Much like his predecessor Bob Riley, Gov. Robert Bentley has chosen and coaxed into service people who are serving to better the state and not themselves.

Many, if not all, of Bentley’s appointments are financially independent, comfortably retired or career public servants uniquely and highly qualified to run the state agencies they will oversee. At least five of Bentley’s appointments are holdovers from Riley’s illustrious team.

John Harrison has been reappointed as banking superintendent. This lifelong community banker and former mayor of Luverne has been the state banking chief since 2005.

Jim Ridling has been reappointed as commissioner of insurance. He is a retired and former president and CEO of Southern Guaranty Insurance Co. He began his lifelong career in insurance with Fireman’s Fund in 1967. He is also a cofounder of a bank in Montgomery.

Bentley has reappointed Tom Surtees to continue as director of the department of industrial relations. Surtees has held prominent posts with Citation Corp. and Stockhom Valves in Birmingham. He has also served as a member of both the Jefferson County board of education and the Pleasant Grove City Council.

Nancy Bucker has been reappointed to remain as commissioner of the department of human resources. She is very highly respected in her field as well as by the department personnel.

Bentley kept another one of Riley’s people in his administration but changed his role. Art Faulkner was homeland security director under Riley. He will now serve as director of the state emergency management agency.

Maj. Gen. Perry Smith has a distinguished military resume a mile long. He will be the adjutant general and in charge of the National Guard. Zelia Baughn will be commissioner of mental health. She was formerly the administrator of psychiatry at UAB. Marquita Davis has the perfect resume for commissioner of children’s affairs.

Many consider the appointment of Speaker Seth Hammett as director of the state development office to be Bentley’s most stellar appointment. Hammett is perfectly suited for this very important industry recruiting post.

Bentley chose two more former legislative colleagues to serve in his cabinet. Former Republican Rep. Mac Gipson of Prattville will be administrator of the Alcoholic Beverage Control board. Rep. Spencer Collier of Bayou La Batre, who was probably Bentley’s best friend in the Legislature, is the new director of homeland security.

Gov. Bentley has also selected several of his closest lifetime friends to join his inner circle. His choice to head the burgeoning Medicaid Agency is physician Bob Mullins of Valley. Bentley and Mullins grew up together in Columbiana and have known each other virtually their entire lives. They even roomed together while in medical school. Mullins has been a beloved family physician in Valley for nearly four decades and is a former president of the state medical association.

Circuit Judge Chuck Malone of Tuscaloosa, the presiding judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, was tapped for chief of staff. He has been a judge for 10 years and has chosen to leave the bench to serve his best friend in Montgomery. Bentley and Malone are both active deacons together at the First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa.

Bentley has tapped a young but distinguished Birmingham lawyer with finance department experience, David Perry, for the very prominent position of finance director; successful businessman John Cooper of Huntsville to be the director of the department of transportation; and Prattville Mayor Jim Byard to head the politically powerful ADECA.

Dr. Bentley has chosen an exemplary cabinet and gotten off to an excellent start as governor.

Steve Flowers’ political column appears weekly in 72 Alabama newspapers. He may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.