GULF SHORES — Over a dozen candidates for various offices attended a candidate showcase Tuesday at Meyer Civic Center in Gulf Shores.
A handful of constituents attended the event, along with candidates and their families.
WFUZ-TV hosted the free event, promising "no long speeches, no boring questions about infrastructure and no shoddy microphones."
Lieutenant governor candidate Nicole Jones Wadsworth was first up, and when asked what issues she has heard about while traveling across the state, she said that she wants "to help Alabamians in the areas of industry recruitment and retention, workforce development, statewide infrastructure improvements, rural health care, and public safety."
Wadsworth also spoke about the Port of Mobile. She said she has lived and worked in the private sector, which she said sets her apart from her opponents.
"It makes a difference when you're not tied down to political games, and you really have a heart to make our state better," Wadsworth said. "That's what I want to do – build a better Alabama. So, I'm here today to ask for your vote."
Austin Sidwell, running for Congressional District 1, spoke about his military service and his motivation to run for office.
"I think the American people are feeling this moment," Sidwell said. "There's a moment right now where we're all tired of politicians that are bought and paid for. Politicians that don't actually put our interests first. I've got a 15-year-old, an 8-year-old, and a 4-year-old, and I cannot look at them and not do my part to ensure that they have the same opportunity of the American dream that I had."
Both candidates for Baldwin County Circuit Judge Place 7, Jeremiah Giles and Kristi Hagood, were in attendance. Both addressed how their experience has prepared them for the job.
"The main three [qualifications] I can think of are experience, fairness, and integrity, and I think I've demonstrated throughout my career that I'll bring all three of those to the table," said Giles. "I think if people go out and do their research, they're going to see that I'm the most qualified candidate in the race. I've handled criminal and civil cases. I've handled criminal cases on both sides. I've done different parts of civil cases from both sides."
"With the experience of a prosecutor, moving into the role of a judge where justice is the goal seems like a pretty natural fit," said Hagood. "Then the other reason why I think I'm also very qualified for this is I've actually worked for judges. When we lived in North Louisiana, I worked for the appellate court there. And so there, I had to read trial transcripts. I had to look at what the defense said, what did the prosecution say, and I had to write opinions to make recommendations for the judges. So, I've actually worked in that role."
Other candidates who took the stage were Public Service Commission Place 2 candidate Jim Zeigler, State Senate District 32 candidate Mike Van, State House District 95 candidate Elijah Davidson, District Court Judge candidate Grant Blackburn, Baldwin County Sheriff candidate Matt McKenzie and Baldwin County Schools Board of Education candidate Whitney Scapecchi.
Baldwin County Commission candidates on stage were District 2 candidate Kyle Henderson, District 3 incumbent Billie Jo Underwood and challengers Kevin Brock and Philip Dembowski and District 4 candidates Brett Gaar, Tracey Gambill and John "Tater" Harris.
WFUZ-TV will post the showcase online at a later date.
Editor's note: Some candidates were unable to attend the showcase due to the Alabama Legislature being in session.
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