The Alexander City Outlook

Stories of 2010

Political divisions drew the eyes of many readers during 2010. A year of squabbles over gambling, PACT, state budgets and lobbyist control led to a historic changing of the guard in both state and local politics. Dadeville and the Lake Martin area saw both of its seats in the State Legislature change party affiliation as Republicans Rep. Mark Tuggle and Sen. Tom Whatley took the reigns.

The local economy rebounded a bit in 2010 from the effects of the Great Recession. The unemployment rate dropped and some local industries were announced expansions during this calendar year.

Our schools went through many changes this year. Dadeville High School and Reeltown High School are both in the process of receiving facelifts, however schools’ finances remained a struggle.

The year was marred by several deaths in the area. The Dadeville area lost a long-time public servant in commissioner Johnny Allen. More questions than answers still remain about the murder of U.S. Postal Service contract truck driver Tony Harrelson as 2010 comes to a close.

Election

The 2010 gubernatorial general election brought many changes to Tallapoosa County’s political landscape. The heated election also attracted a larger than usual number of voters – 15, 376 compared to 13,377 in 2006.

In a shift that mirrored national politics, more voters voted Republican in local races. Seats that were considered safe for Democrats – county commission, state senator and representative – are now filled by Republicans.

The Nov. 2 election saw the exit of two of the areas longtime legislators when Republican Mark Tuggle defeated Democrat Betty Carol Graham for the District 81 House seat. Republican Tom Whatley defeated Ted Little for the area’s State Senate chair.

Several incumbents held on to their seats, including T.C. Coley in District 1, Frank Tapley in District 3 and Emma Jean Thweatt in District 4. Charles Shaw ran unopposed for District 2, while Dwaine Holt-R won the District 5 seat.

Economy

Unemployment remained high throughout 2010, although the county did see several expansions and milestones for local businesses.

Langley Funeral Home celebrated 100 years of service. The business, which was started in 1910, began as a side-business run from the Langley Furniture Store in Camp Hill.

In the fall, GE Aviation announced it would locate a new plant in Alabama. The William Thweatt Industrial Park was one of three finalists for the plant, but after a two-month selection process, the firm chose to locate in Auburn.

However, 2010 ended on good economic news when Sejin America, located in Thweatt park, announced plans to add 200 jobs to its workforce in the next two years . The company, which manufactures auto parts for Hyundai and KIA, also released its intention to add 72,000 square feet to its production facility. The total expansion investment is expected to be around $7 million.

Tallapoosa County Schools

The last 12 months brought many changes to Tallapoosa County Schools as the ongoing economic recession and multiple years of proration forced school leaders to take tough decisions.

Twenty-one staff members were laid off from the school system in June.

School officials considered closing Edward Bell School in Camp Hill for budget reasons. However, that plan was abandoned when the state House of Representatives passed a larger education budget for the new fiscal year.

Former Dadeville High School principal Carl Stewart and Dadeville Elementary School principal Joe Ross resigned at the end of the school year. In June, the board approved David Sikes as the new principal for DHS and Joe Windle for DES.

Several schools were also renovated during in 2010, including DHS and Reeltown High School.

Local deaths

In 2010, Tallapoosa County witnessed several notable or unusual deaths, as well as the anniversary of an unsolved murder in Camp Hill.

On April 20, County Commissioner Johnny Allen, 69, died of cancer. Allen had served the county for the past 28 years – 16 as a commissioner and 12 as a member of the school board.

On the Fourth of July a 23-year-old Auburn University student drowned in the Sandy Creek area of Lake Martin. Kevin Jang was boating with some friends when he jumped in the water heading for a nearby rope swing and never resurfaced.

Another accident on the lake over the Labor Day weekend claimed the life of Ashley Williams, 26, a native of Gate City, Va., who had recently relocated to Montgomery.

October marked a full year since the murder of Tony Harrelson at the Camp Hill Post Office. The 46-year-old postal service contract worker was on duty when he was shot and killed early in the evening of Oct. 2, 2009. The murder, which remains unsolved, still carries a $100,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.

In the midst of a highly successful season for the DHS Tigers, an unfortunate episode just after a football game against Beauregard claimed the life of one man, injured two other people and resulted in collisions involving five different vehicles. On Oct. 22 local artist Charles Drenon Ozbirn, 64, was behind the wheel of his 2005 Mazda Tribute when he suffered a heart attack that resulted in the chain reaction of fender benders that also involved his car hitting and injuring a 5-year-old little girl and another 40-year-old family member.