By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Wednesday, June 22, 2016, State Representative Bill Poole (R-Tuscaloosa) was named the Alabama House Legislative Leader of the Year by the Alabama Association of Conservation Districts (AACD) at a recent award ceremony in Poole’s home district.
Rep. Poole was received the recognition for his dedicated service, leadership, and assistance to all citizens for the wise use of Alabama’s natural resources.
Poole is serving in his second term in the Alabama House of Representatives representing District 63, which covers a portion of Tuscaloosa County.
Poole is the Chairman of the Alabama House Finance Taxation and Education Committee which prepares the budget for the Education Trust Fund which funds the K-12 Foundation program, higher education, and other important services such as workforce development. Poole is also the Tuscaloosa County Legislative Delegation Chair.
Poole grew up in rural Dayton in Marengo County where he learned the economic impact of agriculture and the positive benefit of conservation districts on the Alabama economy.
Rep. Poole said, “I’ve seen first-hand in rural Alabama how much of an impact agriculture has on a community. It hurts the economy and our citizens when those industries decrease. You have my support to help ensure that we protect those businesses and jobs.”
Alabama Soil & Water Conservation Committee (SWCC) Executive Director Bill Puckett thanked Rep. Poole for his leadership in the Alabama Legislature and successes in Tuscaloosa County. Puckett said, “We recognize he has a difficult task, but thanks to his commitment to conservation and educating our communities about using natural resources wisely, our agency continued to serve farmers, land users, and students in each county across the state. As a result, in Tuscaloosa County, alone, we were able to bring in $1 million from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to help the land and support Alabama’s number 1 industry – agriculture.”
AACD President Laslie Hall commended Rep. Poole for his accessibility and service to constituents. Hall said, “Rep. Poole has been very inclusive and has worked well with our members. We are an organization made up of many partners. His partnership and participation in the Legislature adds to our success.”
Representative Bill Poole was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in November 2, 2010, as part of the historic 2010 Republican class that swept away 135 years of Democratic control,
Poole is a graduate of the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama School of Law. He has been a general practice attorney in Tuscaloosa since 2004. Poole and his wife Niccole have three children. They attend First United Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa.
Poole has been mentioned as a possible candidate for Speaker of the House; though several sources say that Poole does not want the demands of the Speaker’s job.
The Speaker of the House position became vacant on June 10, 2016 when the previous speaker, former Rep. Mike Hubbard (R from Auburn) was found guilty on twelve counts of felony ethics violations.
AACD is the unified voice of all 67 conservation districts across the State.
