Below is the transcript from The Tribune’s Q&A session with District 11 candidate Heath Allbright on Saturday, May 10.
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Noah Galilee (NG): Hello and welcome. Thank you for joining us for tonight’s special forum for the Alabama House District 11 race. This event is presented by the Cullman Tribune, Cullman County’s only accredited local news outlet, and a proud host of candidate debates since 2020. I’m Noah Galilee, publisher of the Cullman Tribune and our moderator for this evening. While this was originally planned as a debate, one of the candidates, Don Fallin, declined our invitation to participate. Although both the candidates attended the recent Chamber and Cullman GOP forums, only Heath Allbright agreed to take questions in this setting. As a result, tonight’s format will shift from a debate to a 101 Q&A session with Mr. Allbright, giving voters the opportunity to hear directly from the candidate willing to engage in this public dialogue. Good evening.
Heath Allbright (HA): Hey, sir, how are you doing today?
NG: Doing well, and yourself, sir?
HA: Yes, sir, above average.
NG: Alright. And, um, would you like to start off by just telling us a little bit about yourself and why you decided to get into this race?
HA: Yes, sir. I I’m Heath Allbright. I’m running for House seat District 11. Uh, I’m a lifelong resident of Holly Pond, Alabama. Raised there by my mother after my father passed away when I was eight years old. I’m married to my wife, Brienne. We’ve been married 18 years. We have two children, Kate and Lily. Kate’s 16, Lily is 14. They both attend Holly Pond High School. Uh, my wife is in her 20th year teaching there, and we both met there in the eighth grade. We dated through high school and through college and, um, are married now. Um, also, 15 years ago, I started my business, Brighton Forestry Services, which operates in North Alabama and Eastern Mississippi. And I recently finished my second term on the Board of Education in Cullman County. That ended in December of 2024.
NG: Wow. So, it’s safe to say you know a lot about Cullman County and the ins and outs of what’s going on.
HA: Yes, yes, sir. Lifelong resident. I’ve never had a different address other than Holly Pond, USA.
NG: Alright. Well, we’re going to get into some other questions, and we’re going to start with this. Um, how will you ensure government transparency and keep constituents informed about your work in Montgomery?
HA: Well, thanks for that. I I mean, luckily, I have, like I just said, never had a different address than Holly Pond, USA, and, um, just knowing the people in Cullman and Blount County and serving them in several different capacities, my cell phone has been on Google through business or through the Board of Education for several, several years, and I have a good relationship with the people here just because I’ve lived here.
NG: Alright. And we’re going to go to education. Something I think you’re a little familiar with. Um, given your background in education and community service, what will you do to bolster funding for public schools in District 11 and ensure our rural schools get their fair share of state resources? What specific policies would you advocate?
HA: Well, first off, when I was on the Board of Education, and I can’t take 100% credit for this, we had a great board and a great superintendent that we were able to work through, but in the time of my time on the Board of Education, we was able to raise our graduation and career and college ready percentages from the low 80s up until the 98th, 99th percentile. Um, all the while, we were able to complete over 70 million dollars of capital projects across our district. A big thing going on right now, and it was in, um, when I was on the Board of Education, is career ready rather than just college ready. Uh, there’s a lot of kids that are out there now that that their pathway to success is just not going to a university. And so, we were able to bolster uh programs at the career center, which was one of my schools that I was over, um, that that made these kids career ready. They wouldn’t just graduating high school and wondering what they were doing. They had already grasped onto a career and was able to graduate with a certificate that gave them a high paying job after that. Uh, recently, um, Cullman County Board of Education has, uh, adopted the Option B uh pathway, which means that these kids are going to be able to take, um, less upper level classes and use those hours towards a career pathway, in which I think is very important and Alabama is going that way now and I want to be a big part of that.
NG: That all sounds great and thank you for answering. Um, that actually kind of leads us to our next question, which involves workforce. Uh, what is your strategy to attract new employers and industries to District 11? And, for example, would you promote industrial parks or enhance job training programs at institutions like Wallace State or through the high school system? And how will you keep young people working locally?
HA: Well, that’s a great question as well. Uh, we had a have a great relationship with Wallace State down there, and they have partnered with us greatly over the years and, um, bolstering a lot of these these programs. I mean, if you’re if you’re trying to bring businesses to our area, we have all the stuff here, and I think you can see in the last 10 years that that Cullman has kind of exploded and became a destination for people to work here. Um, obviously, you have to have all the infrastructure there, which is uh, roads, um, water, sewer, power, and broadband is a big thing now. Um, and I think if we continue pushing our kids into the careers that they choose rather than educating them in a different way, then we can keep people working here.
NG: Alright. Um, well, that brings us to infrastructure. Oddly enough. Um, what will you do, uh, to improve roads, bridges, and utility services, especially in rural areas? Which projects would you prioritize and how would you help secure the funding?
HA: Well, securing the funding is one thing, but there’s several projects out there right now that are kind of hot button issue. You know, Lieutenant Governor Ainsworth is, um, has made public that he is wanting to uh, six lane I65 uh from the Tennessee border all the way to the to the coast. And as you know, if you ever get on the interstate around here in in Cullman, especially around the 299 exit, I mean, it can be very, very bad. Um, also, our local bridges, we’ve got some bridges that cross Duck River on 278. There’s been several deaths here recently because of that. Um, also, the, um, the widening of 278, you know, it’s been planned for the last two decades to four lane 278 from uh Cullman all the way to Gadsden, and in places, it has happened, but, um, I believe that it it needs to happen. I think as far as securing funding would be being able to take a business mind too much, Guy and working with everybody down there to find a solution to the problems that we have with our roads and bridges.
