Retired Tuscaloosa County CFO Enters House District 62 Race

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Longtime Tuscaloosa County Chief Financial Officer Bill Lamb confirmed to Patch on Tuesday that he plans to run on the Republican ticket for the Alabama House of Representatives in District 62, following news that State Rep. Rich Wingo, R-Tuscaloosa, would not seek re-election.

Lamb, 68, retired from the county in June after nearly four decades and told constituents that he thinks he can bring an experienced perspective to the legislature with respect to budgeting and finance.

“During my time as CFO, I was proud to see the county go from having to borrow money to meet payroll to being in a strong financial position with healthy budget reserves,” Lamb said in an official campaign statement. “That turnaround took teamwork and some difficult decisions, but it was what Tuscaloosa needed and our entire area benefits when Tuscaloosa County is in a healthier financial position.”

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Indeed, the lifelong Tuscaloosa resident and longest-serving CFO in the county's history received high praise from officials upon his departure, with accomplishments underscoring his legacy such as a financial recovery for the county from a $1.5 million deficit and having a hand in a range of impactful capital projects. Among those include the Tuscaloosa County Jail, the Juvenile Detention Center and renovations to the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse.

"I didn’t need a job and I didn’t need a career, but I did want to find a place serve," Lamb said in a phone interview with Patch on Tuesday. "I think I can make a difference with my experience from last 40 years. I want to get into the budget/finance process of the Legislature and lend expertise.

"The budgets are so big now," he added. "Most people don’t really delve down into the mechanics and details of budgets, or know how to. So I can add some expertise to that, identify areas of duplication and waste to eliminate."

He is the first candidate to formally announce a bid for the District 62 seat, which represents a large swath of southeastern Tuscaloosa County, including Brookwood, Coaling, Cottondale, Duncanville, Lake View and Taylorville.

It is unclear if any other Republican challengers will seek to give Lamb a run to represent the deeply conservative district, with the winner grabbing a seat previously held by Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill.

Apart from public service, Lamb and his his wife, DuRhonda, have been married for 36 years and have four children. Together they managed the Lamb Family Violin Ensemble, which gain a wide following for performing at weddings, churches and public events across the country.

"I am ready to roll up my sleeves and identify areas of wasteful spending and work toward ensuring that our General Fund and Education Trust Fund budgets are based on fiscally conservative principles," Lamb said. "My priority will be ensuring that every tax dollar that the hardworking people of this state send to Montgomery will be spent in the most responsible way possible.”

The primary for the Nov. 8 General Election is set for May 24, 2022.

Republicans also appear poised to hold on to two other House seats for the Tuscaloosa delegation, with former Tuscaloosa City Council President Cynthia Almond running unopposed in a special election on Feb. 1, 2022 for House District 63. If she is sworn in, she will take the place of Bill Poole, who left the legislature in July to become state finance director.

In northern Tuscaloosa County, no other challengers have qualified yet to run against retired Northport Police Department Captain Ron Bolton — a Republican who will look to fill the District 61 seat that will be vacated by State Rep. Rodney Sullivan when his term expires next year.

Sullivan announced in June that he would not seek a second term in the legislature.

The qualifying deadline for the Nov. 8, 2022 General Election in Alabama is Jan. 28, 2o22.

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