It takes a strong human to be a leader in the state today. It takes character and honesty, much of which Alabama doesn’t see in Montgomery these days. Alabama needs a leader who will run the state like a business, and take pride in it.

Enter Tim James

candidate for governor for 2002.

On Monday, James kicked off his week-long campaign

tour in his hometown of Greenville. In his &uot;I see an Alabama&uot; campaign speech, which

much resembled Martin Luther King Jr.'s &uot;I have a dream&uot;, James told residents and visitors of Greenville what Alabama should be as well as what it could be.

&uot;Today is not just the beginning of a campaign

it is the day we will begin building a new world, and that can start here in the great state of Alabama,&uot; James said.

James topped off his speech with his idea of what education can be in Alabama. A strong believer in education, he said that after his eight-year term in office, he wants to see every Alabama school on academic clear status with every student should scoring above the national average on the SAT. He believes the way to do this is through strong principals.

James is on the mark. Students learn from strong role models and having the ability to see one everyday is what can make the difference in education.

He also said that it was mismanagement of funds at the state level that causes teachers to spend their hard-earned money on school supplies for their students and that our present leaders &uot;no longer have the guts to stand up for what they know is right.&uot;

James solution: &uot;We need to raise expectations and challenge ourselves to be a better Alabama.&uot;

He couldn't be more right.

James said that he knows the list of problems in Alabama is long, but that should not discourage us, but encourage us. He said he has heard many say that our cure should be a national one, but replied to the remark with, &uot;I say let's start the turnaround that this country needs right here in Alabama.&uot;

James is not a politician

he is a businessman, which is exactly what Alabama needs. He is not engrossed in the world of politics, but in the world of business. James said that Alabama doesn’t need a politician, but the state needs a leader with a strong, practical approach to problem-solving, like the one that has led him to be so successful in business. He compared his role as governor to his business venture of the Foley Beach Express where he and his partners built 13 miles of a four-lane highway in 13 months. &uot;That project was unprecedented by any standard and that’s what we need in government. We need to provide a better way to get from one point to the next without spending any of the public’s money,&uot; he said.

And it can be done, not by a politician, but by a businessman.

He is also younger than many of

the candidates who are running against him, but that is an asset. His young, progressive ideas are ones that can make all of the difference in this state. His idealism, business sense and genuine love for the people of Alabama are qualities that are needed to make a better state and a better world.