Latest news with #RyanCagle
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama District 5 House race pits Matt Woods against Ryan Cagle
Voters go to the polls June 24 to choose one of two candidates to represent them in Alabama's Senate District 5, a district including Lamar, Fayette, Walker and the northern half of Tuscaloosa County in north central Alabama. Rep. Matt Woods, R-Jasper, will face Democratic candidate Ryan Cagle, a progressive faith leader and community organizer, in a special election on June 24 to fill a seat vacated by former Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed, R-Jasper, who stepped down at the beginning of the year to join Gov. Kay Ivey's administration as senior adviser to workforce transformation. Woods in a phone interview June 16 described his run for the Senate seat as a 'natural progression of (his) public service,' pointing to his commitment to continuing the 'strong conservative leadership' and 'conservative values,' he said, that have defined the district for years. He cited the passage of the 'Alabama Child Protection Act,' a bill he sponsored making it illegal for anyone to create, share, or possess child sexual abuse material, and carrying the 'Parents Right to Know Act' in the House, which required schools to post classroom curricula online. The representative also pointed to his votes in favor of grocery tax cuts and eliminating sales tax on feminine and baby products. 'I will continue to look for ways to provide tax relief for the people of the state while fighting for more jobs and more resources for rural Alabama,' he said. Cagle said that the state's policy should better support the community, saying that his decision to run stems from a desire for 'proper representation in Montgomery of working-class and vulnerable people in District 5.' Cagle criticized current elected officials for not being 'on the ground' and directly addressing issues like poverty and the opioid crisis. He also criticized the influence of lobbyists and big corporations on state leadership, saying that many have been 'bought and sold.' 'The system's not set up for working-class people to run. It privileges wealthy, affluent people in our communities to lead us,' he said, adding that he wants to bring a voice that 'reflects the majority of the people's lives and lived experiences in our district.' More: Special election scheduled for Tuscaloosa's House District 63 seat Cagle said that dissatisfaction with the status quo goes beyond party lines, claiming that even Republicans in the district are considering voting for him due to his community work. He said that ongoing problems such as rising poverty, hunger and opioid overdoses stem from electing similar individuals, regardless of their political affiliation. 'I hope that my campaign, if anything else, can be a seed for us beginning to think more critically in District 5, beyond these party lines, and looking toward how we as a community, as a district, can come together and work together and put our people first,' Cagle said. Woods said he would not 'be sitting still (on) day one.' If elected, he plans to re-introduce bills to increase the criminal penalties for making violent threats, such as a bomb threat, to schools, and a bill aimed at expanding broadband internet resources in underserved areas. The legislation would remove state sales tax on broadband equipment funded by federal grants to allow more of the grant money to be used for infrastructure development. Woods did not answer how he would propose handling federal budget cuts being floated by Congress, which could cut an estimated $5.54 billion in federal funding to Alabama for SNAP and Medicaid over 10 years in the House proposal, but said his priority is on rural health care and providing access to medical care in underserved areas. Regarding potential changes to the Department of Education, such as a proposal to eliminate it, Woods said he believes that the state would be able to provide a 'common-sense Alabama-based education.' More: New president caps 18 months of change at University of Alabama Cagle called for 'reprioritizing what we want for the state and what we want the community.' He said he opposes cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP but also argued that the state can make up the difference with resources he said are often mismanaged, saying that a majority of the land in Alabama is owned by 'a handful of people,' preventing potential tax revenue. He was also critical of the 'CHOOSE Act,' which expands funding for private schools and homeschooling, arguing it's a 'poor stewardship of our money and resources' that primarily benefits 'wealthy, affluent Alabamians' and underfunds public schools. Considering Republicans' supermajority in the Senate, Cagle said that if elected he would engage in 'bridge building.' He said that he would draw from his experience organizing, saying that 'the work of caring for our community has transcended those boundaries.' 'This is the first battle of many. It's time for change,' Cagle said. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama House District 5 election includes part of Tuscaloosa County
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some hoping for new Walker County sheriff to be elected after Nick Smith indicted
