Probate judge hopefuls outline plans for county’s growth

Oct. 28--The candidates vying to replace outgoing Tuscaloosa County Probate Judge Hardy McCollum both see the positon as an opportunity during a pivotal moment for the county as it charts its future.

Rob Robertson, the director of the county's Emergency Management Agency, won the Republican primary in June. Northport attorney Laura K. Gregory was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

The two will face each other in the Nov. 6 general election to replace McCollum, who has held the office since 1976 but is retiring because state law prohibits anyone older than 70 from running for an elected judicial seat. The probate judge also serves as chair of the Tuscaloosa County Commission.

Robertson, who is on unpaid leave from the EMA during the campaign, said he was attracted by the opportunity before the county and the chance to serve.

"Simply put, I love to serve. I love to serve in roles that I can help solve problems," Robertson said. "I can help solve problems working with people and resourcing people to provide services that need to be provided."

Gregory found the role of representing the entire county appealing.

"Whether they live in Tuscaloosa or Northport or Ralph or Taylorville, they get to vote for that person," she said. "To me, that is the perfect opportunity to represent everybody in Tuscaloosa County and be that force or that person who brings all these very different diverse groups (together)."

Robertson's platform

Robertson has highlighted his experience as a businessman, law enforcement officer, Marine Corps reservist and director of the county EMA while arguing that the office was best served by a candidate with a broad experience base. His campaign platform is service, education, roads and relationships.

Robertson's education plan for continuing to support the local city and county school systems and workforce development.

"We have got to have the good K-12 to get the workforce. It is really is now K-workforce," he said.

The planning for the roads must react to the changing needs in the county, he said.

"As our population shifts around, the demands on our roadways change and we have to react to that," Robertson said.

Robertson identified three chief challenges facing the county: growth management, workforce development and economic diversification.

"In talking with people and the more I learn, I think the first simply is growth management. That, of course, is infrastructure, schools, public safety challenges. That is a growing need," Robertson said.

Robertson said the county faces a challenge with a shortage of skilled labor.

"We need to be doing all we can to make sure we are building our workforce (whether) they need to be retooled or reskilled, or getting the young folks in the work pipeline or the workplace," Robertson said. "Just making sure we are putting our best foot forward from a labor component."

Robertson wants to diversify the county economy by growing the knowledge-based sector.

"We have done a great job and have historically been strong in manufacturing. But we have done a poor job creating knowledge-based jobs -- the engineers, the STEM-track positions in our community -- even though we are graduating (them) every year ... and waving them off as they leave and go to Huntsville and other areas all over the country," he said.

Robertson and Gregory both see an opportunity to engage more with the University of Alabama.

"The only way that works well is close collaboration with the University of Alabama and our business community. I think entrepreneurially in a lot of ways, I know we can do more with that. But it going to take the input from the business community, various colleges on campus," Robertson said.

Gregory's platform

Gregory has touted her experience as an attorney working with businesses and families on matters that come before the probate office. Gregory said she would use her knowledge of the probate office to make it more efficient, streamlined and economical, benefiting all county residents. She has a three-tiered platform including growing the county, planning for that growth and ensuring everybody participates in that growth.

"That means we have got to narrow the gap in how some of our citizens live," Gregory said. "We have to narrow the gap so that folks have sewer and water reliably, and beyond that, internet. To me, you do a cost-benefit analysis. You qualify and quantify. How can we use our limited resources to the best advantage to make sure the maximum number of people benefit from it."

Gregory said part of narrowing the gap is convincing people they can have better lives.

"You have to see yourself a certain way before you become that. And I see Tuscaloosa as a place where you can take anyone who wants to come and build a company here or live here and say there is no place in Tuscaloosa that I am afraid to show you. There is nothing there that we don't acknowledge and we aren't proud of," she said.

Gregory said transportation infrastructure is important, but infrastructure goes beyond roads and bridges.

"I think it is going to be critical that we take advantage of some of the federal or state money that is going to be coming down the pike, whether in opportunity zones or through infrastructure grants, to make sure all of Tuscaloosa has what it needs in terms of sewer, water, internet," she said.

Opportunity zones, which were created as part of the tax reforms last year, are economically distressed communities where investments may be eligible for tax benefits for investors under certain conditions.

She sees opportunities to use the opportunity zones as a method to incentivize developers to build more affordable housing for families in the community.

"The opportunity zones are going to present a real opportunity. They truly are going to give us some financing that we may have not had otherwise," Gregory said.

Plans for growth

When asked about economic development and planning for growth, Robertson advocated for building a community that is attractive to investment with workforce and quality-of-life offerings. Gregory advocated for a collaborative approach among local governments and agencies that benefits the entire county.

"When we get the basics right, when we put our best foot forward with our workforce, with our schools, it is amazing how many people want to come to your community to do business," Robertson said. "When we get the essentials right in our community, we become attractive for investment for a lot of other reasons without having to offer extreme incentive packages."

Gregory said the county should work with its partners on a united plan.

"There is no magic wall between Tuscaloosa and Northport. People go across that river every day, so what benefits Northport benefits Tuscaloosa. What benefits Tuscaloosa benefits the county," she said. "We have to get past this territorial, silo mentality and say, 'Come to Tuscaloosa and we will find you a place to live and work, and we will find you people to work for you.'"

Both Gregory and Robertson identified the availability of mental health services and institutional space as another challenge for the county and state.

"We have this problem. We are going to pay for it in the jail or we are going to pay for it through actual treatment, where people are going to get the treatment they need," Gregory said.

Gregory advocated for the county and other local partners working together, noting services that already exist locally that could be built upon.

"To me this is the perfect example of where the state isn't going to help us. We just can't wait for them to take action," she said. "So what we are going to have to do (is find an alternative), whether it is through a public-private partnership, or through just churches and volunteer groups. Everybody knows we have a problem."

Robertson called the question of mental health services critical, particularly, the lack of mental health juvenile inpatient treatment in the county.

"That was something that I was very disturbed to learn as a parent. If you had a child who really did need in-patient treatment, you really don't have that option," Robertson said. "I would like to see us work to address that and be creative in trying some new approaches for better services in mental health ... We are considered the mental health capital of Alabama. We used to innovate in that field. I think we need to get back to trying some new ideas. It is a growing problem that is impacting all of us."

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