On June 6th Alabama voters go the polls to choose candidates for Governor and vote on a Constitutional Amendment defining marriage. Tuesday, May 30th, at 6:30 p.m. we took your questions and comments about the election, the legislature, and political reform. Join us for a live call-in with special guests:
NATALIE DAVIS is currently Professor of Political Science at Birmingham-Southern College. In addition to her academic responsibilities, Natalie owns VOIR DIRE, INC., a jury consulting firm, specializing in mock trials, focus groups, and juror research. For many years, she has conducted political polls and market research surveys. That work continues with her other firm, DAVIS & ASSOCIATES. A commentator on Alabama and Southern politics, she has been a regular WBHM, CNN’s ‘CNN & COMPANY’, and Alabama Public Television’s “For the Record.” Over the years, she has provided election night coverage for all of Birmingham’s local television stations. Davis is a regular on WBHM (Alabama’s public radio station), where she discusses Alabama’s legislative progress. Natalie has been active statewide in the education reform movement and in local community programs dealing with youth development and homelessness. She has been a recipient of many honors and awards, including “Career Woman of the Year,” and one of Birmingham’s “Top Ten Women.”
BILLY JOE CAMP is a native of Cullman County, Alabama where he grew up on a small farm. Billy Joe received degrees in Business Administration and Political Science form the University of North Alabama, and served in the U.S. Army for nine years before starting a career in politics. In 1971 he was appointed to the Alabama Governor’s cabinet and eventually held posts, including Press Secretary, Executive Secretary, Legislative Liaison, Director of Foreign Trade and Director of the Alabama Development Office, in two administrations in Montgomery. Camp has also served as Secretary of State of Alabama and President of the Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC), both statewide elected offices. Camp is widely credited with bringing the Mercedes-Benz M-Class assembly plant to Tuscaloosa. After leaving state government, B.J. (as he’s known) worked with the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama as director of that organization’s successful recruitment arm and now heads World Business Advisors, LLC, which is headquartered in Birmingham. He works with companies and organizations literally throughout the world to meet business challenges, including location decisions.
BRIAN LYMAN covers the state capitol for the Anniston Star. He previously worked at newspapers in Pittsburgh and Connecticut.
GARY PALMER helped co-found the Alabama Family Alliance, now called the Alabama Policy Institute, in 1989. Prior to that, he was employed by Rust International in cost analysis, and prior to that with Combustion Engineering in the environmental systems division. Palmer has served as a member of the Birmingham News Board of Contributors and the Heritage Foundation’s Resource Bank – a national resource of public policy experts. He is also past-president of the State Policy Network – a national network of state-based public policy organizations. His weekly column, Viewpoints, which is now in its 10th year, ran in over 60 newspapers in Alabama in 2005. It is featured regularly throughout the nation as well, in such publications as The Hawaii Reporter, CitizenLink, a publication of Focus on the Family; Military.com; the TexasInsider; SPN News; and a number of other internet blogs and websites, including a Special Forces website, the Free Republic, and the Heritage Foundation site. The column on litigation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina was cited in the Washington Post. He has also been interviewed by numerous in-state radio and television broadcasters, including Barry Bagnato of CBS Radio News on Social Security reform, Dan Gilgoff, an associate editor of U.S. News and World Report on the future of the conservative movement and the impact, the Wall Street Journal and Denver Post on taxes, and The Associated Press on a variety of topics.
