Still, Mosley Weigh Alabama’s Next Power Struggles

Tommy Tuberville’s move to Montgomery will bring more than a change of Governors. It will put new powers in new hands, with choices ahead on state agencies, energy policy and the people who run them.

That was a central theme of the Nov. 6 Heart of Dixie podcast, as Harry Still and Alabama Gazette reporter Brandon Mosley weighed Alabama’s post-election outlook. Their Friday roundup also took on Pelham’s leadership fight, Alabama Power’s dispute with a landowner and a new jail program in Baldwin County.

Mosley argued that changes under Gov. Kay Ivey will give Tuberville a stronger office than past Governors held. He pointed to greater control over Veterans affairs, economic development funds and utility oversight.

Two of those shifts are clear in state policy. The 2025 Veterans affairs law gave the Governor power to appoint the Department’s Commissioner, who serves at the Governor’s pleasure. This year’s PSC overhaul created an Energy Secretary in the Governor’s cabinet to supervise the utility agency.

The hosts also discussed how the new Governor’s staff could improve access for people trying to bring issues before the administration. Mosley said knowing who has the Governor’s ear would remove some of the guesswork.

Mosley put the broader stakes of the transition in plain terms: Many officials appointed during Ivey’s tenure could be replaced, with effects that reach well beyond the election.

Pelham offered a more immediate fight over who should run government.

The hosts discussed the dispute between Police Chief Ed Delmore and City Manager Gretchen DiFante, then debated whether problems between two officials should lead the city to scrap its management structure.

Still defended the value of a trained city manager. Success in another field, he argued, does not ensure that an elected official can run a city.

“That doesn't mean he's going to be a great mayor,” Still said in the episode.

The hosts questioned whether the conflict reflected a push toward more direct control by the mayor. That was their interpretation, not a finding of the independent probe.

The city’s Nov. 3 statement said the investigator interviewed 38 people and did not substantiate the principal claims against DiFante. The probe found no drug-related impairment affecting her work and did not find the alleged toxic workplace involving bullying or improper conduct.

WBRC reported that council members made no decision at their Nov. 5 meeting. Possible changes to the city’s form of government are set for discussion at a Nov. 16 work session.

The discussion also turned to former Mayor Bobby Hayes, whose death brought fresh attention to an earlier era of Pelham leadership. Hayes served six terms from 1984 to 2008, overseeing major growth and new public facilities, according to the city’s tribute.

Property rights drew sharp comments as well.

The hosts reviewed Fenn Church’s fight with Alabama Power over a transmission line across his property. Mosley voiced concern about the effect on the surrounding land’s value, while also arguing that a court order could help prevent a confrontation between Church and work crews.

In video played during the podcast, Church refused a request to step back from the work area.

“Y'all can have me arrested,” Church said.

Alabama Power sought an order barring interference with its work and requiring a 300-foot buffer around tree-clearing crews. That request is part of the ongoing dispute, rather than a final ruling resolving the case.

The hosts’ talk about industry ranged from the price of American-made knives to rising demand for power. They discussed smaller nuclear reactors and questioned whether new power sources could serve customers outside Alabama Power’s control.

On the coast, they weighed the strain from growth in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Their concerns included traffic, crowded condo developments and the loss of habitat. They also questioned whether residents of new subdivisions should block nearby landowners from developing their own property.

National politics brought a brief round of speculation about U.S. Sen. Katie Britt’s future. After playing her 2024 State of the Union response and a Saturday Night Live parody, the hosts discussed her possible place in a future Republican presidential field. The exchange offered no announcement of a campaign.

The hosts also addressed Russell Brand’s rape conviction, playing police remarks and Brand’s denial. They said they lacked enough firsthand knowledge of the trial evidence to assess it themselves. Britain’s Metropolitan Police confirmed that a jury convicted Brand Nov. 5 of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, with sentencing set for Nov. 9.

The episode closed with Baldwin County’s new IGNITE jail program.

A FOX10 report played during the show described plans to link existing GED classes, recovery groups and job training with more resources. Sheriff Anthony Lowery said the goal is to help inmates find a path forward after release.

Still questioned how the program would fit the short stays of many county jail inmates. Mosley noted that some defendants remain in jail much longer while awaiting trial.

Still also raised a basic question about the program’s terms.

“I'd like a copy of the contract,” he said.

The full podcast episode may be seen on YouTube and below: