The Tuskegee News

By: Guy Rhodes

As a businessman and a member of the Alabama Legislature, Billy Beasley believes he brings a special perspective to the job he is seeking — state senator for District 28.

Beasley brought his campaign to Macon County Thursday, March 18 at a town hall meeting. The gathering attended by about 30 people was moved to the Kellogg Conference Center on the campus of Tuskegee University after first scheduled for the Macon County Courthouse.

A product of Barbour County where he owns pharmacies in Louisville, Clio and his hometown Clayton, Beasley is completing his third term as the District 80 representative in the Alabama House. He was unopposed for that seat in the 2002 and 2006 elections.

Barbour County is known for its politics — having produced the most governors in Alabama history, including four-term governor George Wallace.

Beasley’s older brother, Jere, served as the state’s lieutenant governor and has been a gubernatorial candidate. Jere Beasley is one of the top trial lawyers in the country and is campaign manager for Congressman Artur Davis, who is seeking to become Alabama’s first black American governor.

Beasley’s wife, Rebecca, is serving her third term as mayor of Clayton and was the city’s first female council member. She is also owner, editor and publisher of Clayton’s newspaper, which has been in her family for years.

Beasley served three years as an officer at Brooke Army General Hospital in Ford Hood, Texas where he helped train pharmacy technicians for the U.S. Army after graduating with his pharmacy degree from Auburn University. He owned Auburn’s famed Toomer’s Drugs for six years before selling the business.

The senate candidate was raised by his father and grandmother after his mother died when he was 11 years old. He grew up on a farm owned by his father, who also operated a family grocery business. Beasley’s farming chores had to be worked in before and after football practice at the local high school.

“My mother taught me the value of education before she died, and my father taught me the value of hard work and discipline,” Beasley said. “In running my retail drug stores, I have learned the importance of relationships you develop with the people you serve and the people you work with.”

Beasley added he’s learned lessons about being knocked down and getting back up by not feeling sorry for himself, explaining he attempted a couple of businesses that didn’t make it and went through a divorce before he and Rebecca married in 1980.

Even though he had been around the political scene growing up in Barbour County and his brother’s ventures into state politics, Beasley didn’t attempt to move into public office until 1998 when legendary Alabama Speaker of the House Jimmy Clarke decided to not run again after four terms as house speaker.

“I asked myself did I really want to be a candidate. I decided to run, but didn’t borrow a dime to campaign,” he said.

After serving three terms in the House, Beasley had a decision to make when Myron Penn of Union Springs decided not to run for a third term as District 28 senator.

“I love serving people, and you can’t be a public servant without taking pride in that. I’m not in the business of self-serving myself,” Beasley explained. “I don’t have a big ego about being in public service.”

After Penn’s decision to not seek reelection, Beasley said reason number two he’s in the race is, “I think I’m the best person running for this job. If I’m elected to the senate, I won’t do anything to embarrass you.”

With qualifying scheduled to end April 2, other Democratic Party candidates for the District 28 seat include: Johnny Ford, a former seven-term mayor of Tuskegee and former District 82 member of the Alabama House of Representatives; Locy Baker of Henry County, who is completing his second term in the Alabama House of Representatives; Howard Burton, Macon County businessman and first-time candidate; and Samuel Harris, former Auburn City Council member and teacher at Booker T. Washington High School in Tuskegee. The only republican candidate is Dr. Kim West  of Auburn.

Macon County Commissioner Drew Thompson and Shorter Town Clerk Harold Powell decided to not run for the seat after earlier announcing they would be candidates.

Beasley said there are a number of issues facing Alabama and District 28, which includes all or portions of Macon, Bullock, Lee, Henry, Barbour and Russell Counties

He mentioned jobs, road construction for infrastructure, gaming, partnerships, education and health care as being of importance to constituents in District 28.

“Too many jobs are being outsourced to other countries. We need to bring jobs to Macon County and other counties in District 28,” Beasley pointed out. “Too many people have to make sacrifices to afford health care and prescription drugs. Generic drugs have offered some relief the past 15 to 20 years. They are much cheaper while still being quality drugs.”

As for jobs threatened by closures of gambling venues, including VictoryLand in Macon County that has employed as many as 2,000, Beasley believes Gov. Bob Riley has exceeded his authority in creating an Anti-Gambling Task Force to shut down gaming establishments.

After being closed almost a month, VictoryLand reopened March 5 with the aid of a temporary restraining order from a judge in the Macon County circuit to prevent the Task Force from shutting down the business and seizing machines and proceeds.

Riley and his Task Force commander, Mobile District Attorney John Tyson, have sought relief through the courts system for the Task Force to continue its efforts to shut down gambling operations.

Beasley said it’s the role of the Alabama Legislature to pass legislation that would allow people of the state to vote electronic bingo up or down.

He then moved on to discuss other issues impacting District 28 and Macon County.

“The agriculture business has about been destroyed the past 10 years with the cost of chemicals and equipment. Too much produce comes from elsewhere. Those products need to come from District 28 and there needs to be a decent wage for those products.”

Beasley pointed out the tremendous growth in the automobile industry has impacted parts of Alabama much more than in District 28.

“We need to do something for Southeast Alabama,” he said. “It’s important for the counties to work together to sell the area. We need to bond for a common goal.”

Beasley is a strong supporter of the Alabama Roads and Bridge Bill. He’s the House sponsor of the bill that would spend $1 billion —$100 million a year for the next 10 years — using interest from the state’s oil and drilling trust fund to improve roads in the state.

The funds would be divided among the state, counties and cities with city funding based on percentage of population of municipalities in each county.

“Voters would have to approve the measure through a constitutional amendment,” Beasley explained. “Citizens will have the final say about us having better and safer roads for businesses, industry and such things as school buses.”

As for education, Beasley is a strong supporter of K-12 and higher education. But he also believes there needs to be a stronger emphasis placed on career tech and trade programs. He is convinced students who can readily learn how to play video games can certainly be taught reading, writing and arithmetic with the right motivation, starting at the home.

“We’ve got to set the right examples and create a respect for authority. And we probably need to be in church more than we are,” Beasley commented.