On November 6th at midnight my public service in the Alabama state Senate will come to an end.

It has been a great honor to represent the citizens of Baldwin County and serve with my colleagues in the State Senate. These individuals do their best to represent their constituents and make the government process work.

There is a process in politics just like in football. The process cannot be taken for granted and the success in the state Senate is due in large part to the leadership of Senate Pro Tempore Del Marsh, who has led the Senate for the last eight years.

Elected by the entire body of the Senate, Pro Tem Marsh has made the process work and has led by example, the best way to lead. Senator Marsh, unlike his predecessors and others in state government, turned down the trappings of the office.

As Pro Tem of the Senate, he was offered a state-funded vehicle and driver as well as a security detail of State Troopers, which he turned down, preferring to drive his own vehicle and rely on his own skills and agility for his safety. If you know Del, he is not only honest and friendly, he embodies the axiom of being able “to disagree without being disagreeable” and he is a truly good guy.

Under Pro Tem Marsh’s leadership, we passed the toughest ethics laws in the country, and they have worked.

Honesty and integrity should be expected from elected officials, which as we know is not always the case, but the record of the members of the Alabama state Senate during Pro Tem Marsh’s time in office is unblemished, which is a testament to his leadership and the character of our fellow state Senators.

Trip Pittman is state Senator and businessman from Montrose