State Rep. Bob Fincher (R-Woodland) is in the middle of his last session as an Alabama lawmaker. For three terms, Fincher has represented the people of Alabama’s 37th House District, and as he approaches his 77th birthday, he says it is time to go home and enjoy his family.
Over the past 12 years, Fincher said he has learned a lot about the legislature, and he is proud of the things he has stood for. He dresses in his Sunday best every Tuesday through Thursday during sessions and puts all of his energy into the job.
“There have been some things that I have opposed that have gone through the legislature and some bills that I'm fairly proud of got passed through the legislature, but it's just a huge amount,” Fincher said while sitting in his small office on the fourth floor of the Alabama State House.
That office will be used for the last time when Fincher leaves it later this summer. A new Alabama State House will open, and the old building will be demolished.
While he won’t be able to enjoy his new office for long, Fincher hopes whoever takes over his seat will be successful and continue to vote on behalf of the people in District 37.
“I've always tried to vote the way I think the people in my district would want me to vote,” Fincher said. “And despite having my arm twisted at times to vote this way or that way or getting yanked around to try to secure my vote, I think I've done that all throughout the 12 years I've been here. I think I've adequately or especially tried to represent the feelings and the views of the people that I represent here in the legislature.”
District 37 represents Randolph, Chambers and part of Lee Counties.
Sitting next door to Georgia, Fincher said he is all too familiar with people running across the state line to purchase lottery tickets. Witnessing that firsthand is why he said one of his main regrets is not getting a lottery bill passed.
“I supported it when I came here, and I have voted in favor of having a lottery every time it has come before the legislature, but we've never passed a bill,” Fincher said.
The lawmaker hopes that one day the legislature will allow the people to vote on a lottery. But he’s not done yet. Fincher said in this session that he hopes to further secure elections.
“I'm chairman of the Constitution Campaigns and Elections Committee here in the House, and one thing I've tried to do the last few years is to stop early voting in the state and keep Alabama from having early voting,” Fincher said. “I think it's an expense the state does not need to bear and I think the longer you string out elections and the election cycle, we still have election day in Alabama, not election week or election month, and I think that's a good thing. The longer the process goes on, the greater the possibility nefarious things could occur, and so I don’t think we need to have extended elections and have early voting.”
In Randolph County, hard work is more than a value – it’s a way of life. Locals take each day with a “no excuses” attitude, and Fincher has carried that ethic to Montgomery. The retired public school teacher has never missed a day when the Alabama Legislature was in session. Now, he's ready to slow down and return that small-town grit to the family farm, which sits in rural Randolph County, between Wedowee and Woodland. The farm was passed down through generations, and Fincher said that is where he will spend much of his time.
“I will be in Randolph County,” he said. “That’s where I’d rather be anyway.”
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