By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Former Police Chief Rex Reynolds announced that he is a candidate for the Alabama House of Representative District 21 seat in the Special Election as a Republican.
“Our District is unique, covering farms and neighborhoods to the north, though a thriving downtown district, and in to Southeast Huntsville”, Reynolds said. “I feel I have the unique skill set to serve all of District 21, given my childhood home place, my schools, my service to the city, running a small business, and farming.”
Reynolds is a former Police Chief, Public Safety Director, and City Administrator.
Gov. Kay Ivey has set a special election for Jan. 9, 2018, due to the sudden death of state Rep. Jim Patterson, who formerly held that seat.
Reynolds retired from the city of Huntsville in 2013, after serving 34 years in Law Enforcement, Public Safety, and Administration. Reynolds holds a Master’s Degree from Auburn University Montgomery in Justice and Public Safety Administration.
Reynolds became the president of Sharp Communication in 2015, and has a cattle farm in Hazel Green. Reynolds, 58, and is a native of Huntsville, growing up in the district to which he seeks to serve.
Reynolds lived in Northeast Huntsville, where the local baseball park is named after his father, Royce Reynolds, who died in 1980 of Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He is a member of Jackson Way Baptist Church.
He is married to the former Mary Fennell. They have two sons and two grandsons. Rex enjoys being a grandfather, a farmer, and now in small business, but feels he continues to have the energy and willingness to serve the public.
Reynolds serves on the boards of Boys and Girls Club, Crime Stoppers, Partnership for a Drug Free Community, and the Madison County Alternative Sentencing Board. In 2014, he received the Legislative appointment to the Madison County Judicial Commission. In 2017, Rex was appointed as a representative to the Alabama Retired State Employees Association.
Chief Reynolds wants to continue to serve the district, and carry on Rep. Patterson’s legacy in the Alabama Legislature and feels that his years of community service has exposed him to many of the needs of the district.
Reynolds says that he looks forward to engaging in the conversation about how we best position Alabama for continued growth, recruiting jobs and workforce development. With growth comes a continued focus on education, jobs, roads and infrastructure, and social services to serve those most vulnerable in our communities.
Quality of life is also important to Rex, it starts with having a safe community, and creating a positive environment to work, live and play.
The major party primaries will be on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018.
If a major party runoff is necessary it will be on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. The Special General Election would then be on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. If there is only one major candidate for each major party and no need for a primary, the General Election will be held Tuesday, March 27, 2018. If there is a primary but no runoff is needed, the General Election will be Tuesday, March 27, 2018.
The deadline for qualifying with major political parties is Thursday, October 26, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. The deadline for all independent candidates and/or minor parties is Tuesday, January 9, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. House District 21 represents a portion of Madison County.
This election is for the remainder of Jim Patterson’s term which expires at the end of 2018. The legislator for the next four years will be chosen in the November 2018 regular general election. The major party primaries for that election are on June 5, 2018. Because the Legislative Session starts in early January, there is a strong possibility that whomever wins the Special Election will not be in place for any of the 2018 regular session. They would however be the legislator in any summer or early fall Special Session, even if they did not win their June regular election primary race.