JASPER, Ala. (WIAT) — The Walker County community has mixed feelings about the arrest and indictment of Sheriff Nick Smith. 'It's really, really disturbing in a way,' said Gordon Warren, who moved from Birmingham to the county with his wife about 10 years ago. Warren said a new sheriff is needed. 'I'm voting for anybody but Nick Smith, and that's a bad way to run politics,' Warren said. 'But I've voted most of my life for the lesser of two evils and right now, he's a major evil. I was actually happy to vote for him when he first ran. I mean he talked the same talk that I wanted to listen to. He was doing some things that sounded like it was the appropriate things to do, and then this thing blew up on him.' Though a CBS 42 crew spent around three hours out in the community, many of the people who spoke to the station were not comfortable going on camera because they did not want the sheriff's office to retaliate against them. Ryan Cagle is a well-known figure in the community. He co-founded the Justice for Tony Mitchell group and is co-director of the Jubilee House Community, a nonprofit. Cagle said these are long-standing concerns in the area regarding the sheriff's office. 23-year-old former Walker County deputy pleads guilty in case involving death of Anthony 'Tony' Mitchell 'There is a culture here of feeling unsafe,' Cagle said. 'That those who are charged with serving and protecting our communities, we don't really know who they serve and protect. Whose interest does it serve to have an uncertified person in a school? It doesn't serve those children. It doesn't serve the school board. It doesn't serve our families. It serves a campaign. It serves those kinds of things, and so I think there's a lot of fear of retaliation. There's a lot of fear of being bullied, of being intimidated.' Smith made a statement on Facebook regarding the indictments. He claimed they are politically motivated. The statement reads as follows: 'Approximately one month ago, I stated that I was very disappointed that our District Attorney's Office was drawn into the politics of the Walker County Sheriff's race. That was when a contempt petition was filed against me and my office, despite the fact that I had already provided the information I was alleged to have been withholding that was subject to a subpoena. That petition was dismissed 28 minutes after I filed my response. 'Today, the business of the Walker County Sheriff's Department was again interrupted by the District Attorney's Office. The District Attorney's Office sought out and obtained an indictment against me and my Chief Deputy. 'I have been embroiled with the Walker County Commission and the Walker County Civil Service Board over who I can hire and who I can fire. I recently filed a lawsuit against both entities to reclaim the ability to make my own hiring and firing decisions. Surprisingly, today's indictment is against me for having employed School Resource Officers at several of our County Schools. This is not the result of any complaints regarding the behavior of any School Resource Officer. In fact, one of the men I am charged with having worked as a School Resource Officer received special recognition from the Walker County Board of Education for his efforts in stopping what had the potential to be a very bad situation. 'I have been charged with having non-APOSTC certified personnel operating vehicles and working in certain capacities while wearing Sheriff Department uniforms. There can be no doubt that the District Attorney is now charging me to help his friend's campaign for Sheriff. The District Attorney was made aware of employees of JC Poe working in similar capacities at the Jasper Police Department. Charges have not been pursued against him by the District Attorney. Instead, he was called and told that he needed to make some changes, which he did on the very day I sent a message to the District Attorney. 'Vehicles of the Jasper Police Department were restriped to meet APOSTC compliance. If I was doing something wrong, why was I not afforded the same telephone call? 'The charges against me are administrative in nature and do not carry any jail time. However, I take these charges very seriously. This lawfare should stop. Criminal charges should not be used to try to influence national elections, and criminal charges should not be used to try to influence the local Sheriff's race. I intend to vigorously defend these charges. 'I did not play a role in either of the District Attorney's campaigns. He should remove himself from mine.' The post garnered hundreds of comments from the community. While some call for Smith to directly answer whether he knowingly hired non-Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission certified officers, others offer their support for the sheriff. The Walker County Board of Education said its superintendent was out of the office Monday and unable to talk about the four SROs who were not APOSTC certified. The board said the superintendent, Dennis Willingham, would call back Tuesday morning when he returned to work. 'You're going to have people who have been kind of neutral who have, again, maybe been holding hope that something was different with the Tony case, and that I think are going to be like, 'My baby, my child was put at risk,' and that trust was broken,' Cagle said. 'I do hope that at the very least this will begin to shift people's attention and make them think a little more critically about the situation and about this upcoming election.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate District 5 holds Democratic primary election: Here's what to know
