By Staff
Bob Ingram, Alabama Scene
MONTGOMERY–U. S. Rep. Artur Davis has never made any secret of the fact that he has far higher ambitions than serving in Congress. What Davis hopes to be is Alabama's first black governor or first black U. S. Senator.
In a remarkably candid interview with the Mobile Register, the two-term congressman said that he is looking at the elections of 2010 when he may well try to make history.
In that year there will be an election for both governor and a seat in the U. S. Senate…the one now held by Republican Sen. Richard Shelby. Rep. Davis said he would not challenge Shelby for that seat, but if the veteran incumbent chose not to seek another term then he might well run for the office.
A race for governor depends on what happens in the 2006 gubernatorial election, Davis said. If incumbent Gov. Riley should win a second term he would have to step down in 2010 and Davis said if that was the case he might well run for governor.
It is obvious that Davis has given a great deal of thought to his political future.
A spokesman for Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty in Alabama said last week that it was continuing to pick up support in its efforts to outlaw the death penalty in this state.
Esther Brown said that more than 100 civic groups, religious organizations and others had pledged their support to this effort.
Two major civil rights groups…the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference…both have joined in the effort.
Brown said it was appropriate that these two groups would join the fight "because this is a civil rights issue."
"Historically the death penalty is administered in a racially discriminatory manner," Ms. Brown said. "Defendants who kill white victims are far more likely to receive the death penalty than defendants who kill black people."
Shortly after Brown spoke Jerry Paul Henderson died by lethal injection at Atmore prison for a murder he committed in 1984. Henderson was white.
A native of Wilcox County, Ivey has received plaudits for her administering of the Treasurer's office, which oversees the deposit of hundreds of millions of dollars in state funds.
The demands of the office came natural for her…she was in the banking industry for a number of years.
He noted in his order that while black's represented about 25 percent of the state's population the state work force was only 15 percent black.
Last week the District Judge suspended that long-running court order and noted there had been marked improvement in the number of black state employees.
It has been marked indeed. Today, while blacks still constitute about the same percentage of the state's population…25 percent…blacks now have a whopping 39.4 percent of all state jobs.
Does that suggest there may soon be a reverse discrimination lawsuit filed by whites? Now it would seem they are being discriminated against in getting state jobs.
Alicia Chamberlain, representing New Hampshire in the contest which was televised live on ESPN, is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Harrison Sr., of Mobile.