It was 1950 and I was an 8-year-old kid in Gaylesville, Ala. The state election was in full swing with 11 candidates running for governor in the Democratic Primary, the only game in town back then. The winner would be the next governor of Alabama, succeeding Gov. James E. “Big Jim” Folsom.

Folsom was unable to seek re-election since back in those days governors couldn’t succeed themselves.

The top Democratic candidates that year finished in this order: Gordon Persons, Phil Hamm, Elbert Boozer and Bruce Henderson. I can’t remember which candidate, but I think it was Henderson, traveled the state pulling a replica of the state capitol on a trailer. At each stop he would provide a guided tour of his minicapitol building.

The day the campaign made a stop at Gaylesville, my daddy, the Methodist minister there, took me to the event to see the capitol replica. That was my first introduction to Alabama politics, an exercise that captured my attention and started in earnest in 1962 when I was the campus chair at Florence State College for George Wallace in his 1962 campaign for governor.

Four years later, the year of Lurleen Wallace, I dipped my toe into the real political waters, running for one of the two state representative positions in Lauderdale County and losing in a runoff to the business agent for the electrical workers in North Alabama by fewer than 200 votes. I was fortunate to get the “political bug” out of my system early in life and have never had the urge again.

But the interest in the political world has remained throughout my career in newspapering and state government. Every gubernatorial election since the one in 1958 has been on my radar. I will never forget the1958 primary election between Wallace and John Patterson. As I would travel with my parents to visit relatives in Northwest Alabama I would always count bumper stickers and Patterson would always win, which indeed he did. So I have always put a lot of stock in the “bumper sticker effect.”

I have observed a lot of governors in my adult life, from George Wallace to Robert Bentley. Most have been more focused on the political, monetary or personal advancement of themselves or their families than the people of our state. Notable exceptions I believe have been Lurleen Wallace, Albert Brewer, Fob James and Gov. Bentley to this point in his service.

I also put a lot of stock in a candidate’s sincerity. Although Gov. Bentley has stumbled in some instances I believe he is a sincere governor. He has said recently that this first year of his term has been an “organizational year,” and he appears to have avoided the terminal illness of agendas that stretch the imagination.  

Bentley says that once a week he tries to get out of Montgomery to talk with Alabamians. “I love it. I love getting out with the people. It’s my favorite time of the week.” Bentley recently told The Birmingham News. “It’s a much better way to learn about people's needs than talking to the bureaucrats and politicians.”

Bentley says the state’s major problem is that the 2013 budgets are in trouble. The 2013 General Fund, which funds non-education state services, is facing a shortfall of perhaps $400 million or more.

“I have promised the people of the state we are going to do everything we can to not raise taxes and to live within our means,” Bentley has said.

I beg to disagree with the theory of the “No new tax” theme that seems to permeate political thinking these days.

Folks in Alabama pay the lowest state and local taxes in the country and most of us have enough sense to understand that our schools, garbage collection service, courts, law enforcement, driver license tests and other public services cannot exist on a tax base established in the 1950s.

So I would suggest to our governor that he name a broad-based commission to study and make recommendations for an appropriate and reasonable tax structure in Alabama and lead and challenge the Legislature to pass it. He would then become a “great” leader for our state. Just getting us close to the tax base of Mississippi would solve the problem.

Bob Martin is editor and publisher of The Montgomery Independent. Email him at: bob@montgomeryindependent.com.