Voters wait in line at First Baptist Church during Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Huntsville, Ala. Democratic voters in northwest Alabama will choose between Ryan Cagle and Sarah Watkins in a special state Senate primary Tuesday, while Republican Rep. Matt Woods, R-Jasper, runs unopposed for the June 24 general election. (Eric Schultz for Alabama Reflector) Democratic voters in parts of northwest Alabama go to the polls Tuesday to choose a nominee for a special election for the state Senate. Two Democratic candidates, Ryan Cagle and Sarah Watkins, are running in the special election. There is no Republican primary as the sole Republican candidate, Rep. Matt Woods, R-Jasper, is running unopposed. The general election is scheduled for June 24. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The Alabama Secretary of State's website allows you to check voter registration and the location of your polling place. You can find it here. Voters must present a valid photo ID before voting. Valid forms of ID include: Alabama driver's license (not expired or expired less than 60 days) Alabama Law Enforcement Agency digital driver's license Alabama Non-Driver ID (not expired or expired less than 60 days) Alabama Photo Voter ID card State-issued ID (Alabama or any other state) Federal-issued ID U.S. Passport Employee ID from the federal government; state of Alabama; county; municipality, board or other entity of Alabama Student or employee ID from a public or private post-secondary educational institution in Alabama or other states (including colleges, universities, postgraduate technical and professional schools) Digital student or employee ID from a public or private post-secondary educational institution in Alabama or other states (including colleges, universities, postgraduate technical and professional schools) Military ID Tribal ID Senate District 5 covers north-central Alabama, starting at the Mississippi border and continuing eastward, including all of Fayette, Lamar and Walker counties, as well as parts of Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties. Former Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed, R-Jasper, stepped down at the beginning of the year to join Gov. Kay Ivey's administration as Senior Advisor to Workforce Transformation. Reed, first elected in 2010, had led the Senate since 2021. Reed's role is transitioning the Department of Labor into the new Department of Workforce, with an aim at boosting Alabama's labor force participation. Reed was strongly allied with business interests and helped expand tax incentives and workforce training programs during his time in the Senate. The seat is strongly Republican. Reed first won the seat in 2010 as a first-time candidate with 73.3% of the votes. Reed subsequently ran unopposed in the Republican primaries and was not challenged by a Democratic candidate in 2014, 2018 and 2022, according to Ballotpedia. Candidates in the Democratic primary said they are tired of their communities being neglected by their Republican elected officials. Cagle said in an interview after qualifying for the seat that the local community has struggled to address many issues, pointing to the district's struggle in dealing with the opioid crisis. He said elected officials are disconnected from their constituents, adding that they 'have lives completely separated from the vulnerable in our communities.' Instead, Cagle said elected officials have focused on catering to business instead of addressing working-class issues. Watkins said Republicans have been in control for too long and that 'the common person here is just being pushed aside.' She said that calls from constituents go unanswered and that they are more focused on catering to 'these big-money individuals who claim to be small business owners when they're not.' Woods first elected to the House in 2022, wrote in a text message that he's been 'working hard for the people of Alabama.' He said he's brought over $58 million for schools to his district, and just signed on to co-sponsor a bill accelerating a decrease in sales tax on groceries. He said that he 'believe[s] in freedom, limited government, and conservative values. (Democrats) believe the same things as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.' The Democratic candidate who wins Tuesday's primary will face Woods in the general election on June 24. No. Republicans currently hold 76 of the 105 seats in the lower chamber and 26 of the 35 seats in the upper chamber. Candidates for Senate District 5 Democratic Primary Age: 33 Residence: Parrish Occupation: Communications professional, volunteer co-director of Jubilee House Community nonprofit Education: Master of Divinity in Social Transformation and a Master of Arts in Ecological Justice from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, in progress. Party: Democratic Previous political experience: First-time candidate Fundraising: Through February 28, Cagle had raised $882 and spent $58. Age: 37 Residence: Oakman Occupation: Barista Education: Associate degree, Advanced Design Engineering, Bevill State Community College, 2024. Party: Democratic Previous political experience: First-time candidate Fundraising: Through February 28, Watkins had raised $160 and spent $3. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
