Thursday, Chairman Phillip Green and the Colbert County Republican Executive Committee said in a statement that they are pleased to announce that their inaugural Constitution Day Dinner will be held at the Robert Trent Jones clubhouse in Muscle Shoals on September 17th. The featured speaker will be Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.
Tommy Battle is the Mayor of Huntsville. Huntsville is currently the third largest city in the state of Alabama with a population of 197,318. Huntsville is just 900 persons away from overtaking Montgomery for second and is on a trendline to overtake Birmingham as the largest municipality in the state within five years. There are a number of recent industrial announcements in Huntsville, most notably the Mazda-Toyota manufacturing plant. Blue Origin is building a new rocket engine plant in Huntsville and Huntsville based Dynetics recently announced a government contract to build hypersonic weapon prototypes. The Marshall Space Flight Center was also announced to lead efforts to design and engineer the new NASA lunar lander.
The dinner will be at 7:00 p.m. with the reception beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Tickets start at just $75 for general admission. A table can be purchased for just $600. Cocktail attire.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/constitution-day-dinner-tickets-69289780599?fbclid=IwAR1JpQ5tL_zrWloz8kmMqE51PAb_OezxzbyH_Q8vE8PgYWQgVchqHYo7
The list of sponsors continues to grow and already includes: AL SOS John Merrill, Rep. Robert Aderholt, Rep. Bradley Byrne, AL Sen. Larry Stutts, County Commissioner Tommy Barnes, Commissioner David Black, Commissioner Darol Bendall, Judge Daniel Rosser, Bank Independent and First Metro Bank.
There are still sponsorship opportunities. For Sponsorship availability or to purchase tickets in person, please call 256.762.1714 or email ShoalsGOP@gmail.com.
Thomas “Tommy” M. Battle Jr. was first elected Mayor of Huntsville in 2008 and is presently serving in his third term.
Huntsville leads the state of Alabama in both new jobs and economic investment.
Battle’s stated goal as Mayor is to make the best possible use of Huntsville’s collective brainpower to ensure that the City becomes a global leader in innovation, research and development. GEO, Cyber, Energy and Biotech initiatives work to unite the City’s rich intellectual capital with new opportunities.
Mayor Battle says that Huntsville’s continued success is a result of its ability to think strategically for the long-term. He directed the City’s planning department to enjoin the community in a comprehensive master plan that will shape the city’s future for decades to come. The BIG Picture is tackling planning and quality of life decisions regarding neighborhood revitalization, urban redevelopment, recreation, transportation, design standards, and code and zoning changes.
Battle was born in Birmingham in 1955 and moved to Huntsville in 1980 after receiving a business degree from the University of Alabama. Four years later, he was elected to the Huntsville City Council, where he served as Finance Chair. Battle has had a successful career as an entrepreneur and businessman; and has over 30 years of community service.
Battle is married to the former Eula Sammons, a retired kindergarten teacher. They have one son and two grandchildren.
Battle was a candidate for the GOP nomination for Governor in 2018, ultimately losing to Kay Ivey, who was elevated to the position from Lt. Gov. after Gov. Robert Bentley resigned.
Historically, Colbert County and the Shoals region of the state were Democratic strongholds even well into this century. Much of that has changed in recent years. In the 2016 election, Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. Trump easily carried Colbert County with 67.9 percent of the vote. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) received only 29.6 percent of the votes in Colbert County. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Kay Ivey (R) received 63.1 percent of the vote; while Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter “Walt” Maddox received just 36.9 percent. In both elections, the Republican candidates had higher winning percentages in Colbert County than they did in the state as a whole.
