Bob Riley

Robert Renfroe "Bob" Riley (born October 3, 1944) is an American politician in the Republican Party. He is the current Governor of Alabama, first elected in 2002, and re-elected during the 2006 mid-term election.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Riley was born in Ashland, Alabama, a small town in Clay County where his family ranched and farmed for six generations. Riley attended the University of Alabama, graduating with a degree in business administration. Riley is married to Patsy Adams Riley, also from Ashland. The couple has four children and four grandchildren. As Governor, he is a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors' Association, and the Republican Governors Association.

Riley was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996, defeating his Democratic opponent, State Senator T.D. "Ted" Little (Auburn, Ala.) and Libertarian John Sophocleus. Riley served as a representative from 1997 to 2003.

2002 Gubernatorial election

Riley did not run for re-election to the House in November 2002 (as a supporter of term limits, he imposed a three-term limit on himself), instead running for Governor of Alabama and defeating the Democratic incumbent, Don Siegelman by one of the narrowest margins in Alabama history. A voting machine malfunction showed Siegelman winning the election, but the corrected totals of the votes cast in Baldwin County gave Riley the victory. The corrected totals were confirmed as matching the voter sign-in sheets as well as the tapes on the machines recording the actual number of ballots cast.

Amendment One

In the first year of his administration, Riley proposed "Amendment One", which would have made sweeping changes to the state's tax system. The plan essentially consisted of income tax breaks for the lowest income brackets, offset by numerous tax hikes on consumers and some upper income earners. Riley presented his plan in Christian terms, arguing that the existing system was unfair to the poor. The plan would have resulted in an overall tax increase of $1.2 billion per year.<ref>[1] This citation is unverified</ref> Many conservatives attacked the plan on the basis of the tax increases included in the plan. While Riley's plan enjoyed liberal support, some liberals criticized the plan for giving tax breaks to large corporations, such as Alabama Power Company. The plan was rejected by voters on September 9, 2003, with 68 percent opposed. This was largely due to massive negative advertising financed by opponents of the proposal, including the Alabama branch of the Christian Coalition. While studies of the plan by economists and accountants showed that a majority of Alabamians would see lower overall taxes under the plan, polls showed that a majority of Alabamians - apparently influenced by opponents' advertising - thought their personal taxes would be higher under the plan.

While Riley's Amendment One was soundly rejected by Alabama voters, it did gain him national recognition. For his leadership in addressing the state’s fiscal crisis, Governor Riley was named the “Public Official of the Year” by Governing magazine <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in 2003, and Time magazine hailed him for being one of the nation’s “most courageous politicians.”<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Industrial development

Riley has claimed credit for helping to spur economic development in Alabama. He points to the opening of an aeronautics engineering facility in Mobile by EADS, the parent company of Airbus, which may ripen into an aircraft assembly plant if EADS secures future contracts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Riley's critics have pointed out that Riley has failed to emulate the success of predecessors, such as Siegelman - during whose administration the Hyundai plant was successfully recruited <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> - and Jim Folsom, Jr., in securing automotive manufacturing plants. Specifically, when Kia announced in March 2006 it would build a maunfucturing plant in Georgia, <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Riley was criticized by Siegelman, <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> for Alabama's failure to mount a serious bid for the plant.

Under Riley's administration, unemployment in Alabama fell from 5.3% in January, 2003 when Riley took office to 3.3% in March, 2006 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>. This rate was the lowest ever recorded since statistics began being tracked in 1976 and was among the nations lowest.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Critics have claimed that recent developments are a consequence of national economic recovery and pointed to the loss of thousands of Alabama's historic textile jobs under Riley. Nevertheless, the state under Riley's administration was recognized as "State of the Year" by Southern Business and Development magazine four years in a row and received other awards for competitiveness, job creation and economic development.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Among other honors, Worldwide Interactive Network named the Alabama Office of Workforce Development the No. 1 U.S. employee development agency and Expansion Management magazine has ranked Alabama Industrial Development Training No. 1 among workforce training programs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Riley's Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel received the National Council of State Tourism Directors' annual Mercury Award recognizing its "Year of Alabama Food" as the nation's top tourism campaign.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other issues

In 2005, Governor Riley was criticized by some Mobile County residents after issuing that area of the state a "mandatory" evacuation order in advance of Hurricane Dennis's landfall. Residents felt the issue was better addressed during Hurricane Katrina using a layered approach with sections of the county evacuated instead of the entire county.

