November 2019 Group Watch: New AL Democratic Party Chair

State Representative Chris England of Tuscaloosa was elected Alabama Democratic Party chair after months of struggle inside and outside the state party. England received 104 of 171 ballots cast at the meeting of the State Democratic Executive Committee. The vote came after 172 members of the State Democratic Executive Committee, the governing body of the Alabama Democratic Party, voted to remove Chair Nancy Worley and Vice-Chair Randy Kelley.

November 2019 Group Watch: Tweet of the Month

@willainsworthAL
Nov 10
Favorite picture from yesterday. Enjoyed visiting and discussing policy with the President
@realDonaldTrump
and First Lady
@FLOTUS Proud of the roaring ovation they received and deserved.

November 2019 Group Watch: Ella Bell Passes

Ella Bell, who served on the Alabama Board of Education for 19 years, died on November 3. Ms. Bell was a champion for numerous causes in Montgomery and throughout her district in the Blackbelt, one of the poorest areas of the state. She was passionate about children and improving access to opportunity for all. Governor Kay Ivey ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Ms. Bell. She was a friend to the Bloom Group and will be missed.

November 2019 Group Watch: New Montgomery County Probate Judge

General Ed Crowell, who recently ran for mayor in Montgomery, is Montgomery County’s new probate judge thanks to the appointment by Governor Ivey that was announced November 13. He replaces Steven Reed, who was sworn in as Montgomery’s mayor on November 12. Ivey noted that Crowell’s long history of service drove her choice. The retired Air Force brigadier general was also president and CEO of VT Miltope before retiring from that position.

October 2019 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

Governor Ivey has been busy this month: helping Alabama hospitals while also undergoing treatment for her own health issues and making a major economic development announcement

• Gov. Ivey Provides Extra Fed Funds for Hospitals: The governor released a conditional state appropriation that will result in extra payments to state hospitals for treating Medicaid beneficiaries. The combined $78 million will be available in the 2020 fiscal year, which began October 1. The additional funds will offer relief for hospitals facing financial strain, including rural hospitals and the state’s two children’s hospitals. Dr. Don Williams, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, expressed appreciation to the legislature and the governor for the additional funds provided to the state Medicaid Agency for this purpose.
• Governor Undergoes Radiation Treatments: In a recent statement, Governor Ivey said she has completed a round of radiation treatments for a malignancy discovered on her lung 22 days ago. Ivey’s personal physician said she chose minimal radiation treatments and the least invasive treatment, which has an excellent cure rate. The governor has been visible throughout her treatments, showing no obvious negative effects from them.
• Shinhwa Group Opening Manufacturing: Governor Ivey recently announced the Shinhwa Group, an automotive parts manufacturer, plans to establish a manufacturing operation in Auburn to serve the region’s vibrant auto sector. The company’s decision to invest $42 million and create 95 jobs in Auburn is great news for Alabama, adding to the state’s rapidly growing automotive cluster that produces around 1 million vehicles a year and provides an estimated 40,000 direct jobs. Shinhwa’s high-level automation and innovative solutions to technological challenges represent an important new resource for existing automotive companies in the area.

October 2019 Group Watch: Runoff Updates

Charlotte Meadows won the GOP runoff for Alabama House District 74, which covers a large part of East Montgomery. She will face Democrat Rayford Mack in a special election on November 12, 2019 to replace Dimitri Polizos who died earlier this year. Van Smith, the GOP winner for Alabama House District 42, which covers parts of Autauga and Chilton counties, will face Democrat Kenneth Allison in a special election on November 5, 2019. The winner will replace Jimmy Martin who passed earlier this year.

October 2019 Group Watch: Tweet of the Month

@thebloomgroup

Oct 14
RT: ABC 33/40 News
@abc3340
Please RT so that everyone sees this.. Maybe someone can help get Cupcake home safe!

October 2019 Group Watch: Prison Special Session

Many forecasted the governor would call a special session during October to address the crisis in the Alabama Department of Corrections. but it is now apparent that the governor and legislature will wait until the regular session in early February to tackle head on the problems that will be an Alabama Solution. We will likely see a replay of 2019 session, where upon the start of the 2020 regular session, the governor will push the pause button and call the legislators into special session to solely focus on solutions to the problems in prisons. Many believe it will be a winning formula again as it was in 2019 on the infrastructure legislation.

October 2019 Group Watch: Manufacture Alabama Announces COO

Manufacture Alabama has named Garrett Jemison as the organization’s first Chief Operating Officer. Jemison recently served as a consultant in both Montgomery and Washington D.C., representing energy companies, higher education institutions, chambers of commerce and other organizations. Jemison served as state director for U.S. Senator Richard Shelby from 2011-2014, managing offices in Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile and Tuscaloosa. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and he and his wife, Emily, live in Montgomery. He began work in this position on October 7.

October 2019 Group Watch: Go Gene!

Congratulations to The Bloom Group principal Allen Sanderson’s father Gene Sanderson. As part of the celebration of the 150th Anniversary of College Football, he was named to The University of North Alabama football All Decades Team. The university will recognize the members of its seven All-Decade teams prior to UNA’s home game against Campbell on November 2 at Braly Stadium. Read more here.