GOP selects new leader

Former Republican Party Chairman Bill Floyd says he will remain deeply involved in local party matters, but strictly in a behind-the-scenes sense, with no plans to run for public office in the future.

After eight years serving as the Republican Party chairman, Floyd did not run for re-election Saturday, when the local political group voted on new officers.

“I was just ready for someone else to take the reigns and drive the party forward,” Floyd said Monday, “and I support the new leadership 100 percent.”

In his place, the County Executive Committee of Republicans elected Joyce West, the former President of the Alabama Federation of Republican Women, to lead the party.

West, who is an Alabama native, but lived in Michigan for 35 years, led the state women’s federation for four years. She also served eight years on the National Federation of Republican Women and is a former treasurer for the Cullman County Republican Party.

She is also a former president of the Cullman County Republican Women.

In an interview Monday, West said she doesn’t have any major changes in store for the party in the immediate future, but she wanted to start a number of new committees to focus on the 2008 election.

“Time is slipping by,” she said.

Possible new committees for the party include a bylaws committee, a special committee to concentrate on getting county Republicans more involved in local politics and a committee to seek prospective candidates for local and state races.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” she said.

Also during the executive meeting Saturday, David Chambers was elected as the party’s new vice chairman. Chambers ran for circuit clerk in the previous election, losing by a margin of 5.32 percent to incumbent Robert Bates. Chambers has operated his own construction business for 10 years and a commercial leasing business for five years.

As secretary, the party elected former Superintendent of County Schools Nancy Carnell Horton, who after four years in charge of the school system, was narrowly defeated in the last election by Democrat Hank Allen by a margin of less than 100 votes.

Horton is now the guidance counselor at the Cullman County Alternative School.

Finally, Brenda Horn was re-elected as the local party’s treasurer. Horn is currently an employee at the Cullman City Industrial Development Agency.