So long Tim Baer

The Birmingham News is reporting that my friend Tim Baer, former executive director if the Alabama Republican Party, died over the weekend at 57.

What a shock!

I met Tim after the 2006 election when I called the Jefferson County Election Commission to get a vote count. Mr. Baer gave me my vote total and then we discussed some recent LTE's about the write-in vote. I was all ready to jump all over him for his proposal that write-in candidates should have to pay to have their votes counted because all of the poll workers are too old to have to stay there and count them after 7 p.m.
I told him to hire younger poll workers.
He told me that he had voted for me, really enjoyed watching my campaign unfold and asked for a "More of these boobs and less of these Boobs" t-shirt. He said I had the best campaign slogan ever.

It wasn't until later when discussing that conversation with my friend Ralph from UAB TASC that I discovered who Tim really was. This guy worked side by side with Karl Rove for some time. Big time political player. At the time I met him he was chief elections officer under Judge Mark Gaines. He was also a volunteer at TASC helping people overcome alcohol addiction.

He attended a Compassionate Care Christmas party in 2006 and he and I maintained communication up until a few months ago. We were supposed to have coffee in BHAM but my schedule got messed up and I had to cancel. I regret now that I did because I never rescheduled it. I wish that I had.

I don't know if Tim was sick or if this is just one of those lightning bolts that comes out of no where. Does anyone know what caused his death? The newspaper article doesn't say.

So long Tim Baer. It was nice knowing you for the brief time that I did and I had been looking forward to many more long conversations about my political career with you. You will be missed.





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