Back 15 years or so ago, every time you pulled up to a gas pump in the state of Alabama, you found a sticker letting you know that the Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture had inspected that pump and found it to be in working order and the gas flowing through it to be as rated.
The name on that sticker was Ron Sparks. And he was one of the state’s most beloved public officials.
During his final run for Ag commissioner in 2006, even with a Republican winning the governor’s race and the state shifting steadily to the Republican Party, Sparks, a Democrat, won 62 of 67 counties. He was that popular, primarily because he made sure his department did its job and protected consumers and farmers alike.
That’s not the case for the Department of Agriculture now, though, Sparks said during an interview on the Alabama Politics This Week podcast.
Sparks, who announced recently that he was going to run to get his old job back, said the functions that he once took pride in have been shoved aside and the state is worse off for it.
“They shut down the gas testing lab,” Sparks said. “That’s where we tested the gas to make sure that if it said it was 93 octane that you were getting 93 octane. I thought that was such an important function of our office—protecting consumers.
“I don’t know why they’ve shut it down—to save money or not bother companies. But they’ve now got the fox in charge of the hen house. They now let companies hire their own inspectors and submit the reports to the (Ag department).”
Not surprisingly, reports from consumers across the state of pumps not working properly, of credit card skimmers on pumps and of bad or mislabeled gas have grown and been fairly common.
At the same time, Sparks said farmers aren’t getting the same level of services that the Department used to provide, particularly when it comes to keeping up with new advancements and the latest technology.
“When I was there, we built three state-of-the-art labs and we saved farmers from losing a lot of money by catching things (like disease) early,” Sparks said. “I took a lot of pride in working hard for this state and trying to ensure the people got what they deserved out of our office. It was an honor to do it and I think most people would tell you that we did a pretty good job.”
There is little arguing Sparks’ popularity. With an easy-going, soft-spoken manner, even after a decade and a half out of office, he remains one of the most well liked public officials around. He said his announcement that he planned to run for Ag commissioner again brought numerous phone calls and well wishes from people he’s known for decades, particularly in Alabama’s farming community.
But even with that popularity, he knows the campaign will be a steep uphill climb, since he’ll be running as a Democrat in a state that has moved increasingly Republican and even more partisan. Still, Sparks said he hopes people will vote based on credibility and competency.
“I’ve never believed in changing party affiliation because it always seemed so phony to me,” Sparks said. “People know me. Who am I going to fool by changing that? They know the job I can do and that I did do. I’m ready to get back there and go to work for them again and I have a lot of confidence that they’ll give me a chance to do so. I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t have faith in the people of this state.”
To hear Sparks’ full interview, visit the Alabama Politics This Week website or subscribe to the podcast on any of the major platforms.
