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State Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, the expected next Speaker of the Alabama House, announced on Wednesday his second round of expected appointments should he go on to be elected by the full House.
He intends to appoint State Rep. Randall Shedd, R-Fairview, to chair the Transportation, Utilities, and Infrastructure Committee; State Rep. Jim Carns, R-Vestavia Hills, as chair of the Commerce and Small Business Committee; State Rep. Margie Wilcox, R-Mobile, as chair of the Boards, Agencies and Commissions Committee; State Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens, as chair of the Agriculture and Forestry Committee; and State Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Montgomery, as chair of the County and Municipal Government Committee.
Because Republicans hold a 77-member supermajority in the Alabama House, Ledbetter’s selection as the GOP Speaker nominee is considered by many to be tantamount to election.
“From rural to urban areas, from employers to employees, and from tradesmen to consumers, the collective decisions made by these committees affect every Alabamian in some manner,” Ledbetter said. “All of these individuals have my full faith and confidence, and I am certain they will always work on behalf of the citizens each of us seek to serve .”
Prior to his election to the Alabama House in 2013, Shedd served as chairman of the Cullman County Commission and as mayor of Fairview. He was also employed as the director of the Cullman County Commission on Aging and has been a strong advocate for senior citizens and their needs as a member of the House.
Shedd previously chaired the House Urban and Rural Development Committee and was vice chair of the House Children and Senior Advocacy Committee.
Carns, a businessman with experience in manufacturing, chaired the House Commerce and Small Business Committee in the previous quadrennium and will retain that assignment under Ledbetter.
He served in the Alabama House from 1990 to 2006 and returned to the body following a special legislative election in 2011. Carns also held a seat on the Jefferson County Commission from 2006 to 2010.
Elected to the Alabama House in a special election in 2014, Wilcox, whose committee will be responsible for overseeing, reviewing, and renewing roughly 100 occupational licensure boards and other agencies across Alabama, is a businesswoman who has been involved in the Mobile area transportation industry for many years.
She previously served as vice chair of the House County and Municipal Government Committee and also held a seat on the Boards, Agencies, and Commissions Committee that she will soon lead.
Wilcox currently chairs the Legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee and the Joint License Plate Oversight Committee.
Crawford chaired the House Agriculture and Forestry Committee in the previous quadrennium and will also keep his assignment.
Elected to the Alabama House in a 2016 special election, Crawford previously served on the Athens City Council from 1993 to 2005.
He was employed with the Farm Service Agency for 33 years and was appointed state director by President George W. Bush in 2001.
Ingram, who was elected to the Alabama House in 2014, was originally appointed chairman of the County and Municipal Government Committee in 2018 and will continue to hold that post in the current quadrennium.
He previously served as vice chair of the committee, as well.
The owner and operator of a popular restaurant, farmers’ market, and entertainment venue in Montgomery, Ingram served as a member of the Montgomery County Commission from 2004 to 2014.
