a decent amount of time in Montgomery and has also been heavily engaged in Jefferson County politics the past few years. Although he’s only recently returned to district 44 and established residency, he has strong ties in the district as a Trussville native and a graduate of Hewitt-Trussville High School.
Danny Garrett
Garrett is the Chief Financial Officer at Vulcan Threaded Products and should be considered the early favorite in the HD44 race due to his extensive community and business networks and his fundraising ability. He currently has just short of $30,000 cash in his campaign account.
“Now, more than ever, it is important to have principled, conservative leadership here in Alabama to ward off a very liberal political agenda coming out of Washington,” Garrett said in June when he announced his candidacy.
Garrett cites his extensive business background and experience in economic development as two of his biggest assets. He has spent the bulk of his 30-year business career in the steel, rail and bus manufacturing industries. He has served as chief financial officer for three companies and been a senior executive with another company owned by a major U.S. private equity firm.
Garrett’s business track record outclasses the competition in this race. If he can pair his résumé and fundraising with a strong grassroots effort, he’ll be tough to beat.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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