John Merrill

John Merrill
Current candidacy
Running for Alabama Secretary of State
General election	November 4, 2014
Current office
Alabama House of Representatives District 62
In office
November 3, 2010-Present
Term ends
November 5, 2014
Years in position	3
Party	Republican
Compensation
Base salary	$10/day
Per diem	$4,308/month
Elections and appointments
First elected	November 2, 2010
Next election	November 4, 2014
Term limits	N/A
Education
Bachelor's	The University of Alabama, 1990
Personal
Birthday	November 12, 1963
Place of birth	Wedowee, AL
Profession	Tuscaloosa County Board of Education
Religion	Baptist
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

John Merrill (b. November 12, 1963) is a Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 62nd District. He was elected on November 2, 2010.

Merrill served as the Chairman of the Republican Party in 2009. He has been an Executive Committee member for the State Republican Executive Committee since 2009 as well.

Merrill earned his BA in History/Political Science from the University of Alabama in 1990.

Merrill was a Governmental Affairs Intern for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama from 1987 to 1988. He then worked for Randall Publishing Company as National Account Executive from 1988 to 1990. From 1990 to 1993, he was Assistant Director of The Tuscaloosa County Industrial Authority. Merrill worked for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama as Director of Business Development from 1993 to 1994. He has been the Director of Community Relations & Community Education for the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education since 1994.

Committee assignments

2011-2012

Merrill served on these committees in the 2011-2012 legislative session:

• Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee, Alabama House of Representatives

• Subcommittee on Constitutional Issues

• Economic Development and Tourism Committee, Alabama House of Representatives

• Subcommittee on Economic Development and Incentives

• Rules Committee, Alabama House of Representatives

• Subcommittee on Consent Calendars

• Tuscaloosa County Legislation Committee, Alabama House of Representatives

Issues

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

John Merrill endorsed Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential election.

Elections

2014

See also: Alabama secretary of state election, 2014

Merrill declared his candidacy for Alabama Secretary of State in January 2013. Current incumbent Beth Chapman (R) is term-limited and unable to seek re-election. The general election takes place on November 4, 2014.

2010

See also: Alabama House of Representatives elections, 2010

Merrill defeated Jerry Tingle in the June 1 primary. He then defeated Constitution Party candidate Steven Kneussle in the November 2 general election.

Alabama House of Representatives, District 62 General Election (2010)
Candidates		Votes
John Merrill (R)		11,658
Steven Kneussle (C)		1,694

Alabama House of Representatives, District 62 Republican Primary (2010)
Candidates		Votes
John Merrill (R)		3,262
Jerry Tingle (R)		2,551

Campaign themes

Merrill's website lists the following issues:

• John’s Personal Employment with the Tuscaloosa County School System

Excerpt: "When John announced his candidacy in July of 2009, he indicated that if successful in his bid for the State House, he would leave the Board of Education as soon as possible upon gaining meaningful employment. He was not required to take this position since Board policy allows employees to campaign for and to serve in elective office. John's position on the issue of "double-dipping" dictated his reasoning behind leaving the Board."

• Property Tax Increases

Excerpt: "Under no circumstances is John for increasing property taxes without a vote by the people."

• Improving the Economy

Excerpt: "Improving the state of the economy is one of John’s top priorities."

• Abortion

Excerpt: "John is against all forms of abortion."

• Accountability and Transparency

Excerpt: "Transparency in government promotes accountability. A transparent and accountable government is able to provide citizens with information on what the government is doing and how it affects the local community."

• Ethics Reform

Excerpt: "John knows that strong ethical leadership is vital to every part of government."

• Education

Excerpt: "John is committed to working with leaders of education and business and industry to find new and improved ways to serve our students in both K-12 and higher education settings."

• Economic Development

Excerpt: "John’s experiences with the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and as the Assistant Director of the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority uniquely qualify him to understand the challenges faced by local business and industries."

• The Lottery

Excerpt: "John is against the lottery. As a Christian, and as a conservative Southern Baptist Deacon and Sunday School teacher at Calvary Baptist Church, John believes that all forms of gambling are wrong."

• Prayer in School

Excerpt: "John believes that our citizens, especially our children, should be able to pray to Lord God Almighty any time and any place they would like."

• The Pledge of Allegiance

Excerpt: "John believes that children in Alabama’s schools should begin everyday, in every school by saying the pledge to “Old Glory” because we are one nation under God."

• Quality of Life Issues

Excerpt: "John believes that Legislative Discretionary money should be distributed to schools, volunteer fire departments, community ballparks and leagues, and municipalities within the district boundaries before it is distributed to groups outside the district."

• Sunday Alcohol Sales

Excerpt: "...he believes that alcohol consumption is a personal issue. There are hundreds of people in Tuscaloosa who would like to vote on the issue of alcohol sales for a limited amount of time on Sundays."

Endorsements

Merrill was endorsed by:

• The Alabama Tea Party Express

Campaign donors

2010

In 2010, Merrill raised $208,502 in contributions.

His four largest contributors were:

Donor	Amount
Friends Of Mike Hubbard	$7,500
Business Council Of Alabama	$6,000
Alabama Association Of Realtors	$5,202
Election PAC	$5,190

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term John + Merrill + Alabama + House

All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.

John Merrill News Feed

• Sales of US Existing Homes Probably Rose to Three-Year High - Bloomberg
• Alabama House Passes Emergency Broadcaster Bill - Radio World
• Got Tix? - Press Herald
• Your Students, Your Schools -- Des Moines west - DesMoinesRegister.com
• Food Informants: A Week In The Life Of The Tippling Bros. Paul Tanguay & Tad ... - Huffington Post
• Concerts and shows currently on sale - Press Herald

Personal

Merrill and his wife Cindy have two children.

External links

Suggest a link

• John Merrill's campaign website
• House site
• Project Vote Smart Biography
• Project Vote Smart legislative profile
• Campaign contributions: 2010
• John Merrill on Facebook

References

Political offices
Preceded by Gerald Allen	Alabama House District 62 2010–present	Succeeded by NA