Hill qualifies for election

KILLEN - Brooks High School teacher and coach, Jerry Hill, has qualified as an independent candidate in the race for Lauderdale County Superintendent of Education in November's general election.

When Hill first announced his candidacy, he announced as a Democract. In May, however, that candidacy came into question after Hill learned he could not qualify as a Democrat because he did not have an administration certificate in education. Although he has completed his coursework, he has not taken his state certification test. That test is now scheduled for June 14.

Hill's name was removed from the Democratic ballot and incumbent Billy Valentine was declared the Democratic nominee, Hill's name is to be listed as the independent candidate on the November ballot, which will also include Republican challenger Scott Jones.

In order to become an independent candidate, Hill had to qualify no later than the June 3 primary election. Hill qualified Tuesday, submitting the required petition to the Lauderdale County Probate Office. The petition, as required by the Secretary of State Office of Elections Division, was to have at least 756 names, representing at least 3 percent of Lauderdale County's qualified voters who cast ballots in the 2006 gubernatorial election. Hill submitted more than 1,300 names, according to Lauderdale Probate Judge Dewey Mitchell.

"As far as this office is concerned (Hill) has done everything needed to get on the ballot," Mitchell said.

Hill said he has gained most of his qualification information from the secretary of state's office in Montgomery and "they haven't asked anything about this certification."

Still, Hill says he knows he must have it and soon.

"I managed to get an earlier testing date so, hopefully, this will all be cleared up very soon, and I'll have my certificate," he said. "At this point, nothing will keep me from running for this position. I'm not about to quit. I still have supporters, and I'm in this for the long haul."

Rob Johnston, the elections attorney for the secretary of state said Hill's candidacy would only be an issue if he didn't have the proper certification by election time. In that case, Johnston said Hill would be subject to being challenged about his qualifications and "that would be a matter for the courts to handle."

As for the Alabama Department of Education's requirement that all superintendent candidates have the proper certification, Hill is not considered qualified until he obtains that certification.

"Regardless of party affiliation, every candidate must have the same qualifications, including the administration certification," said Michael Sibley, the communications manager for the department of education. "The state department's only role is in determining if he is qualified with this certificate. If that's all he's missing, and he obtains it in time, he'll be qualified as far as this department is concerned."

Lisa Singleton-Rickman can be reached at 740-5735 or lisa.singleton-rickman@timesdaily.com.