The district was redrawn in 2012 includes most of Lauderdale County, the northern portion of Limestone County and a bit of Madison. Incumbent Democrat Tammy Irons isn’t running for re-election. The winner of the June 3 GOP primary will face the winner of the Democratic primary, either Mike Curtis or Earl Gardner, in November. Hill Spirit listened to the candidates in the forum held at Athens State, May 19. This post is combination of that question and answer session and other sources.
Republican - Link to campaign page
- Residence: Athens
- Age: 38
- Family: Wife, Tiffany, two sons
- Political experience: Athens City Council for two years, 2012 to present
- Education: West Limestone High School; bachelor’s in history, University of Alabama; MBA, University of South Alabama
Seibert is a former Air Force officer and now works as the sales director for Stereotaxis, a manufacturer of hearth catheterization equipment. Seibert said he’s working on his third start-up company. His wife owns a clothing and toy store in Athens.
“I want to make sure we’re creating policy that is favorable to them and creates an environment where they can thrive. Job creation and bring industry to north Alabama to continue to strengthen the economy,” he said of his priorities. He said his existing relationships with local leaders, and some state leaders, would be a benefit to him in Montgomery.
As far as education, Seibert, whose two sons go to public school, said he wants to see more tax dollars reach the classroom. “We need to focus on putting the dollars where they will have the most impact,” said Seibert, who doesn’t believe that always happens now.
Republican - Link to campaign page
- Residence: Florence
- Age: 54
- Family: Lynn; three children; three grandchildren
- Political experience: None
- Education: Coffee High School; bachelor’s in chemistry and biology at the University of North Alabama; medical degree from the University of Alabama-Birmingham
A
doctor with more than 25 years of experience and the former head of
anesthesia at Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield, Melson’s priority if
elected would be to control Medicaid costs. Medicaid is the state’s
largest general fund expense and grows each year; in 2015, the state is
expected to spend $700 million. Melson
said it is too late for Medicaid expansion in the state under the
Affordable Care Act to receive the full federal benefit. Instead, he’d
like to work with Republican leadership on ways Medicaid patients’
health needs can be better served and the state’s cost better
controlled. Too much care is coming from hospitals and emergency rooms
at a high cost to the state, Melson said. “We don’t need to be using hospitals when we can be using health clinics,” he said. He
said he’d like to see the state’s nearly 1 million Medicaid patients
have an incentive in managing costs, too. He’d also like to see the
state look at its entitlement programs. “We
have to take care of people, but we have to do it in a responsible
manner, and they have to receive it in a responsible manner,” he said.
He’s
anti-abortion, pro-Second Amendment and favors local control for
education. Melson said the district needs a Republican now. “If you’re not associated with the party in charge, it is hard to get things done,” he said. More
jobs and infrastructure are among the things he’d like to see done in
the area. He said he’d like to see the state’s dual enrollment
opportunities expanded, so more high school students are also taking
community college classes.
Question: Gov. Robert Bentley has said he won't expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, though some have speculated he may later. What do you think he should do?
Melson: "If we expand the program another 300,000 people on a system that's already going broke now ... I think that would probably be a mistake. I'm sure there'd be some benefits, but the negatives outweigh them. Once you expand a government (program) ... it doesn't contract. I think the answer is to get people back to work and get them on someone else's insurance."
Seibert: "Based on what I know about it, I support his position. The question I have is, how do we fund it? Our percentage of costs will increase (over time); that's my biggest concern."
Q: What is your opinion on Common Core and should the state Legislature force any changes to Alabama's participation in the national education standards?
Melson: "As far as Common Core, I'm for high standards and local control. I don't think the federal government needs to tell us how to teach children." Melson said he would have supported legislation this year that would have let local school systems opt-out of the standards.
Seibert: "As long as federal oversight is not in our curriculum and what books we use; I'm OK with (Common Core). If that changes, so will my opinion. I do think ultimately that it is a school board issue; they're elected. If we take that out of their hands, what is their role?"
Q: The abortion clinic in Huntsville recently closed its doors because it said it couldn't meet the mandates of the 2013 Women's Health and Safety Act. Would you support legislation that puts more restrictions on or limits access to abortion?
Melson: "Anything that would decrease the likelihood of an abortion would be supported by me," said the former physician.
Seibert: "I'm a pro-life candidate. I agree with making (abortion clinics) live up to the same level of care (as some other medical facilities).
"I would certainly be against weakening the current laws on how people can get abortions."
Q: Lawmakers this year overwhelmingly approved Carly's Law, which legalizes the use of a marijuana-derived oil called CBD. What's your opinion of the legalization of medical marijuana on a larger scale?
Melson: "Any substance or chemicals that help patients with their diseases needs to be considered. As far as marijuana, I have no problem with medical marijuana (to treat chronic diseases).
"Used appropriately, I'm OK with almost any drug."
Seibert: "I support Carly's Law. If I had a child in that situation, I'd be looking for any alternative to get my child help.Extending (medical marijuana) beyond that is a slippery slope; but for this specific carve-out, I'm for it."
Q: What are your thoughts on Alabama's ban on gay marriage and whether the state should change it?
Melson: "I don't support gay marriage. What people do in their own house is their own personal business, but I just don't think gay marriage is something I want to support or that the state should be involved in."
Seibert: "I'm supportive of the policy we have in place ... Wait until we're forced to (recognize gay marriage by the federal government), is the position I'd take."
Source: Decatur Daily
May 19 Forum - held at Athens State
*short bullet point notes about questions that weren't listed in transcript below
What do you think of Common Core:
Melson:
against common core; need local control of education; high cost to implement program
Seibert:
neutral about common core; need local control of education; not a legislative issue - state school board issue
View of Alabama Lottery to increase funding:
Melson:
neutral about lottery; not personally for it
Seibert:
against lottery; mismanagement of funds
Transcript
Q: What are the big challenges that are facing your district right now?
Chris Seibert: "It's different depending on what county you're in. The No. 1 is concern is about job losses. They hit the Lauderdale County area a lot harder. People have concerns about their future opportunity for employment. They've lost roughly 4,000 jobs in that area since I've been running for office. Also, you hear some about Obamacare, which is a federal issue but we get asked about it a lot. There are some things we can do (in the state)."
Tim Melson: "What I hear mainly in Lauderdale County is jobs. We did lose HON, IP (International Paper) and now Hillshire Farms, as well. They're not all closed but they will be closing soon. If that's 2,400 or 2,500 people with a family of four, with insurance benefits and all that together, that's a big concern. What I'm hearing in Limestone, mainly, is they're worried about representation from people outside the area, which is understandable. We have to worry about the whole district. The other issue has been health care. I guess because I'm a physician, it gets me a few more questions about that. I hear it from both sides, physicians and patients. People are worried about keeping their insurance, keeping their doctor, all the things they were promised that have not happened."
Q: District 1 is a newly drawn district and it's quite large, from the Shoals into Huntsville. What do you think is the most challenging thing about representing District 1?
Tim Melson: "I think you just listen. You just keep in touch, talk and communicate and listen. It's a big district. You're never going to meet everybody face to face but you treat everybody the same. If it's little Bobo up in Madison County or Lester up in Limestone, you treat them the same as any other county. You just make sure you meet their needs, talk to them find out what their needs are, treat them the same as the larger populated areas. It's not like it's going to be hard to keep up but you've just got to be willing to keep up."
Chris Seibert: "It's big. It's a U.S. Congressional district, almost. I'm about halfway between the boundary lines. I do feel like one advantage is that I kind of know the needs of Limestone and Athens because I've been sitting on the City Council for two years so I have a good handle on their needs what the municipal government is trying to accomplish. And same for Madison, as well, we've worked so hand in hand with them for a lot of things they've tried to do and we've tried to do. For me, the education process has been with Lauderdale County constituents and Lauderdale County municipalities. I've reached out to those guys to try to get a good handle on those issues. I look forward to that."
Q: If you are elected, what are the things you want to work on in Montgomery? You've mentioned some problems in your district. Are there other things specifically that you want to work on?