NG: Okay. Well, that leads us to a kind of a hot button topic lately is, uh, we recently released an article called Who’s Paying Whom? and it’s just a deep dive into each, uh, political opponent’s, uh, background and, um, who is funding them. And so, there’s been a lot of, uh, talk about some of the donors that you have, and so we have a question about that. Um, would you please tell us a bit about your donors, and, you know, there has been some talk claiming you’re a Montgomery plant. Um, could you please tell us about these donors, and what those relationships mean to Cullman County if you’re elected?
HA: Sure. Well, I mean, um, being handpicked by Montgomery is kind of laughable or an establishment candidate. Um, I mean, I was raised in Holly Pond by a single mom. I’ve been very fortunate in my life to be able to start a business and operate a business that has been successful. Um, the people that have contributed to my campaign are directly connected to our district. I have uh, received donations from Alpha, um, and you know how many farmers we have here and how many, um, how big of an impact farmers have on our state and our district. I’ve also received money from people like, um, the Alabama Association of Realtors, um, the Grocer’s Association. Uh, several of these people that have donated to me are directly in our district. They’re in our towns, and, um, they have donated to me because, uh, you know, I know them and I’ve worked with them in the past, and I want to continue working with them, and I appreciate their support so much.
NG: Alright. And that leads us to the economy, uh, specifically tax relief and cost of living. Uh, many working families feel squeezed by high cost and taxes. Uh, should Alabama adjust its tax policy, such as reducing the grocery tax, uh, which they’ve recently, uh, took 1% off, um, or expanding credits? If not, how else would you help boost working family stability here?
HA: Well, it directly tied to taxes and regulations. Being a business owner, uh, there’s a regulation for regulation and also being a family man, I I’ve got a son that’s 16, a daughter that’s 14, and I’m raising a family in this district as well. Um, it’s tough out there right now, and through the business side of it, when you have to look at taxes like a cost of sales, when you have to pay, um, your personal tax, your and then your corporate tax, and then you have to pay property tax, um, there’s a tax for everything that’s out there, and I’m all about keeping more money in our pockets and keeping the government out of them, because that’s going to be benefit me and my family and our district. And I really believe that our district can thrive, our country can thrive if the government’s out of our pockets and there’s more money in them.
NG: And, uh, just as a follow-up for that, would you, um, support cutting the, uh, grocery tax down by half or even more?
HA: Yes, absolutely, I would. I mean, that that’s food on our tables and people need to be able to buy food and be able to, um, afford to do that just by keeping more money in their pocket.
NG: Okay. We’re going to move on to health care, uh, specifically mental health and addiction. Um, some District 11 residents have limited access to mental health and addiction services. What will you do to help expand access in that area?
HA: Well, my mother was a counselor for uh 41 years, uh at Holly Pond and, uh, working through the schools. It is a very, very serious uh topic where people don’t have the services that they need, and I would meet with everybody involved and try to work with them to find uh solutions to the problems that those people face.
NG: Alright. And, uh, that will lead us to environmental and rural issues. Uh, we’re going to talk about environmental protection. Given the district’s rural character, what policies will you advocate to protect natural resources, promote sustainable agriculture, and address local environmental concerns?
HA: Well, as far as the environmental concerns goes, I mean, we have we live in District 11 that it’s absolutely beautiful and I think that’s why people are moving here now is because we have been able to keep it rural and protect our streams and our and our rivers, and I would do everything that I could to protect that. Um, I mean, as far as, uh, you know, the farming uh goes, that goes back to your regulation question where, um, our farmers need some breaks on regulations and on taxes, and I believe if we’re able to do that, then our farmers can thrive.
NG: And to follow up on that, uh, with the farmers, what would be a couple of instances, uh, that would help them, uh, thrive that if you could get down there and kind of break away some of the taxes for those farmers?
HA: Well, I mean, you know, there’s taxes on, um, every product that they buy. I mean, it from their fuel to uh, their equipment, to the seeds that they’re buying to put in the ground, to the uh chemical products that they buy to, um, try to help their crops grow. And if there was some sort of relief one way or the other, I mean, these guys are taking a risk planning something that is going to feed us in turn and taking a risk by planning that that product and not knowing if it’s going to pay them. And I think if we could help our farmers in that fashion, then I think it would help them to be more profitable.
NG: Well, that is actually all of the questions we had for today, uh, because like we said, we planned for a debate, but we’re glad that you came in for this question and answer session, and we’ll leave the floor open for any closing statements that you’d like to make and feel free.
HA: Very good. Well, um, I think my whole life has been the definition of State Representative for House seat District 11. I’ve served this district in many capacities, as a church officer, as a community member, as a board of education member, and as a business owner. And I want to continue that service as your next state rep. Um, don’t forget Tuesday is the big day to go vote. I humbly ask for your vote. And I’d like to say Happy Mother’s Day to my mother, my wife, and all the mothers. Thank you.
NG: Alright, thank you, sir, and thank you again for showing up. And again, everybody, the polls are open on Tuesday and, you know, whichever way you decide, make sure you get out and vote.
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