By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
Thanks for letting me put this announcement in this Athens Now newspaper. It’s hard to get your name out to everyone in the county without spending a lot of money to do it.
I was born and raised in Limestone County, Alabama. I graduated from West Limestone High School in 1990, played basketball at the University of Alabama Huntsville for a year before joining the United States Air Force. I married while in the Air Force and have been married for 31 years. I am a member of the Athens chapters of AMVETS and VFW. After the Air Force, I returned to Alabama for a few years before moving to Mississippi. It just wasn’t the same as being in North Alabama, so we moved back in 2003 and have been here ever since. I worked for TVA at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant from 2003-2025. Also, I’m a small business owner (Primetime Basketball Academy) where I work with youth in basketball and coach AAU teams.
The land where we live in Northern Limestone County is family land that was purchased by my grandfather back in the 1930s. Being raised here, I have seen firsthand a lot of the changes that everyone is talking about.
Why are you running for the position of Limestone County Chairman? — Firstly, I’m not a politician, I’m an everyday guy that wants to leave the place I call home better for the generations to come. Everyone in this county has many of the same issues. People are busy trying to survive everyday life, and don’t have enough time to keep up with county government. Most people I speak with don’t even know what this position does and thinks everyone is a road commissioner. I want to start putting the county as a whole first again. There is a lot of the county besides just around Athens. These areas seem to be forgotten, unless it’s an election year.
Shocking to no one, county roads are mostly an embarrassment that we have to drive on daily.
The budget is accurate but the level of detail where anyone could look at it and understand it is lacking.
The services offered by Limestone County must improve.
Working sessions for the county commission seem to be nothing more than a formality, just checking a box.
What would you change if you are elected Chairman of Limestone County? — Through my many years of working for great leadership, I have come up with my own leadership style. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, but you must be willing to listen to the smartest person before you start making decisions. I like to collaborate with others before forming a decision. This position is not what I want, it’s about what the people want.
This can happen by making the working session a true working session. Individuals normally must take off work to come to this meeting. They are given 3 minutes to speak with the commission, not discussing issues with an individual commissioner, unless it’s a conversation off the record, outside, and in between working meetings and normal commission meetings.
Why would someone vote for you instead of the other two candidates? — I want to say that, unlike popular beliefs, you don’t have to dislike someone to run against them in an election. I have respect for anyone who chooses to run for a county position. I have nothing personal against either of these candidates. I feel that with my leadership we can get Limestone County moving in pace with the population growth.
The other two candidates have been in politics for numerous years. I have no political agenda besides wanting to leave this county better for the generations that will follow.
The incumbent ran on buzzwords of “accountability” and “transparency” during his campaign in 2018. (Source: Athens News Courier). Here we are in 2026, and the same issues are being discussed again.
Another candidate has been a commissioner for a little over a year and has some ideas, but it would be easier to get his ideas pushed through in the position he holds now than if he was the chairman.
The days of “We have always done it this way” must be a thing of the past. The people moving into this area are not going to take that as an acceptable answer anymore, and neither should we. There is a budget surplus at this time, and that money must be used to improve roads and services and, of course, pay off debt. Limestone County Commission has made some financial choices in the past few years that seem to be questionable. Giving $4 million ($400,000 annually for 10 years) of county tax dollars to a state college for an event center project. That’s not acceptable when we have roads that will knock your vehicle out of alignment if you don’t see the pothole in time. Volunteer fire departments are struggling with funding and personnel. This past year the line item for volunteer fire departments was taken off budget completely. Funding VFDs needs to be discussed at a work session. As chairman, I’ll follow the process to get this discussion on the agenda for a work session, then facilitate the discussion with commissioners in this public meeting. We’ll set a due date for a second discussion — no more kicking the can down the road. After public discussions, the funding decision will be placed on the Commission meeting’s agenda for a vote for public record. This is the transparency and accountability the public’s been asking for since at least 2018.
As your chairman, I know we can’t fix everything “Day 1,” but my promise is we will start having these-public discussions and move forward to the next issue. Leaving issues lingering makes the public not trust government. We must get a plan to get ahead of the road issue in the county. Allocating extra funds will help, but it is nothing more than a Band-Aid, not a solution.
Strategic thinking, safer roads, intentional growth, and leadership that delivers for Limestone County is my promise.
I ask for your vote on 19 May 2026 in the Republican primary. I’m not a career politician, I’m a normal citizen who is tired of hearing, “This is the way we have always done it.” Those days are past; that’s why roads are in the condition they are in. We must use the taxpayers’ dollars to put Limestone County first. Questionable spending needs to stop.
Limestone County is growing; we must work to make sure our county stays safe and provides services that make Limestone County residents proud. I want to have a county that others benchmark and come to look at as the standard on how to deal with growth.
I ask for your vote on May 19, and let’s start putting Limestone County first.
Individuals that are willing to volunteer in any way are appreciated. You can contact us or ask questions at the sites below. Thank you.
Email: scotttcraig4limestonechairman@yahoo.com
Website: scottcraigforchairman.com
Facebook- Scott Craig for Limestone County Chairman
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
