For More Information

Richard Chandler for Alabama Senate District 3

Hi, I’m Rick Chandler and I would like to introduce myself to everyone. First and foremost, I am NOT a lawyer or a politician. I am a retired engineer and looking to devote my energies full-time to the office of
Alabama State Senator District 3, which includes all of Morgan county and portions of Madison and Limestone county. 

I was born in Birmingham and raised up in Mobile before launching out into the world. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from South Alabama, and later a Master of Science in Logistics Engineering from FIT. I’ve been happily married to the most wonderful woman in the world for over 44 years. We’ve been blessed with two remarkable sons over that time, along with the recent addition of our first grandson.
I put myself through engineering school the old-fashioned way, by working for it and earning academic scholarships along the way. After college, I went to work for AT&T in 1980 as an Outside Plant Engineer
in Mobile and Birmingham. I then took a position in 1985 with the Naval Training Systems Center as an Electrical Engineer in Orlando, FL. I progressed through numerous positions to become a Systems
Engineer with the Army’s Program Manager for Training Devices. We then moved to Olympia, WA where I served 3 years as the Science Advisor to the Commanding General at Fort Lewis.
We then moved to Panama City, FL where I was a Project Engineer working with the Naval Air Warfare Center. We later returned to Orlando where I served as a Project Engineer for the Simulation, Training,
& Instrumentation Command and as the Director of Engineering and the Director of Development for the Joint Simulation System.
Next we moved to McAlester, OK, where I was the Director of Engineering Logistics for the Army’s Defense Ammunition Center. Our next move was to Tampa, FL where I served as the Director of
Advanced Technology for the U.S. Special Operations Command.
Our final move was to Huntsville in 2008 where I worked on Redstone Arsenal with the Missile Defense Agency as a Systems Engineer and the Chief Systems Engineer for the Command, Control, Battle
Management, Communications System, and as the Lead Requirements Engineer for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System. I retired here with 32 years of federal service in 2017.
The past few years we’ve enjoyed travelling to Europe, Australia, and many other places within the U.S., until Covid shut things down, so now we’re staying local to Huntsville and enjoying our son’s growing
family, and also hiking, exercising, and eating out.

