DuBose takes issue with change
By Jim Cox
Commissioner Patricia DuBose took issue with a proposal suggesting eliminating the current rotation of the commission chairmanship among the five commissioners and offered a written statement at Monday's work session detailing her opposition.

She said she was not aware of any problems in the different chairmen working with Louisiana Pacific on the local plant project, as has been suggested.

She also stated that the position has limited duties and privileges and that the position is "not a dictator, a governor, or a mayor."

She said the rotation every nine months among the commissioners "provides fair and equal representation geographically and demographically."

She said the chairman does get more publicity in local media and if they do a good job that brings honor to the commissioner's district.

She said she had just been reelected and had the right to serve as chairman and she did not want that right taken from her. "I may have no choice but to take this to the appropriate state or federal courts," she wrote.

Tuesday she said she only had one vote and she was afraid that the proposed change would "effectively eliminate" her opportunity to ever serve as chairman.

She also said she had her doubts if a change would pass approval by the U.S. Department of Justice.

A draft bill prepared by Alabama Legislative bill writers would alter the rotation to allow a chairman to be elected every two years. Election would require four votes of the five-member body and the intention was for a commissioner not to be able to serve two consecutive terms.

Current chairman Paul Bradford has said, and restated Tuesday that the current setup is not working to the best benefit of the county and its citizens. He offered Tuesday that the position should be full time with a chairman in the courthouse every day, all day long.

Bradford said he was open to suggestions, adding that he believed changes are needed.

It was agreed that attorney Wilson will work with the legislative delegation on other alternatives.

The current setup dates to 1992 when a fifth commission district was added to increase minority representation. The probate judge was removed as commission chairman and it was agreed, at the urging of minority legal representatives, that the chairmanship would rotate among the five commissioners so as to allow for a minority to serve on the commission.

A rotation system was agreed to that allowed a commissioner to serve as chairman once during his four-year tenure. That breaks down to a little over nine months as chairman.

Another problem to be addressed in changing the current setup is that commissioners are not all elected at the same time. Two are elected in one election year and three are elected two years later, all for four year terms. Any change will have to take into account the fact that the commissioners do not all serve the same fouryear term.

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