CENTRE – Amidst the slight rustling of paper napkins and plastic cups, over a hundred local Democrats assembled at the party office on Main Street May 25 to hear from DeKalb County native and gubernatorial candidate Ron Sparks. 

Lanny Starr’s barbecue pork and chicken fingers were on the menu for the Tuesday lunch gathering, and a host of local politicians lined up to fill their plates. All four Cherokee County commissioners were there, along with the probate judge, district attorney, and school superintendent.  

As the crowd settled down to their meals, one attendee brought up the topic of Alabama football in between bites of baked beans. Another wondered aloud if one GOP candidate for governor really thought he could fire the Crimson Tide’s head coach if he won in November. 

“Doesn’t make much common sense to me,” said a third with a chuckle. Everyone at the table soon joined in the laughter. 

(NOTE: The candidate who jokingly uttered the remark earlier this week has been campaigning across Alabama in a private tour bus named the “Common Sense Express.”) 

A short time later, local party head Johnny Roberts called the meeting to order. After being introduced by Rep. Richard Lindsey, Sparks, who currently serves as the state’s commissioner of Agriculture, hit his platform running. 

Sparks began his 23-minute talk with a tip of the cap to the state’s farmers, many of whom he said he has gotten to know and very much appreciate during his tenure at the Department of Agriculture. 

“I can tell you, agriculture is important to me, it’s important to this state,” Sparks said. “And I think it would be pretty cool to have somebody be governor who can spell agriculture.” 

After the laughter died down, Sparks turned serious. 

“What you’ve got to do is show a young man he can make a profit,” Sparks said. “It’s hard to get young people into farming if they can’t show a profit.” 

Sparks said the key to ensuring the longevity of farming in Alabama is continuing to use the state’s land grant universities and available technology to turn a younger generation onto the profession. 

Spark said he was among the first Agriculture commissioners in the nation to stand up to food producers from China and Vietnam. 

“I told them if they were going to continue to produce their food at a different standard than what my farmers produced it at, it will never make it to the tables of the citizens of Alabama,” he said.  

“And it didn’t,” he continued. “We had the courage to stand up and say no.” 

Sparks also talked about his past efforts to keep the state’s children healthy by removing candy and soft drinks from school vending machines.  

He then mentioned his ties to Cherokee County, including a brother, sister and nephew who live in the area – which he referred to as “God’s Country.” 

“I’ve been coming to Cherokee County all my life – fishing, hunting, skiing, and having a good time here.” 

Turning to his bitter Democratic primary battle against U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, Sparks said his campaign is becoming more optimistic every day. 

“I’ll tell you the truth. Our poll numbers are up,” he said. “We’re winning this race as of today, and we’re winning this race next Tuesday if we can get people to the polls.” 

Sparks talked about the endorsements he has secured since his race with Davis began to tighten “around a month ago,” including labor organizations, 28 county sheriffs, and all four major African-American coalitions in the state. 

“The reason is because I’m going to come ask you for your vote,” Sparks said. “I’m not going to stand up and say nobody’s vote counts. Everybody’s vote counts in this state.” 

Sparks then turned to the issue of gambling. He said it’s not the governor’s job to put people out of work by raiding casinos in the middle of the night. 

“Whether you’re for it or against it, that’s wrong,” Sparks said. “Let’s work through this thing, let’s get something on the table that the people of Alabama can vote for.” 

Sparks said American Indian casinos already exist in Alabama and “are here to stay.” He said the state would be wise to legalize all forms of gambling, then tax them in order to fund operations in 2011 and beyond.

“We need to get that money and it needs to go into the Special Education Trust Fund, and it needs to go to Medicaid,” Sparks said. “The next legislative session is going to be the toughest legislators have ever walked into.”

Sparks said the state cannot afford to fall any further behind in the education of its children, and invoked the lottery as a way to fund an easier path to success. 

“Every child in Alabama, when he walks across that graduating stage, when he receives a diploma in one hand, we ought to be giving him a scholarship in the other,” Sparks said. “That is the only way an average family’s dreams come true, is for us to step up to the plate and pass the lottery.”