Thank you for the opportunity to be here.
INTRODUCTION Hello, my name is Michael Wright, and I am running for the district 11 State Senate seat. My wife and I are both from Alabama. We both grew up in Mobile. We originally moved to this area in 1994. I was transferred here with the Federal Prison system to the Federal Prison in Talladega, and she subsequently took a position at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. After taking my first position with the Prison system in Texas we were glad to transfer back home to Alabama. After living here for 12 years I was transferred again. We decided to keep our home here though because we knew we wanted to come back to Alabama when I retired. I spent almost 20 years in the Federal Prison system. I was a Chaplain in the prison system. I am also a veteran and have been involved with supporting veterans here. I spent over 30 years in the military. I went through basic training at Ft McClellan. I’ve served in the AR, NG and on active duty in the Army. I received active-duty military orders in the latter part of 2008. I moved my wife back here in 2008 and went on military duty. I stayed on active duty for most of the next five years to include a tour in Iraq. When I came off active duty I returned to Alabama and retired from the AL NG. I served as a Chaplain in the military and retired as a LT. Colonel. I have thought about getting involved in the political process in some way for many years but working for the government it was not possible. After retiring I went back to school for a while, worked with veterans, remodeled our house, have done some real estate investing and am part of the St Clair Baptist Disaster Relief Team. I’ve basically enjoyed retirement. As I continued to watch the news and see the destructive path we seem to be on, I felt that I wanted to get involved and again serve this State and Country that I have been so fortunate to live in. I wanted to find a way to contribute and serve the people of my district and the State. Political office seemed like the best way to do this. This is an open seat. Senator McClendon is retiring. I would not want to run against an incumbent who was doing a good job. But I want to make sure we maintain a real conservative base in Montgomery, and that we remain a strong conservative State. You might ask why are you a good candidate for this position? I think my many years of government service to begin with. I’ve seen how the government and its agencies work. I have been around government agencies all of my career. And I think I have the same Alabama values as most of the people in this district which are hard work, personal responsibility, faith and family. And now that I’ve retired, I have the time to devote to doing the job right. Again, I’m Michael Wright and I would greatly appreciate your vote on May 24th.