Richard Chandler for Alabama Senate District 3
Join the Party Today!
WHY A LIBERTARIAN?
A Libertarian is not a liberal as some may think, it's actually the complete opposite in many cases. A Libertarian focuses on protecting American liberty, and the rights and freedoms of ALL citizens. A Libertarian believes in sticking to the Constitution, reducing the size of Government, reducing taxes, an amendment requiring a balanced budget, reducing foreign involvement, supporting gun owner's rights. A Libertarian also supports the individual's rights in their pursuit of happiness and a good life, to include racial equality, non-discriminatory marriage registrations, and many other freedoms which must be protected against politicians driven to satisfy special interest groups and large PACs.
NO GROCERY TAX
Alabama is one of the few remaining states to impose a grocery tax on its citizens, which is yet another regressive tax impacting lower-income and middle-income families. Alabama is one of only 5 states in the U.S. that mandates the full sales tax rate (4%) against groceries. Repeated efforts to repeal these taxes have failed and have contributed greatly to the misery-index of many Alabamians. This is a tax which is a prime candidate for reduction or elimination during this time of extreme inflation. Other taxes/tariffs on goods/products can remain in place and be adjusted appropriately to account for the loss of tax revenues from groceries.
STATE EDUCATION LOTTERY
$41B - Total raised for education in Florida
$20B - Total raised for education in Georgia
$6B - Total raised for education in Tennessee
$0 - Total raised for education in Alabama
Through the judicious use of lottery funds, other states have been able to assist teachers, students, and parents in achieving higher academic standards, improving school facilities, expanding colleges and trade schools, while offering scholarships, and other types of tuition assistance. The two latest lottery bills have been left hanging by the legislature with no possibility of Alabamians being able to vote on them in the Fall elections. A simple bill (excluding the special interests of casinos) needs to be provided for Alabamians to vote on as soon as possible!
INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
Libertarians are fighting to regain citizen’s rights and liberties, and not maintaining an ultra far-right agenda which suppresses many of the freedoms we deserve. The current Alabama Legislature has repeatedly blocked Alabamians rights to vote for inclusion into the nationwide lottery systems, preferring to treat its citizens as children who don’t know what’s good for them, even though recent polls have indicated the desire for inclusion. Alabamians have no choice but to use state-controlled ABC stores which stifle competition. Archaic and overly restrictive medical marijuana laws continue to delay and inhibit usage among those who desperately need it. Additionally, all Alabamians regardless of party affiliation, are forced to pay the bill for what amounts to a beauty pageant for Republican and Democrat candidates as a part of the primary and run-off elections. Alabama would save millions of dollars if they required each party to pay for their own primary or caucus, as is currently done in many other states.
RESIDENTIAL SOLAR POWER
For years other states have left Alabama in the dust when it comes to providing incentives for homeowners to save money via solar power. This is in a time where inflation and electricity costs are shooting up and causing extreme hardships to the average Alabama citizen. Alabama ranked 49th in the country in residential solar power generation last year. If the legislators in Montgomery had done NOTHING on this matter, we would all be better off. They have actually de-incentivized the average consumer from considering an investment in solar, by mandating a fee totaling $324 per year, for a typical 5-kilowatt rooftop solar array. This fee was proposed in 2012 by Alabama Power and approved by the Alabama Public Service Commission. (Interesting side comment, my opponent has been the recipient of campaign donations from Alabama Power). Even Mississippi has enacted bi-partisan legislation to encourage and assist homeowners in acquiring solar systems, recognizing it as a benefit to the voters, to the environment, as well as providing relief to the overall power grid.
STRICTER TERM LIMITS
The list of political offices in Alabama which have no limits on the number of times an individual can run, includes State Senator, State Representative, Public Service Commission, Supreme Court, State Board of Education, Circuit Judges, District Attorney, and many, many more. If the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and others are limited to 2 terms, why do we allow career politicians to establish dynasties year after year? The incumbent state senator has been in office for 16 years and is seeking to make it 20. I will stay in office for only one term (4 years), and will get as much done in that timeframe as is humanly possible to make this a better state.
INITIATIVES & REFERENDUMS
Seventy percent of US citizens have the right to place statutes and constitutional amendments on their state-wide ballots, along with popular referendums. Not so for Alabama (except for Birmingham citizens who have had this right since 1911). Popular referendum can be used when the legislature, county commissioners, and city leaders fail to act. This process could be used to send a mandate to the career politicians in Montgomery to finally open up the state to an educational lottery such as Powerball, for the benefit of all of Alabama’s school children, colleges, and trade schools. Issues relating to abortion, gas taxes, grocery taxes, and other hot topics could be similarly be decided in accordance with the voter’s will.
GUN OWNERSHIP RIGHTS
“The right of the people to keep & bear arms shall not be infringed” (2nd Amendment)
I will always advocate for the private, and responsible ownership of guns for recreational purposes and personal security. Individuals have the right to protect themselves while shopping, attending church, at school, and everywhere else. Additionally, the current attempts to monitor and control private sales of guns between responsible citizens represents an overreach by big Government and is a violation of basic American freedom. The less interference by Government in an issue, the better!
Click Here
Previous
Next
Like Peace Prosperity and Freedom?

Join Libertarians in Alabama

Chip In
The Libertarian Party is committed to America’s heritage of freedom: individual liberty and personal responsibility, a free-market economy of abundance and prosperity, a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace and free trade.

Elections

Events

Get Involved

Articles

Party Organization

Paid for by the Libertarian Party of Alabama, P.O. Box 2375, Madison, Alabama 35758. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Facebook Twitter
Scroll to Top