FAIRHOPE, Ala. — With a countywide one-cent sales tax vote less than two weeks from today, the Retirement Systems of Alabama chief executive officer came to Fairhope Saturday at the invitation of the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce and spoke in favor of funding for public schools.

“To me it’s a miniscule problem,” said David Bronner at the University of South Alabama Baldwin County campus before an audience of about 100 people. “And that miniscule problem is one cent. Who cares about one cent? Who really cares about one cent? Because if you think about it, it will save your schools.”

Baldwin County voters go to the polls March 23 to decide on a measure set up as a three-year plan to support the county public school system and estimated to raise $25 million annually, which will be used to offset an anticipated shortfall of $5 million this year and $31 million by 2012, according to the Baldwin County school board.

Two county school buses were in the USABC parking lot Saturday, several cars bore pro-tax bumper stickers and a number of “vote yes” yard signs were handed out at the event, including some to former Congressman Jack Edwards, who was in the audience.

Although anti-tax forces have been vocal during the past few weeks, mainly through the advocacy of Dean Young, a candidate for lieutenant governor and leader of the “Axe the Tax” campaign, none were in evidence at Saturday’s event.

Darrelyn Bender, Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce CEO, said her remarks and those of Bronner were probably “made to the choir,” alluding apparently to the concentration of teachers and pro-tax troops in the audience. But she also noted that a large majority of the chamber’s member businesses supported the one-cent sale tax.

“We surveyed our businesses, and 86 percent of them came back with a resounding yes,” Bender said. “We know that this is a regressive tax. Welcome to Alabama. This is a fix. This is a stopgap. One of the things our businesses told us is we need to move forward in the next three years and help figure out a better way to fund education.”

Bronner agreed with that long-term approach and also put the education funding issue in the context of what he said was Alabama’s “phenomenal” progress during the past 20 years, touting many of the industries he said he helped recruit to the state during that period.

“I’m really proud of Alabama, and I’m really proud of Baldwin County and where we’ve come from,” Bronner said. “If you think back 20 years and think about the progress of this state, it is really phenomenal. Alabama’s made more progress than any other state in the country probably except for Nevada. And that’s the growth of the income to the people and that’s the type of jobs that they have. You have to remember that 20 years ago we didn’t have a Mercedes. That was certainly the beginning of the change in Alabama — and it goes from north Alabama to south Alabama.”

Bronner said the state and counties were at a crossroads in terms of educational funding issues, which he linked to economic growth, arguing that the current education tax was one of the things that would keep the state moving forward.

“We’re now at a critical crossroads,” he said. “What we’ve really got to do is get through the next year or two. I want you to realize how much progress you’ve made in the last 20 years but that you’re sort of at a (critical) point now.”