Chris Seibert: "Job creation is certainly one of the things I'll focus on. We've got a good model that's worked in both Limestone and Madison counties. In my tenure on the Council, we've created about 3,000 jobs amongst the two counties. That's what we can carry to the region in Lauderdale, as well. They've got natural resources, they've got talented employees. They've got infrastructure in place. They've got the things necessary to create jobs. I think it's really just a strategy and alignment with governor's office and alignment with the economic development office in Montgomery. I think also education, as well. We really need to focus on putting our resources where it matters and that's with teachers and students. That'll be one of my major focuses, coming from an education family."
Tim Melson: "Jobs, of course. It's very evident in northwest Alabama. We need to get jobs, we need to get industry in there. I'd like to see the intermodal system expanding all the way across the (Tennessee) Valley. We have a port in Florence that is underutilized. I'd like to see it expanded. I'd like to see more of the growth from the Decatur area continue on over. As for as education, I think we need to work on both vocational skills and white-collar college courses. We have a need for a workforce that needs to be educated and ready in whatever technical fields we need. No industry wants to move into an area that doesn't have a competent workforce ready to step in. (Also, there are) hospital issues in certain areas. We need to make sure we have a hospital able to work with the industries. That's crucial for industry wanting to come to the area."
Q: What are the things you think need to be done to bring industry and bring jobs to north Alabama?
Chris Seibert: "A couple of things they look at. They look at the education of the workforce. They look at infrastructure. They look at the quality of life in your area. They look at your natural resources. They look at the cost of living and they look at the econ incentives package. If an industry is coming to your area, that's what they make their decision based on. We've got a pretty good playbook. We've got a track record of success in the areas I've been involved in - Limestone, Athens, Madison. All of those things apply in Lauderdale, as well. The biggest thing missing there has been alignment with the governor's office and alignment with the Economic Develop Office in Montgomery in going out and recruiting those. If you don't have that alignment, you're naturally not typically going to be involved in the conversation. The resources aren't as readily available to you."
Tim Melson: "An educated workforce is crucial. You've got to have them ready to step in and do the jobs. I'd like to work with vocational schools to make sure they know what's coming and have a work force that's ready and develop a workforce specific for those industries. Incentives are a great way to bring them in and keep them but you have to be careful you don't damage the companies that were already in there. That you don't bring in competition for somebody that's been loyal in expanding and hurt them, as well. Just as important is the quality of life, schools, education have to be available.
Q: Why you? What is it about you that makes you the one Senate #1 voters want?
Tim Melson: "If you look back, I've got a history of working with different companies. I've been on advisory boards for Members-Direct companies with my small business I own in drug development. I can relate to rural agricultural people; I farm about 300 acres. I'm well established in my community. I've also been on the board of directors at the surgery centers. I've been on executive committees for the chief anesthesiologists at Helen Keller Hospital for 18-20 years. I think I've got the experience. I think I can relate to a wide range of people. What you do is listen. People will tell you what they need and what's important and then you can treat that based on the needs."
Chris Seibert: "I have a successful track record of job creation in the district from a government standpoint. I also was a 7-and-a-half-year officer in the Air Force so I had management and leadership responsibilities there. I understand how government budgets work and have been a part of a successful government in Athens on the city council. I'm also a leader in my church, I've been on numerous councils with the church. I've been a leader in my community and worked on the board with Little League sports. We're on a number of non-profit boards, between my wife and I, we're involved in fundraising and making the community a better place. All those things combined make me the most well-rounded candidate."
Question: Gov. Robert Bentley has said he won't expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, though some have speculated he may later. What do you think he should do?
Melson: "If we expand the program another 300,000 people on a system that's already going broke now ... I think that would probably be a mistake. I'm sure there'd be some benefits, but the negatives outweigh them. Once you expand a government (program) ... it doesn't contract. I think the answer is to get people back to work and get them on someone else's insurance."
Seibert: "Based on what I know about it, I support his position. The question I have is, how do we fund it? Our percentage of costs will increase (over time); that's my biggest concern."
