This is Part 1 of a three-part series written after Yellowhammer News’s state political reporter, Adam Thomas, spent a day with Governor Bentley and his team on the governor’s “Road to Economic Recovery Tour.”
“THE PEOPLE’S GOVERNOR”
“My favorite time of the week is when I get to get out of Montgomery,” Governor Bentley said as we sat down at a local catfish joint in Andalusia, Ala., a town of just under 9,000 about 25 miles north of the Alabama/Florida line. “People in Montgomery sometimes think the rest of the state is just like them,” he continued. “It’s kind of like politicians who spend all their time in Washington. They start thinking the rest of the country is like Washington, D.C. — it’s not.”
In those few sentences, Governor Bentley summed up what made him Alabama’s governor in the 2010, and what has kept his approval rating sky-high since he began occupying the governor’s mansion a few months later.
Alabamians don’t see him as a creature of Montgomery — and the truth is, he’s not.
Bentley’s detractors have been critical of what they characterize as indecisiveness over the Alabama Accountability Act, the GOP legislature’s controversial school choice bill. Others have tried to portray him as leading from behind when it comes to legislative issues in general. But Bentley’s ability to take his message to the people and win them over has not been in question — especially after 64% of Alabamians voted in favor of Amendment 1 last year. The governor was the face of a major PR push in favor of the amendment’s passage.
As I traveled around Covington County with the Governor and his team on Thursday, I saw a politician who is taking his “man of the people” persona and looking to turn it into something bigger — A legacy.
Crisscrossing Alabama on what he has dubbed the “Road to Economic Recovery Tour,” Bentley surprises patrons of local restaurants by pulling up a chair to eat. “I don’t go to the country club,” the governor quipped. “I like to go around to where the local people eat, shake hands with folks and listen.”
He sits down with small business owners and talks about seemingly minute issues — like local traffic lights. “Somebody may say, ‘Governor, we really need to get this red light put in.’ So we’ll get the engineers to look at, and a lot of times we can just get those simple things done.”
And he hones in on economic development at every stop he makes.
But the real focus of his tour is clear — people.
@GovernorBentley talking to @YHPolitics about his #R2ER. Glad to have Adam w/ us on today's tour of Covington Co. pic.twitter.com/nisMHr5o9U
— Jennifer Ardis (@jenniferardis) August 15, 2013
THE GAME PLAN
The governor has his schedule down pat.
“I like to meet with the chamber or some organization involved with economic development,” he tells me as he begins to lay out his routine for every town he visits. “If we are in a county seat I always like to go to the courthouse, not to stand out on the steps and make a speech, but to visit with the people who work inside. If there is a small business we can visit, I like to do that, and if there is a large business we can visit, I like to do that also. Then I try to get with the local elected officials and economic development individuals. I come to listen, to hear about the problems in their area and see what we can do to help them.”
On Thursday’s trip to Andalusia, it was easy to see the strategy being put into practice.
The first stop was David’s Catfish House, A local favorite owned by the Spurlin family who have seen their business expand to include locations in the neighboring cities of Atmore and Brewton. Before sitting down to eat, Bentley stopped at every table to shake hands and take pictures with those who asked.
Governor at David's Catfish House in Andalusia for his Economic Tour. pic.twitter.com/v4cP6raW5h
— Adam Thomas (@AdamYHN) August 15, 2013
After lunch it was on to the campus of Lurleen B. Wallace Community College, one of the 27 member colleges of the Alabama Community College System. There the governor met with students, teachers and the college’s president, Dr. Riedel. He jumped in with a group working on a “sim man,” a computer controlled mannequin used to train future first responders in the college’s EMT classes. He was clearly in his element.
Bentley has said in the past that he believes the most important thing the voters can feel about a politician is that he cares for them. He credits his time as a doctor with teaching him the importance of that. It’s a departure from the tone used by most major Republican figures nationally in recent years. It’s hard to imagine something like Mitt Romney’s “47%” quote coming out of Bentley’s mouth.
Critics may say it’s “touchy-feely,” but it has proven to be effective.
— Adam Thomas (@AdamYHN) August 15, 2013
Henderson Sewing Machine Company was next up. Henderson started locally in Andalusia over four decades ago, and has since gone global. Third generation president Frank Henderson told the governor they now export parts to almost forty countries around the world. Bentley listened intently, only interrupting Henderson to ask questions about the company’s growth.
At Henderson Sewing Co. in Andalusia. The company won the 2012 Gov's Trade Excellence Award. @GovernorBentley pic.twitter.com/V5i8dgBon4
— Jennifer Ardis (@jenniferardis) August 15, 2013
After leaving Henderson, the governor went straight to the Chamber of Commerce, where he spoke to a group of elected officials, local businessmen and economic development specialists. The governor may not be known as a lofty orator, but he was quick to point out that his speech wasn’t his real reason for visiting. “I’m hear to listen,” Bentley told the assembled group.
The final stop on the governor’s trip Thursday was to throw out the first pitch at the Babe Ruth World Series Tournament. Ten teams from across the country had traveled in to Andalusia to play in this annual tournament. And while Bentley was obviously enjoying his time around the kids and families, he couldn’t help but bring it back to the topic that occupies almost every moment of his day. “This tournament means thousands of dollars being spent right here in the local economy.”
Throwing out the first pitch at the Babe Ruth World Series Tournament! pic.twitter.com/ilCkimxa3v
— Gov.Robert Bentley (@GovernorBentley) August 15, 2013
Will the governor take a salary if elected to a second term? Is there a project even bigger than Airbus coming to Alabama soon? What is the one thing Bentley wants the legislature to do next session? Check back later this week for Parts 2 and 3 of this series to find out the answers to those questions and more.
Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamYHN
