money Alabama Rep. David Wheeler dies at 72, cause of death not immediately available
Rep. David Wheeler, R-Vestavia Hills died on Wednesday morning, according to the Alabama House of Representatives. Wheeler was 72.
A cause of death was not immediately available.
Wheeler won election in District 47, located in Jefferson County, with 54% of the vote in 2018. During his time in office, Wheeler regularly introduced bills that would limit state legislators to a maximum of 10 years in office. None of the legislation ever came out of committee.
The representative passed a bill last year allowing election workers registered to vote in a county to serve in any precinct in that county.
“The people of District 47 and all of Alabama have lost a devoted servant and I’ve lost a good friend,” Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, said in a statement. “It was rare that David came to the microphone to speak on legislation, but when he did his words carried weight. I’ll miss him and so will the members of the House.”
A long-time official in the Jefferson County Republican Party, Wheeler was an accountant by training who worked for decades for Alabama Power and also served as president of a pest control company.
Wheeler ran unopposed for re-nomination in the Republican primary. Two Democrats, Christian Coleman and Jim Toomey, have qualified to run for the seat and will face each other in the May 24 primary.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama Rep. David Wheeler dies at 72
