Calhoun County, AL – In the upcoming elections for Calhoun County Probate Judge and the Calhoun County Board of Education, local candidates are actively engaging with the community to share their platforms and visions for the future. As the election season unfolds, these candidates are seizing opportunities to connect with voters, hosting town hall meetings, participating in forums, and using social media to communicate their stances on crucial issues. The Calhoun Journal gave each candidate the chance to share thier platform.
*Names listed in the order the appear on the ballot.
Probate Judge
Julie Borrelli
I am Julie Borrelli, an attorney in Calhoun County with a focus on probate law, family law, criminal law, and civil law, as well as serving as a Guardian Ad Litem for both adults and children. My professional journey has been diverse, including pivotal roles as the Finance Director for the City of Anniston and Chief Financial Officer for Community Action Agency.
My path extends into an illustrious military career as both an Aviation Ordnance Technician and then as Adjutant in the United States Marine Corps. I proudly undertook multiple combat deployments, serving with distinction in tours with Special Operations Command Central and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Makin Island.
Educationally, I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science, a Master’s in Human Resources Management and Organizational Development, a Master’s in Forensic Psychology, and a Juris Doctorate in Law.
Beyond professional realms, I am deeply involved in the community. Currently, I serve as a board member on the McClellan Development Authority, a member of the Metropolitan Planning Commission Citizens Advisory Committee, and Vice President of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Foundation.
Now, my aspiration is to bring my wealth of experience to the role of Probate Judge. I believe that my legal acumen, financial expertise, and military background uniquely position me for this responsibility. Driven by compassion, dedication, and an unwavering work ethic, I aim to ensure that the citizens of Calhoun County receive the exceptional Probate Judge they deserve.
My plans for the Probate Judge office center around ensuring the law is upheld, safeguarding election integrity, modernizing processes for efficiency, and ensuring dignity and respect for those engaging with the legal system. With this comprehensive vision, I aspire to bring positive and impactful changes to the office, ensuring it serves the community with the highest standards of accountability, innovation, and fairness.
Jon Garlick
I am Jon Garlick and am running for Probate Judge. I believe that my education, training, and experience in mental health, law enforcement, accounting, and executive level management both in the private and public sectors make me uniquely qualified to be your next probate judge. I have managed for profit and non-profit companies and government agencies, with budgets in excess of $50 million and over 600 employees. My first career was in accounting and finance as a Certified Management Accountant. I was chief financial officer for Lee Brass and the McWane Science Center before changing careers to counseling and law enforcement. I was a counselor for Family Links before joining the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office where I went from deputy to Jail Administrator, Mental Health Officer and I retired in 2019 as Chief Deputy. As the first Mental Health Officer for this county, I had the authority to order people in a mental health crisis into hospital for a 72-hour hold. Currently I am a Licensed Professional Counseling Supervisor in private practice. I teach adjunct at JSU and at the Law Enforcement Academies in Anniston and in Tuscaloosa. I hold a multitude of certifications in counseling and law enforcement. I hold an undergraduate degree in accounting and finance, and a master’s and education specialist degree in counseling. I am also a 2016 graduate of the FBI National Academy.
As your probate judge I will continue the excellent service provided by our probate office and as the chief election officer will work with the secretary of state and within the law to keep voting easy and cheating hard. As the people’s judge, I will make decisions that are legal, rational, and compassionate, and I will continue to advocate for improved treatment and better access to care for those in crisis.
Shirley Millwood
I am confident that my 26-year legal career has prepared me to serve the people of Calhoun County as their next Republican Probate Judge. As the only candidate in this race with more than 15 years of experience as a licensed attorney actually practicing law in the Calhoun County Probate Court, I am fully prepared to do the job from Day 1. I will not need on-the-job training.
The Probate Judge makes rulings that can impact an individual’s freedom with cases involving conservatorships, guardianships and mental commitments. Probate Judges are responsible for ensuring that wills are executed properly after the death of a loved one. It is the Probate Judge who finalizes most of the adoptions that take place in our county. Cases like these must be decided by the next Probate Judge on their first day in office. That is why my legal education and extensive experience are so important.
The Probate Judges also serve as the senior elections official in the county. I will ensure that only legal citizens vote in our elections. I will work diligently to make sure our elections are safe, secure and accurate. I will work closely with our Circuit Clerk, our Sheriff, members of our Board of Registrars and our Secretary of State to make sure that we never have curbside ballot drop boxes, mass mail voting or online elections.
I am a lifelong resident of Calhoun County and it will be my honor to serve as your next Probate Judge. I am asking for your vote on March 5th.
Calhoun County Board of Education
Mike Almaroad
No information was received at the time of publication.
Lisa Amerson
I am running for my second term on the Calhoun County Board of Education. I retired from the Calhoun County Board of Education Technology Department in 2013 after serving as the Technology Director and Data Director. My late husband, Sheriff Larry Amerson, and I worked together on many projects for the schools such as Internet Safety Presentations and School Resource Officers in an efficient manner for both the Sheriff’s Office and School Board Budgets.
My motto was and continues to be: “Putting children first with Experienced Educational Leadership”
During my first campaign for the school board I ran on the issues below:
Security: We have added an 8th SRO to cover the community campus that was not covered. Before another SRO had to leave his/her assigned campus in the event of an emergency. This 8th SRO is in a supervisory position to monitor and ensure that each school community is covered in the event of a vacation or emergency at another school community. I am dedicated (with the support of the current board and superintendent) to the goal of eventually having an SRO at every school (not just the school community). We have also put in place two vapor wake K-9s who are trained with their respective SRO.
Counseling Services: We have created and filled a position of Mental Health Director at the Central Office who coordinates services to provide Mental Health Services to our students and families.
Classroom Aides: We have restructured pay for aides to ensure we can retain quality personnel in the classrooms where additional support is needed for those students.
Partnerships with local businesses: We have expanded our Career Academy classes based on student interest and local business needs. We are providing ways for students to achieve licenses and certifications PRIOR to graduating so they can be immediately employable right here in our own communities.
I have served on many boards and committees. I understand how to respect and work well within a team. I listen to our community members, parents and students to ensure we continue to provide the best services to our students for their success.
Tobi Burt
Hello, I’m Tobi Burt, and I sincerely thank you for trusting me with your vote as a Calhoun County School Board Member. Having served you and our children for 12 years, I’m seeking your continued support and vote on March 5th.
A bit about me: I’m an Alexandria High School graduate and, along with my wife Shelley Welch Burt, a proud product of the community. Married for 23 years, we have four children—Anna, Rob, Millie, and Evie. Our family is expanding with three grandchildren, Jett, Ryleigh, and Everett, and we’re expecting our fourth grandson, Brooks, in March.
Professionally, I’m a Licensed General Contractor, owner of B&B Developers, LLC, and ARKAD Inc. Additionally, I serve as the President of ALEAF, a Calhoun County Water Board Member, and an active member of Leatherwood Baptist Church.
My pledge includes ensuring quality lunches, fairness, and equal opportunities for all. I commit to being available to assist those in need and being a vocal advocate for teachers, students, parents, and communities. I aim to promote and expand Career Tech Programs for “Career Ready” graduates.
I’m proud of the ongoing expansion of programs at our facility, including doubling our Welding facility, CDL Training, Skid Steer Training, Forklift Training, and more. I pledge to donate my Board salary and extra funds to award scholarships, totaling over $48,000.00 during my 6-year term and $100,000.00 in my 12 years on the School Board.
As a parent and a product of the Calhoun County School System, I’m deeply invested in preparing all children for their future, whether college-bound or trade-driven. Please support me on March 5th for the Calhoun County Board of Education. Remember, it’s not about the income; it’s about the outcome for our community’s education.
Zach Davis
Allen E. George
Debbie Hess
I am serving my second term on the Calhoun County Board of Education. My husband, J. D. Hess and I have been married for 45 years. We have two daughters, Stacie and Jessica. Our daughter, Jessica and her husband Derek are both educators in the Calhoun County school system. Our grandchildren, Caroline and Jay Michael both attend Alexandria schools.
I have a vested interest in seeing our school system succeed.
As a retired teacher with 25 years experience, I understand the needs of the students, staff, schools, and communities. I taught elementary and middle school with degrees in secondary education and special education. Those experiences make me a great asset to the board.
My past experience and required state training while on the board, have provided me with valuable insight into the roles and responsibilities of the school board.
The current board has achieved many accomplishments in the past six years. We have funded numerous programs for our students: expanded career tech. opportunities, implemented the Honda job training program, and made building and facilities improvements at Ohatchee, Saks, Weaver, Alexandria, Wellborn, White Plains, and Pleasant Valley. There are plans of more to come. Additional funding resources have been provided to assist with learning gaps in our schools. All of this has been done with a sound budget.
Our current board has been unified in our direction under Dr. Reyes, our current superintendent.
Our board needs to continue to be proactive in addressing the needs of our students and schools.
I ask for your continued support to move Calhoun County School System forward.
I appreciate your vote for Calhoun County Board of Education on March 5th in the Republican Primary.
Julie Hood
I am married to Jay Hood, and we have three children who are all graduates from Calhoun County Schools. We have three grandchildren ages 8, 4 and 2. I was an educator in Calhoun County schools for 32 years. I taught at Saks Elementary, Alexandria Elementary and Ohatchee Elementary. I served as an Instructional Coach at Weaver Elementary and Pleasant Valley Elementary before becoming an assistant principal, then principal at Ohatchee Elementary. My last two years in education I served as the principal of the PASS program.
I retired in July 2018 and started serving on the school board, as vice president, in November 2018. Throughout my career in education and for the last five years on the school board, I have witnessed the challenges and opportunities facing our schools. I know that serving on the school board is a privilege and a responsibility. It requires a commitment to fairness, collaboration and transparency. We must be willing to listen, work together and advocate for the needs of all students and stakeholders.
I am very proud of the accomplishments of the current board and the superintendent. In the last year we have seen the completion of many projects that include major renovations. At our Career Academy, a second welding class was approved along with a Modern Manufacturing Program in partnership with Honda. We also added Instructional Assistants to expand the Cosmetology and Culinary Programs. The board also expanded the SRO program to cover all campuses in Calhoun County and added K9 units to continue our efforts toward safety on campus.
I have a passion for education and I have very broad experience in educational leadership. With your support I look forward to continuing my service to Calhoun County.
Joe Lathers
To the People of Calhoun County,
My name is Joe Lathers and I am a candidate elect for the Calhoun County Board of Education. I was born and raised in Calhoun County and I’m a graduate of Weaver High School class of 2000. I have been married to my wife Jennifer for 19 years. She is a graduate of Saks High School class of 2001, and currently works in the school system as a secretary for Ohatchee High School. We have 2 daughters that attend Ohatchee. Haydyn is in the 10thgrade & Hayley Jo is in the 6th grade.
I am currently employed by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency as a State Trooper and have 19 years of service. I am assigned to the Motor Carrier Safety Unit as a Supervisor and routinely conduct inspections of Commercial Motor Vehicles to make sure they are in compliance with the rules and regulations set for by the FMCSA.
My family and I attend First Baptist Church of Saks where I am an actively involved in Sunday School and currently serve as a Deacon.
After high school I joined the United Stated Marine Corp and was meritorious promoted at the completion of recruit training Parris Island, SC to Private first class. I completed a tour of duty overseas during Operation Iraqi Freedom 2004-2005 as a radio operator. I came home and finished obtaining my Bachelor degree from Auburn University , class of 2006.
I am running for a spot on the Board of Education to become part of a team of people, to include the Superintendent Dr. Jose Reyes, that has a positive direct impact in the lives of the students, support staff, teachers, and parents to see continued success of Academics, Athletics, and Arts within the Calhoun County School system.
Alan Mange
As a lifelong resident of Calhoun County I felt it was time to help out our schools by offering beneficial perspectives on growth in our education system. I am a proud graduate of Alexandria High School and have seen success in the classroom and on the field. I have been in business for the last 18 years working for the public as a pawnbroker at B&B Pawn & Jewelry in Anniston and Gadsden. I am married to my wife of 12 years Lindy who is the librarian at Ohatchee High School. My sons both attend Ohatchee Elementary where they play Football, Baseball & Basketball. I am running for the board in hopes that we can work together to help create positive developments in our school system. Leadership is critical at all levels for schools to be successful. There are currently several schools struggling with the lack of necessary infrastructure to be successful. I am also running as someone who is willing to listen and work together. A successful board typically has people from diverse backgrounds working together to achieve the best possible goals for the students. If elected, I also plan to be present, transparent and approachable for the administrators, educators and voters. I am a proud husband and son of Calhoun County educators and proud to say that I was made in this system. I know what success looks like and I want to get all seven of our schools back to the top in the state. I humbly ask for your vote on March 5th 2024 as a Vote for Mange is a Vote for change in the right direction.
Gary Price
I’m a husband of 19 years, and father of 2 daughters, Piper 18y/o, Payton 14y/o, both of whom attend White Plains High School. My family attends Iron City Baptist Church.
I’m a retired veteran of 23 years military service, with a 13 month deployment to the Middle East. Currently, I’m employed by the Alabama State Bureau of Investigations. I have an Associate Degree In Russian based on my military occupation and a Bachelor degree in Criminal Justice from JSU.
On day one, as your next representative on the Calhoun County Board of Education, I will be prioritizing efforts to maximize our childrens’ education. My priorities will be focused on the following main topics:
1. Prioritation of facilities maintenance and transportation infrastructure needs.
2. Optimization of education versus Indoctrination. Our curriculum will focus on teaching, math, science, English, history, etc…and leave political, moral, and religious ideologies up to the parents.
