John Merrill

Merrill was born on November 12, 1963. He earned his B.A. in history and political science from the University of Alabama in 1990. Merrill was a governmental affairs intern for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama from 1987 to 1988. He then worked for Randall Publishing Company as a national account executive from 1988 to 1990. From 1990 to 1993, he was the assistant director of the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Authority. Merrill worked for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama as director of business development from 1993 to 1994. He was the director of community relations and community education for the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education from 1994 to 2014.[1]

John Merrill did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Merrill's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[7]

John’s Personal Employment with the Tuscaloosa County School System

Excerpt: "When John announced his candidacy in July of 2009, he indicated that if successful in his bid for the State House, he would leave the Board of Education as soon as possible upon gaining meaningful employment. He was not required to take this position since Board policy allows employees to campaign for and to serve in elective office. John's position on the issue of "double-dipping" dictated his reasoning behind leaving the Board."

Property Tax Increases

Excerpt: "Under no circumstances is John for increasing property taxes without a vote by the people."

Improving the Economy

Excerpt: "Improving the state of the economy is one of John’s top priorities."

Abortion

Excerpt: "John is against all forms of abortion."

Accountability and Transparency

Excerpt: "Transparency in government promotes accountability. A transparent and accountable government is able to provide citizens with information on what the government is doing and how it affects the local community."

Ethics Reform

Excerpt: "John knows that strong ethical leadership is vital to every part of government."

Education

Excerpt: "John is committed to working with leaders of education and business and industry to find new and improved ways to serve our students in both K-12 and higher education settings."

Economic Development

Excerpt: "John’s experiences with the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and as the Assistant Director of the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority uniquely qualify him to understand the challenges faced by local business and industries."

The Lottery

Excerpt: "John is against the lottery. As a Christian, and as a conservative Southern Baptist Deacon and Sunday School teacher at Calvary Baptist Church, John believes that all forms of gambling are wrong."

Prayer in School

Excerpt: "John believes that our citizens, especially our children, should be able to pray to Lord God Almighty any time and any place they would like."

The Pledge of Allegiance

Excerpt: "John believes that children in Alabama’s schools should begin everyday, in every school by saying the pledge to “Old Glory” because we are one nation under God."

Quality of Life Issues

Excerpt: "John believes that Legislative Discretionary money should be distributed to schools, volunteer fire departments, community ballparks and leagues, and municipalities within the district boundaries before it is distributed to groups outside the district."

Sunday Alcohol Sales

Excerpt: "...he believes that alcohol consumption is a personal issue. There are hundreds of people in Tuscaloosa who would like to vote on the issue of alcohol sales for a limited amount of time on Sundays."