By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Thursday, July 5, 2017 veteran State Legislator, Marcel Black (D-Tuscumbia), announced that he will not be running for his eighth term in the Alabama House of Representatives in 2018.
Representative said, “Serving the people of the Shoals as their representative in Montgomery has been a privilege and honor, and I will always be appreciative of the opportunity that they entrusted me with.”
Black said that he has considered his decision for a while and finally concluded that, “if you are beginning to seriously think about leaving Montgomery, it is probably time to do so. For me that time has come.”
Black said he would miss the friendships formed, on both sides of the aisle, with his colleagues and staff in the Legislature, as well as the excitement of campaigning for the office. Black says that while he will miss serving in the Legislature, he looks forward to having more time to spend with his wife, Martha, their children and grandchildren as well as his law practice.
Black said, “I especially wanted to make my decision early enough so that all who may want to seek the office will have sufficient time to decide and plan their various campaigns.”
Black said that he is grateful to both those who supported him these many years, as well as those who didn’t agree with the positions he took or the votes he cast. Black said, “Looking back I don’t agree with every vote I made, either.”
Black was first elected in 1990. He currently serves as the Ranking Minority Member of the powerful House Judiciary Committee. He was the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee back when Democrats still controlled the Alabama House of Representatives. This past session Black and the House Judiciary Committee was tasked with investigating Governor Robert Bentley (R) and whether or not they should recommend the first impeachment of a governor in Alabama history. Bentley resigned on the first day of the Committee’s hearings on impeachment.
Black, 66, has a Bachelor’s degree and a Law degree from the University of Alabama. Representative Black is an attorney in the firm of Black and Hughston, P.C. Black has been married to the former Martha Rose Tubb since 1971. They have two children and four grandchildren.
31 year old businessman, Andrew Sorrell (R) had already announced his decision to run in House District 3. Word that Black will not run again likely means that more candidates will announce that they seek the open seat.
The Shoals area had been a Democratic Party powerbase for decades; but Republican have made deep inroads into the area in recent elections.
