Mid-term elections will take place nationwide Nov. 2, and millions of people will take to the polls to elect the officials who they feel will best represent them for the next few years. Madison is no different. The race for Alabama State

Holtzclaw

Senate District 2 has been has been a hot topic in Madison for some time now. City council president and “full-time candidate” Bill Holtzclaw is running against incumbent Sen. Tom Butler, D-Madison. The Record interviewed both candidates on who they are, the issues they stand for and why they should be elected.

Holtzclaw:

Occupation: Retired U.S. Marine; former defense contractor at Madison Research Corporation; worked for NASA in the Office of Procurement for the Constellation program; Currently serves as city council president.

How did you get into politics?

“I became frustrated with what was going on in city government in Madison several years ago and decided to run for city council. Similarly, I became frustrated with our state legislature and the level of corruption in state government and felt that I could make a difference by serving as a State Senator.”

What separates you from your opponent?

“The first thing that comes to mind is that I’m a man of honor. Although my opponent has recently started negative TV, radio and print advertisement, we stayed true to our promise of running a positive campaign.  Early on, I pledged to campaign with ‘honor, courage and commitment’ and have stayed true to that pledge. Secondly, I’m not a political insider. I’m not backed by the special interest groups and lobbyist that have controlled Montgomery for so long. I will not be influenced by them when I’m in Montgomery.  I will be loyal to the people of the district rather than the political insiders in Montgomery.”

What better qualifies you for this position than your opponent?

“As a city councilman, I’ve demonstrated the ability to work with all groups for the betterment of our city.  On several occasions, I have worked to bring all stakeholders to the table to find solutions to problems that benefit the city as a whole. I will take this attitude to Montgomery. As previously stated, I’m not a political insider. I’m not backed by the special interest groups and lobbyist that control Montgomery. I will be loyal to the people of the district rather than the political insiders in Montgomery.”

What are the top three most important issues facing District 2 and how will you represent the district on those issues.

1. The need for ethics reform.

“The number one issue facing our district, and our state is the need for ethics reform. The lack of ethics and corruption affects the state across several levels, including our economy as businesses are concerned with what is actually going on in our state. I will work to bring reform to the forefront at the beginning of the next legislative session. Our goal is to finally pass comprehensive ethics reform. For far too long, our legislature has attempted to pass ethics reform but each year comes up short.  It is time to finally pass sweeping reform and I will be at the forefront of those efforts.”

2. The economy.

“While we have been blessed with a strong economy and suffered minimal job losses, we must work hard to keep our skilled work force working and get the unemployed back to work. As a state senator, I must work with our local leadership and federal leadership to ensure that we are poised to secure new industry and grow existing industry across Limestone and Madison Counties.”

3. The need to improve our infrastructure.

“For far too long this area has received less than our fair share of funding for roads. Imagine how our roads would look today if we had received our fair share.  Rather than being behind on road building, we could have maintained pace with growth across the region. Instead, we are forced to be reactive because our current leadership was not proactive in getting road funding back to the district.”