Q: What is your opinion on Common Core and should the state Legislature force any changes to Alabama's participation in the national education standards?
Melson: "As far as Common Core, I'm for high standards and local control. I don't think the federal government needs to tell us how to teach children." Melson said he would have supported legislation this year that would have let local school systems opt-out of the standards.
Seibert: "As long as federal oversight is not in our curriculum and what books we use; I'm OK with (Common Core). If that changes, so will my opinion. I do think ultimately that it is a school board issue; they're elected. If we take that out of their hands, what is their role?"
Q: The abortion clinic in Huntsville recently closed its doors because it said it couldn't meet the mandates of the 2013 Women's Health and Safety Act. Would you support legislation that puts more restrictions on or limits access to abortion?
Melson: "Anything that would decrease the likelihood of an abortion would be supported by me," said the former physician.
Seibert: "I'm a pro-life candidate. I agree with making (abortion clinics) live up to the same level of care (as some other medical facilities).
"I would certainly be against weakening the current laws on how people can get abortions."
Q: Lawmakers this year overwhelmingly approved Carly's Law, which legalizes the use of a marijuana-derived oil called CBD. What's your opinion of the legalization of medical marijuana on a larger scale?
Melson: "Any substance or chemicals that help patients with their diseases needs to be considered. As far as marijuana, I have no problem with medical marijuana (to treat chronic diseases).
"Used appropriately, I'm OK with almost any drug."
Seibert: "I support Carly's Law. If I had a child in that situation, I'd be looking for any alternative to get my child help.Extending (medical marijuana) beyond that is a slippery slope; but for this specific carve-out, I'm for it."
Q: What are your thoughts on Alabama's ban on gay marriage and whether the state should change it?
Melson: "I don't support gay marriage. What people do in their own house is their own personal business, but I just don't think gay marriage is something I want to support or that the state should be involved in."
Seibert: "I'm supportive of the policy we have in place ... Wait until we're forced to (recognize gay marriage by the federal government), is the position I'd take."
Source: Decatur Daily
May 19 Forum - held at Athens State
*short bullet point notes about questions that weren't listed in transcript below
What do you think of Common Core:
Melson:
against common core; need local control of education; high cost to implement program
Seibert:
neutral about common core; need local control of education; not a legislative issue - state school board issue
View of Alabama Lottery to increase funding:
Melson:
neutral about lottery; not personally for it
Seibert:
against lottery; mismanagement of funds
Transcript
Q: What are the big challenges that are facing your district right now?
Chris Seibert: "It's different depending on what county you're in. The No. 1 is concern is about job losses. They hit the Lauderdale County area a lot harder. People have concerns about their future opportunity for employment. They've lost roughly 4,000 jobs in that area since I've been running for office. Also, you hear some about Obamacare, which is a federal issue but we get asked about it a lot. There are some things we can do (in the state)."
Tim Melson: "What I hear mainly in Lauderdale County is jobs. We did lose HON, IP (International Paper) and now Hillshire Farms, as well. They're not all closed but they will be closing soon. If that's 2,400 or 2,500 people with a family of four, with insurance benefits and all that together, that's a big concern. What I'm hearing in Limestone, mainly, is they're worried about representation from people outside the area, which is understandable. We have to worry about the whole district. The other issue has been health care. I guess because I'm a physician, it gets me a few more questions about that. I hear it from both sides, physicians and patients. People are worried about keeping their insurance, keeping their doctor, all the things they were promised that have not happened."
Q: District 1 is a newly drawn district and it's quite large, from the Shoals into Huntsville. What do you think is the most challenging thing about representing District 1?
Tim Melson: "I think you just listen. You just keep in touch, talk and communicate and listen. It's a big district. You're never going to meet everybody face to face but you treat everybody the same. If it's little Bobo up in Madison County or Lester up in Limestone, you treat them the same as any other county. You just make sure you meet their needs, talk to them find out what their needs are, treat them the same as the larger populated areas. It's not like it's going to be hard to keep up but you've just got to be willing to keep up."