On August 28, 2005, Governor Riley declared a state of emergency for the approaching Hurricane Katrina. On the same day, he requested president George W. Bush to declare "expedited major disaster declaration" for six counties of south Alabama, which was approved by the evening of August 29. 350 national guardsmen were called on duty as of August 30.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On November 9, 2005 Riley called for a citizens' boycott of Aruba, alleging that the local government was engaged in a cover-up of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In November 2005, Riley was linked to the Jack Abramoff scandal when his former Congressional press secretary, Michael Scanlon, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the matter. It further emerged that, as a Congressman, Riley signed a letter on behalf of the U.S. Family Network, opposing expansion of casino gambling in Alabama.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The U.S. Family Network was revealed to be an Abramoff front, funded by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, which operated competing casinos.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Riley has denied knowing the source of this funding.

Recently, American Idol winner Taylor Hicks inducted Riley and his wife into the Soul Patrol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2006 Re-election campaign

In 2003, Alabama state politics gained national attention when the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Roy Moore, refused to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the rotunda of the court building. Riley reportedly supported Moore, but ultimately did not play a large role in the dispute. Riley stated there was nothing he could do to prevent Moore from being removed from office by a judicial ethics panel. Moore challenged Riley in the June 6, 2006 GOP primary, but Riley easily prevailed, garnering about 2/3 of the vote.

In May 10, 2005, Riley's approval ratings were 36% approving and 52% disapproving of his job as governor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>. By September 20, 2005, Riley’s approval ratings had increased substantially to 58 percent approving and 38% disapproving <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>. Analysis of this increase seems to indicate that it may be attributed to the public’s perception of Riley’s response to Hurricane Katrina. By February 14, 2006, Riley's approval ratings had slightly decreased, with 52% approving and 43% disapproving of his job as governor<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>. As of August, 2006, his approval rating is at 62% with a disapproval rating of 35%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 2006, a Birmingham radio talk show publicized Riley's membership in the all-white Grand Lodge of Alabama, a governing body of Freemasons. The issue was explored in a widely-published Associated Press article where Riley and other Grand Lodge members denied that the group discriminates. While Grand Lodge Master, Frank Little said he knows of no blacks among its 32,000+ members statewide, he vowed in the AP article to dissolve any lodge that barred their admission.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Property tax appraisals became a major campaign issue with Riley's opponents claiming that Riley, acting through his revenue commissioner, ordered that property tax appraisals be made annually, rather than the quadrennial reappraisals that were established practice. Because property values tend to increase over time, making appraisals more frequent has the indirect effect of increasing the taxes paid by property owners. Riley's opponents claimed that by doing so, he raised taxes without a vote of either the Legislature or the people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Riley claims he is merely following the language of the law, and the advice of his <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>attorneys.

Citing Riley's string of successes and an administration without controversy, scandal and indictment, Riley received the endorsement of every daily newspaper in Alabama. The Anniston Star commented that Riley's record is "perhaps the best of any governor in 30 years."[2]

See Alabama gubernatorial election, 2006.

Electoral history

• 2006 Race for Governor - Primary Election
  • Bob Riley (R) (inc.) - 306,665 - 66.66%
  • Roy Moore (R) - 153,354 - 33.34%

• 2002 Race for Governor - General Election
  • Bob Riley (R) - 672,225 - 49.2%
  • Don Siegelman (D) (inc.) - 669,105 - 48.9%
  • John Sophocleus (Libertarian) - 23,272 - 1.7%
  • write in - 2,451 - .2%

• 2002 Race for Governor - Primary Election
  • Bob Riley (R) - 262,851 - 73.53%
  • Steve Windom (R) - 63,775 - 17.45%
  • Tim James (R) - 30,871 - 8.64%

See Alabama gubernatorial election, 2002.

References

• "Bob R. Riley." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 8 Nov 2006, 20:55 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 8 Nov 2006 [3].

External links

• Official Governor's Website [4]
• Official Campaign Website [5]

Preceded by: Don Siegelman	Governor of Alabama 2003 - present	Succeeded by: '
Preceded by: Glen Browder	U. S. Congress, 3rd Congressional District of Alabama 1997 - 2003	Succeeded by: Mike Rogers