3. Student and faculty safety is paramount. To that end, I’ll push for a School Resource Officers (SRO); along with other safety measures, to be implemented at each campus.
4. A funding review will be conducted to ensure that projects are prioritized to have the greatest positive impact on our students’ academic success.
There will be a host of other policy issues to address. A common sense approach to School lunches, dress code, disciplinary, attendance, and scheduling of school breaks, just to name a few topics for discussion.
My initiatives will improve critical aspects of our education system, striving to ensure fairness, safety, and a productive learning environments for students, teachers, and parents alike!
Bobby R. Tittle
My name is Bobby Tittle, and I am a candidate for the Calhoun County Board of Education. I have been a resident of Calhoun County for 25 years and currently live in Ohatchee. I am currently the Principal at Cherokee County High School and have been an educator for 23 years. I have been an administrator for 17 of those 23 years. Nine of my years as a Principal were spent at Ohatchee High School.
During my time as an educator I have been the Calhoun County Principal of the Year, District Principal of the Year, inducted into the JSU Educator Hall of Fame, received the CLAS Leadership Award, and my school was selected as a CLAS Banner School. I am also the President-Elect of the Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals (AASSP).
I feel that my experience as a school teacher and administrator gives me great awareness and understanding of the school system. I understand what our students are dealing with, what our teachers see, what our teachers need, and how our administrators need support to run their school.
Our communities need to know they are being heard and understood. All communities in Calhoun County are passionate about their particular school and when positive events happen, they should be celebrated! As well, when communities have concerns, they should be listened to. Board members do not have the single authority to make decisions, but we can be a voice for our communities, students, teachers, administrators, and faculty members.
Sometimes it is good to have new thoughts and ideas from new candidates. There are several new candidates on the ballot with new insight and experiences that will make them great members of the Calhoun County Board of Education.
Michael Webb
My name is Michael Webb. I am married to Dia Webb and we have 6 children, 5 of which attend Calhoun County Schools. I am a former police officer, current business owner and youth director at Leatherwood Baptist Church. I am so thankful for the opportunity that I have been given to serve our students on the board for the past six years. I believe we as a system have made great achievements during this last term and we have, who I believe, is one of the brightest and best superintendents in the state of Alabama, Dr. Jose Reyes. He has brought so much knowledge and consistency to our system. We recently surveyed our staff on the direction of our system and the board superintendent relationship. 98% of our staff approved of the current direction and this is something that I am very proud of but also something that I pray we will continue working hard to maintain. We have a great school system and I hope to be able to continue to serve our great staff and students.
Kellie J White
I am a lifelong resident of Calhoun County. I have been married to my husband Blaine for 18 years and we have two sons, Gabe and Cooper.
I am a graduate from White Plains High School, class of 1998, and our youngest son currently attends the 6th grade at White Plains Middle School. Our oldest is a graduate of White Plains class of 2017.
I have a BBA from Faulkner University, and am employed with the Anniston Country Club.
I have served on the board for White Plains Youth Athletics for over 4 years and am currently President. When i went on the board, we were negative 27K. My fellow board members and myself worked hard to dig out and keep our books in the black. In addition, we were able to improve our facilities by adding new scoreboards to all our baseball fields, helped the WP Middle School get new scoreboards for the gym, and build four batting cages at the youth complex. We increased our participation and lowered prices for our community. As many of you know, running a youth organization takes a lot of dedication and time. I have proven to work hard and lead in my time on this board.
My mother Kathy Owens retired from the school system (DeArmanville) with 27 years of service, so I am no stranger to the countless hours of work and dedication from school employees, that does not end between the hours of 730 am-3 pm. I am not running to be a voice for just White Plains, I have two nephews that attend Alexandria, one niece Weaver, and cousin at Pleasant Valley, not to mention family and friends that work in every school in the county.
My goal if i’m elected on the Calhoun County BOE is to listen, not only to the voters who put me there, but the Administrators, teachers, and support staff, also to make sure that each and every school has the best resources and technology available to them, and a safe environment for staff and children to be in. I believe that goals should be put in place for each school financially, to appropriate funds accordingly. Transparency is key! I would appreciate your vote on March 5th!
Jeff Winn
I am a life long resident of Calhoun County. I graduated from Ohatchee High School in 1974. Graduated from JSU in 1978. Received my EDS in Administration in 1982. I was a teacher, coach, and principal for 30 years in Calhoun County. I am running for my third six year term for the board.
