[tps_title]Rep. Bill Poole, Chairman, Education Budget Committee[/tps_title]
Very few freshmen legislators land a committee chairmanship, much less the Education Budget. It is a testament to Poole’s talent that he almost immediately shot into the ranks of legislative leadership.
He is highly competent and made a commitment from his first day in the Statehouse to understand even the most minute details of the Education Budget. Now in his second term, it has clearly paid off.
Sen. Richard Shelby and Gov. Robert Bentley have made Tuscaloosa the seat of power in Alabama, but Poole — who succeeded Bentley in the House — should also be a part of that conversation. As the architect of the House Education budget, he is overseeing the lifeblood of the city’s most important institution: The University.
It is unclear whether Poole has aspirations to rise higher in the Legislature, or may at some point run statewide. Either way, “Mr. Chairman” probably won’t be his last title in state government.
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