By Scott Turner
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey appointed former Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon Madison County Commission chairman on Tuesday.
“Speaker McCutcheon, who I have worked with for many years, is a proven leader, well-equipped to take the helm at the Madison County Commission, and I am proud to appoint him,” Ivey said.
McCutcheon replaces Dale Strong, who resigned his position Jan. 2 to become the 5th Congressional District’s representative in Congress. McCutcheon will preside over his first Commission meeting Wednesday.
“I know the people in that area are thrilled to have Mac continue serving Madison County,” Ivey said. “I am confident this part of our state will keep thriving thanks to the good work by all who serve on the Commission.”
McCutcheon retired from the House last year after six years as speaker and 16 years representing a north Alabama district in Madison and Limestone counties.
McCutcheon became Speaker of the House when Mike Hubbard was removed from office because of ethics violations that summer, one of several scandals rocking the state Republican party at the time.
McCutcheon chaired the House Rules Committee, the panel that decides which bills come up for a vote. He loved that role and urged others to run for speaker, the top job in the House. But some colleagues saw the one-time police hostage negotiator as the lawmaker who could unite a fractured GOP caucus.
“I’m not the sharpest guy, I’m an old country boy, a police officer,” McCutcheon told AL.com last summer. “But I do care about people. And we were so fragmented because of all the stuff that had happened. We had the majority. But we had factions within the majority. And we needed to come back together as a body and work together. And I really felt like that maybe I might could make a difference in that area.”
McCutcheon’s appointment drew praise from Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.
“We just hit the ground running working with Chairman McCutcheon,” the mayor posted on Twitter. “An excellent choice by the governor. He knows the issues important to HSV, and has unparalleled connections in Montgomery. We spoke about continuing the North AL tradition of teamwork and cooperative leadership.”
District 4 Commissioner Phil Vandiver and District 5 Commissioner Phil Riddick also applied for the appointment as chairman.
District 2 Commissioner Steve Haraway presided over the Commission meeting on Jan. 18. He said all of the commissioners carried out the chairman’s duties during the vacancy.
Although the Commission conducted business as usual, commissioners at previous meetings said the appointment of the new chairman is expected to impact pending issues such as the construction of a new county courthouse expected to cost more than $65 million and the distribution of $36 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding.
In his final meeting as chairman, Strong suggested using some of the funding to establish broadband internet in unincorporated areas of the county and for the new courthouse construction.
