Allen Farley.

• Author: Weiss, Suzanne
• Position: ALABAMA - Alabama Republican representative - Interview

Allen Farley is the unlikeliest of policy wonks. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Farley spent 37 years in law enforcement, rising from foot patrolman in his hometown of Bessemer, Ala., to assistant sheriff of Jefferson County, the most populous county in the state. Approaching retirement a few years back, he looked forward to having more time for what he enjoys most: gospel music, volunteering with the Salvation Army and doting on his family--wife Muriel, three daughters and nine grandchildren.

He recalls never having more than a passing interest in politics, let alone running for office.

Fast-forward to 2019 and Farley is a political veteran. A Republican, he was elected unopposed to his fifth term in the Alabama House, where he has earned a reputation for hard work, civility and acumen in areas ranging from prison reform to school security to cross-agency data sharing. For the past eight years, he has blossomed into a vocal advocate for reforming the state's unwieldy budget process, which he believes hamstrings legislators' ability to plan and invest wisely.

Farley is a champion of apprenticeship programs for young people, family-centered support systems for parolees and expanded access to mental health services. For audiences ranging from business leaders to fellow legislators to community groups, he created a PowerPoint presentation using overlays of data based on the home addresses of prison inmates, Medicaid and social-service recipients, and families living in neighborhoods with underperforming schools.

"What you see is these clusters of failing communities where our money needs to be invested more strategically," he says.

"If we would take better care of these communities, we could free up a lot of money that's being sucked up by prisons, welfare programs and families in crisis--and use that money to make all of Alabama better. It's the right thing to do. Let's target the 10-year-old child living in these communities right now, and make sure that each and every one of them has as good a chance to succeed as any child in our state."

Farley says he...