Cooke seeks Bachus’ seat
By Adam Smith
The North Jefferson News
One of the state’s long-standing political figures will face some tough opposition in the June primary election.
Kimberly pastor Stan Cooke is campaigning to unseat U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-6th District, who has served in Congress for 18 years.
Cooke, 49, was born in Jasper and raised in Sumiton. The married father of two has been the pastor at Kimberly Church of God for the last six years.
“I wanted to run against him [Bachus] in 2006, but the climate wasn’t right,” Cooke said. “It just takes someone to pay attention to the right things and he’s not paying attention to the right things.”
Cooke addressed The North Jefferson Republicans Club Thursday night at Jim ‘N Nick’s in Gardendale. He told those in attendance while Bachus says he’s a Repub-lican, he doesn’t vote like one.
He attacked Bachus’ voting record, which includes co-sponsoring an $845 billion Global Poverty Act bill and voting for the Troubled Asset Relief Program [TARP] and Cash for Clunkers.
“The differences between me and my opponent could not be more obvious,” said Cooke in one campaign hand-out. “I have always been a true conservative and I have never wavered from the American values that have shaped that political philosophy.”
Development
Cooke blames Bachus for road projects — Interstate 459, Corridor X and the Northern Beltline — that remain incomplete.
He believes the 6th District, which includes Jefferson, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Shelby, St. Clair and Tuscaloosa counties, could become the economic engine of the state if those infrastructure projects were finished.
Cooke said Birmingham in particular should be the future hub of economic and industrial development in the state for years to come. At Thursday’s meeting he said it was time to “start thinking differently” and reverse the mindset that said “no” companies like Delta and Ford.
“Alabama over the last three years had one lost workday due to wintertime weather,” Cooke said. “That’s what northern and midwestern businesses are looking for. The downtime is non-existent in Alabama.”
He said completing important infrastructure projects will allow state and national leaders to aggressively recruit new businesses. Two other important factors include reducing taxes on corporations and reducing federal regulations on how those businesses operate.
Earmarks
Earmark regulations are also an important part of Cooke’s message. If elected, he said he will fight to end to how earmarks are introduced into legislation.
He chastised Bachus and Sen. Richard Shelby for adding pet project earmarks into important legislation concerning military and national security.
“Last year alone, he [Bachus] received $13.8 million in earmarks for projects in the 6th District, but half went to Auburn University and to the City of Mobile,” Cooke said. “The money that came here was used on fire trucks, police equipment and was used for political sway. If you’re going to have earmarks, there should be a bill that should be totally different than any other piece of legislation.”
Sewer system
Cooke said Jefferson County government faces a long battle in restoring its image after accumulating a $3.2 billion sewer bond debt. However, he said the federal government has no place in solving the county’s financial problems.
“If the county falls apart, the books will be open,” he said. “That’s what’s fair to the taxpayer.”
If elected, Cooke said he may be able to secure funding to have sewer service installed in Kimberly and Morris.
“Kimberly is struggling right now because it has no tax base,” he said. “If we want to attract more businesses, we need sewer service.”
For more information on Cooke and his campaign, visit www.votestan.com.