Chris Seibert: "It's big. It's a U.S. Congressional district, almost. I'm about halfway between the boundary lines. I do feel like one advantage is that I kind of know the needs of Limestone and Athens because I've been sitting on the City Council for two years so I have a good handle on their needs what the municipal government is trying to accomplish. And same for Madison, as well, we've worked so hand in hand with them for a lot of things they've tried to do and we've tried to do. For me, the education process has been with Lauderdale County constituents and Lauderdale County municipalities. I've reached out to those guys to try to get a good handle on those issues. I look forward to that."
Q: If you are elected, what are the things you want to work on in Montgomery? You've mentioned some problems in your district. Are there other things specifically that you want to work on?
Chris Seibert: "Job creation is certainly one of the things I'll focus on. We've got a good model that's worked in both Limestone and Madison counties. In my tenure on the Council, we've created about 3,000 jobs amongst the two counties. That's what we can carry to the region in Lauderdale, as well. They've got natural resources, they've got talented employees. They've got infrastructure in place. They've got the things necessary to create jobs. I think it's really just a strategy and alignment with governor's office and alignment with the economic development office in Montgomery. I think also education, as well. We really need to focus on putting our resources where it matters and that's with teachers and students. That'll be one of my major focuses, coming from an education family."
Tim Melson: "Jobs, of course. It's very evident in northwest Alabama. We need to get jobs, we need to get industry in there. I'd like to see the intermodal system expanding all the way across the (Tennessee) Valley. We have a port in Florence that is underutilized. I'd like to see it expanded. I'd like to see more of the growth from the Decatur area continue on over. As for as education, I think we need to work on both vocational skills and white-collar college courses. We have a need for a workforce that needs to be educated and ready in whatever technical fields we need. No industry wants to move into an area that doesn't have a competent workforce ready to step in. (Also, there are) hospital issues in certain areas. We need to make sure we have a hospital able to work with the industries. That's crucial for industry wanting to come to the area."
Q: What are the things you think need to be done to bring industry and bring jobs to north Alabama?
Chris Seibert: "A couple of things they look at. They look at the education of the workforce. They look at infrastructure. They look at the quality of life in your area. They look at your natural resources. They look at the cost of living and they look at the econ incentives package. If an industry is coming to your area, that's what they make their decision based on. We've got a pretty good playbook. We've got a track record of success in the areas I've been involved in - Limestone, Athens, Madison. All of those things apply in Lauderdale, as well. The biggest thing missing there has been alignment with the governor's office and alignment with the Economic Develop Office in Montgomery in going out and recruiting those. If you don't have that alignment, you're naturally not typically going to be involved in the conversation. The resources aren't as readily available to you."
Tim Melson: "An educated workforce is crucial. You've got to have them ready to step in and do the jobs. I'd like to work with vocational schools to make sure they know what's coming and have a work force that's ready and develop a workforce specific for those industries. Incentives are a great way to bring them in and keep them but you have to be careful you don't damage the companies that were already in there. That you don't bring in competition for somebody that's been loyal in expanding and hurt them, as well. Just as important is the quality of life, schools, education have to be available.
Q: Why you? What is it about you that makes you the one Senate #1 voters want?
Tim Melson: "If you look back, I've got a history of working with different companies. I've been on advisory boards for Members-Direct companies with my small business I own in drug development. I can relate to rural agricultural people; I farm about 300 acres. I'm well established in my community. I've also been on the board of directors at the surgery centers. I've been on executive committees for the chief anesthesiologists at Helen Keller Hospital for 18-20 years. I think I've got the experience. I think I can relate to a wide range of people. What you do is listen. People will tell you what they need and what's important and then you can treat that based on the needs."
Chris Seibert: "I have a successful track record of job creation in the district from a government standpoint. I also was a 7-and-a-half-year officer in the Air Force so I had management and leadership responsibilities there. I understand how government budgets work and have been a part of a successful government in Athens on the city council. I'm also a leader in my church, I've been on numerous councils with the church. I've been a leader in my community and worked on the board with Little League sports. We're on a number of non-profit boards, between my wife and I, we're involved in fundraising and making the community a better place. All those things combined make me the most well-rounded candidate."
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