Ron Sparks (politician)
Ron Sparks | |
|---|---|
| File:Ron Sparks.jpg (Photo courtesy Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries) | |
| 28th Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries | |
| In office 2003–Present | |
| Preceded by | Charles Bishop (D) |
| DeKalb County, Alabama Commissioner | |
| In office 1978–1982 | |
| Preceded by | Auzie Anderson (D) |
| Succeeded by | Cecil Shirey(D) |
| Constituency | 3rd District |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 275px October 29, 1952  Fort Payne, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | 275px |
| Resting place | 275px |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
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| Residence | Montgomery, Alabama |
Ronald D. Sparks (born 1952 in Fort Payne, Alabama) is the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries in the state of Alabama. Sparks is a member of the Democratic party.
Early Life and Career
Sparks is a graduate of Fort Payne High School, and before beginning his political career worked in Fort Payne's iconic sock mills. He later served in the Coast Guard, and was awarded several commendations in that service. Following his discharge from the service, Sparks graduated from Northeast Alabama Community College in 1978. At the age of 24, he became one of the youngest County Commissioners ever elected in the State of Alabama, defeating a two-term incumbent.
After an interlude in the private sector, in 1993 Sparks was appointed Director of the DeKalb County 911 System. The county was just beginning its system, and Sparks was responsible for overseeing the construction of headquarters, procurement of equipment, hiring and training of staff, and the assignment of street addresses to over 30,000 homes and business by a field crew.[1] Sparks was elected the President of the Alabama chapter of NENA, the national society of 911 officials, in 1998.[2]
Department of Agriculture and Industries
In 1999, Sparks was appointed as Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, where he ran the day-to-day operations of the Department. In 2002, Sparks was elected Commissioner, winning 54 out of 67 counties, and defeating his Republican opponent in the general election by a margin of 53%-47%[3]. In that campaign, Sparks was briefly criticized for appearing in media produced by the Department. However, he responded that the media in question was time-sensitive, and that the then-Commissioner had scaled back his involvement in the Department’s operations following his own defeat in the gubernatorial primary a few months earlier.[4] In this campaign, Sparks became one of the rare Democrats to win the endorsement of the Alabama Farmers Federation.[5]
During his first term as Commissioner, Sparks pushed for country-of-origin labeling for food and agricultural products, citing health problems and under-cost dumping associated with imports from certain countries. He also initiated the establishment of state laboratories for expanded testing of food and agricultural products.[1] Sparks also led efforts to open the Cuban market to Alabama farm products, traveling to the nation and meeting with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, leading to Cuba’s agreement to begin imports from Alabama.[6]
He was re-elected in 2006. During this campaign, even The Birmingham News, which had criticized Sparks four years earlier, spoke favorably of Sparks's handling of a mad cow disease scare that could have threatened the state's cattle industry.[7] Sparks built on his 2002 margin, defeating his Republican opponent by a margin of 59%-41%, making Sparks the leading statewide candidate on the Democratic ticket.[8]
During his second term, Sparks has continued the expansion of the state lab system.[1] When a salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes occurred in the spring of 2008, Sparks acted to secure verification that tomatoes grown in Alabama were not suspected of contamination with the disease, and to facilitate marketing of those tomatoes as "safe."[9]
Sparks is the 2007-08 President-Elect of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. He took over as President of the association at its annual meeting in September 2008.[10]
Political involvement
It was rumored that Sparks would run for the Senate seat currently held by Jeff Sessions, but he declined to run to avoid a primary contest with state Senator Vivian Davis Figures. [11] Sparks backed the 2008 presidential effort of Hillary Clinton.[12] Sparks, who is ineligible for a third term as Commissioner, has been mentioned as a candidate for governor or lieutenant governor in 2010.[13] He launched a website, sparks2010.com, in late 2008. The site promotes a Sparks candidacy in 2010, without specifying which office he might seek.[14]
References
- ^ a b c Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries: Commissioner Ron Sparks
- ^ Alabama NENA: Officers
- ^ Alabama Secretary of State: General Election Returns 2002
- ^ Editorial: “Plugging Sparks,” The Birmingham News, October 9, 2002, p. 8A
- ^ “Farmers Group Endorses Riley, Bishop for Governor,” The Birmingham News, April 26, 2002, p. 1B
- ^ "Alabama's Cuba Trip Reaps $18M, More Expected," The Huntsville Times, December 22, 2004, p. 13A
- ^ "The Mark of the Beast," The Birmingham News, March 29, 2006, p. 8A
- ^ Alabama Secretary of State: General Election Returns 2006
- ^ "Food Sellers React Quickly to Outbreak of Salmonella," Mobile Press-Register, June 11, 2008, p. A2
- ^ NASDA Elects Officers at Annual Meeting
- ^ "Sparks Says He Won't Seek U.S. Senate Seat," The Birmigham News blogs, June 12, 2007
- ^ "Clinton, Obama to Increase Focus on State," Mobile Press-Register, January 10, 2008, p. A1
- ^ "Political Site Looks as Far Ahead as 2010," The Tuscaloosa News, July 28, 2007, p. 2B
- ^ "State Agriculture Commissioner Eyes 2010 Governor’s Race," WVTM-TV News, December 2, 2008