Phenix City Council meets with Lt. Gov. Candidate
Article written by Special to the Citizen - The Citizen of East Alabama / Phenix City August 07, 2009
Senator Hank Erwin met with Mayor Sonny Coulter and other City Council
members Monday afternoon to discuss his strategy to further economic
development for Alabama.
Erwin, who represents District 14 in Shelby County, is running for
lieutenant governor in 2010.
Erwin told the council members¹ that he wanted to bring a movie industry to
Alabama, which would create more revenue for city expense. ³Because the
current economic crisis has largely affected us all, it is going to take
even larger ideas to beat the crunch, and I think bringing a movie industry
to the south is one idea we all ought to ponder.² the senator said.
Coulter referenced Phenix City was no stranger to the movie industry, as
³the 1955 film The Phenix City Story was cast in its own streets.² The city
was also mentioned in the 1989 Academy award winning film Driving Miss
Daisy.
The Alabama Movie Bill (HB 69), which the state senate passed in March, will
be helpful for Erwin¹s case. Because the bill is designed to give financial
incentives to movies and television shows, it would create tax breaks on
sales, income and lodging expenses for companies spending a minimum of
500,000 to film or spending at least 50,000 to produce soundtracks.
Louisiana is the only other state in the southeast that has attempted to
pass such strong legislation for the purpose of attracting the movie
industry.
Since the passage of the bill, Erwin has made two trips to Hollywood
lobbying for Alabama.
