Author

Craig Ford

Craig Ford is the owner of Ford Insurance and the Gadsden Messenger. He represented Etowah County in the Alabama House of Representatives for 18 years.

News

Why We Need More Women In Leadership

By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford It’s no secret that women are a little more than half of our population. In fact, out of the more than 2.7 million registered voters in Alabama, just over 56 percent are women. And yet, women only hold a few elected offices in our state government. In the state … Continued

Craig Ford

October 8, 2014

Opinion

We Need Real Solutions for the Budget Crisis

By Minority Leader Craig Ford There are many things I believe a person in leadership should be: responsive to their constituents, strong in their core values, able to make tough decisions and most importantly, a good steward of the taxpayers’ money. And being a good steward of taxpayers’ money means finding real solutions to the … Continued

Craig Ford

September 23, 2014

Opinion

Leadership Means Listening

By House Minority Leader Craig Ford One of the biggest threats to our children’s education is when the politicians think they know better than the professional educators. Last month, 30 of Alabama’s public school superintendents joined in a lawsuit challenging the legality of the so-called Accountability Act, and asking the Alabama Supreme Court to … Continued

Craig Ford

September 15, 2014

Opinion

Bold? Or Dangerous?

By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford Recently, our state leaders have been going around patting themselves on the back for how much they have changed things over the past four years. They say over the next four years they are going to “be bold” if not “bolder” than they were before. They plan to go … Continued

Craig Ford

September 8, 2014

Opinion

Working for Working Families

By Minority Leader, Representative Craig Ford This week, we celebrated Labor Day in honor of the working families throughout this country. And it is a fitting time to celebrate working families, since jobs are by far the number one issue on most peoples’ minds these days. As we get closer to Election Day, you will … Continued

Craig Ford

September 3, 2014

Opinion

State Leaders Should Pledge Not To Combine The State’s Two Budgets

By House Minority Leader, Rep. Craig Ford Alabama is definitely facing some major problems with our state budgets, and it’s time for state leaders to take these problems seriously and find real solutions. But combining the two budgets is not a real solution. Our state leaders need to realize that simply taking money from one … Continued

Craig Ford

August 25, 2014

Opinion

The Jobs Problem Is Solvable

By Minority Leader Craig Ford There’s no doubt we have a jobs problem in the state of Alabama. We are the only state in the country with a rising unemployment rate, which is now at 7 percent. Last year, the state created only 366 new jobs, and we are now ranked 49th in the country for … Continued

Craig Ford

August 18, 2014

Opinion

A Statewide Lottery Could Help Solve Some Problems

By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford Back when Gov. Bentley was campaigning in 2010, he made some bold statements. Statements such as: “I believe the people of Alabama need to decide at the ballot box on a YES or NO vote whether to allow gambling or abolish all forms of gambling.” And Gov. Bentley and I were … Continued

Craig Ford

August 11, 2014

Opinion

Why We Need To Start School Later

By Minority Leader Rep. Craig Ford This week students and educators across the state will return to school. What makes this year different from the last two years is that they will be going back to school two weeks sooner than before. In 2012, the Alabama legislature passed a school start date bill that gave schools more … Continued

Craig Ford

August 4, 2014

Opinion

Simple Principle: Jobs Mean Revenue

By Minority Leader, Representative Craig Ford There is a simple business principle that many understand and that economists have spent years dissecting and discussing in books, on television and in newspaper articles: creating jobs for people means generating revenue for all sectors. Unfortunately, for Alabama, there are people in Leadership that don’t understand that simple principle. … Continued

Craig Ford

July 23, 2014