July 15th is the date of the run-off election to determine who is going to be the Republican Candidate for the position of Alabama State Senate, position one. As is often the case, two good men are running in a race that is close. Both men think they are the best choice for the job, and it will be up to the voters of Lauderdale, Limestone and Madison counties to carefully and prayerfully decide who they feel would do the most for their constituents.
Before we get to the points Chris feels distinguish him from his opponent, may I make a plea to the people of these three counties to make the effort to vote? I will confess that in days gone by I didn’t often bother to vote in the primaries, let alone a run-off. However, being around people who were willing to die in order to vote changed me forever. I was surrounded by folks who bought their coffins because they had been promised by Al-Zarqawi that they would be laying in them by day’s end if they dared vote, and they voted anyway. Your vote counts, so don’t waste it. History is full of remarkable changes that were made by “the power of one!” End of exhortation, back to Chris Seibert.
The first thing that sets Chris apart is his experience. As an officer in the military he was responsible for the wellbeing of 70 guys, and his job was transportation and logistics, much of which occurred overseas. In the military he also had to learn to manage sizeable budgets. As a medical equipment rep, he is responsible for his company’s territory from the Mississippi to the West Coast, as well as mentoring all of the sales force under him. He has been involved in three business startups, and they are all still running. That is a good start, but Chris is the only one of the conservative candidates with experience in local government and local economic development. He has held a seat on the City Council of Athens since 2012.
The past two years have been extraordinary in terms of what has occurred regarding job growth in Athens/Limestone County, and Chris has been intrinsically involved in the negotiations that brought a much-needed shot in the arm of our local economy. Winning contracts with Carpenter Technology, Remington and others have resulted in a total of 3,000 new jobs. Steelcase has expanded, Turner has expanded, and, as Chris says, “We have an educated, qualified workforce, and a good feeder industry.”There are other large businesses which are in negotiations with the County Commission and the Athens City Council as we speak, and the outlook is good.”
That’s our county, but Lauderdale County has lost 4,000 jobs. This is a great concern to Chris, and in the process of running for office he has spent a good deal of time in Lauderdale listening to potential constituents. Without question, the number one concern he has heard is that of jobs, and if elected, he would be ready to apply the same successful process that has strengthened Limestone County to Lauderdale County.
It is nearly a given in our area that potential legislators will be strong supporters of the 2nd Amendment, and Chris is the only one of the candidates that has a Grade A, the highest possible rating from the NRA. He is pro-life, ardently in support of local control of the public schools, and involved in his church.
Another thing that is noteworthy about Chris is his experience with public service. He grew up in it as a kid clear up to being a young adult, and it was just considered a normal part of giving back and paying it forward. He is planning on having public service be a part of his life for the rest of his life. His health is strong, in terms of age and maturity he is in that “sweet spot” where he already has a goodly amount of experience behind him, and is perfectly poised to serve well the people of North Alabama for as long as they’ll have him. His vision is to see North Alabama develop economically, for healthy communities to grow, to make sure that we get our fair share of the money that is ours for roads and other infrastructure necessities, and to do all that he can to influence our federal legislators to repeal Obamacare and any other expressions of government overreach that we may be facing.
He has found time, or more accurately, has made time to be a coach for his boys’ soccer, basketball and baseball teams. The night of the primary election, Chris was coaching a play off championship game while everyone else was gathered at the Limestone County Event Center to watch election returns. The game went into overtime and then some, and Chris’s son Ben’s team lost by one point. I asked him why he didn’t get someone to fill in for him, and what he said struck me. “I signed up to do a job, and it was important to Ben and to his team. I wanted to demonstrate to the boys that it is important to keep your word, to do what you say you are going to.” On July 15th Chris Seibert would like your vote so he can serve you, and keep on keeping his word.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
