By BETH CHAPMAN / Community Columnist

Presidential Candidate Herman Cain will be this year’s guest speaker at the Shelby County Republican Party’s annual fundraising dinner on Saturday, July 16 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center on U.S. 280. The annual event has come to be known as the Lincoln-Reagan Dinner. A private reception for sponsors will be held at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. in the ballroom.

Cain announced his bid earlier this year for the upcoming 2012 election. He served in the U.S. Navy and is a recipient of the prestigious Horatio Alger Award given to outstanding Americans who display character and success in their personal and professional lives. Among his many accomplishments, he has been serving as CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and as a board member and chairman (for one year) of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Cain is a southern Republican. He was born in Tennessee and resides in Georgia. He is a radio host, businessman and the author of four books. He is a pro-business conservative who believes the private sector must lead the nation into recovery, and that government should remove itself from such failed efforts to do so. He desires to reform the tax code and abolish Capital Gains taxes.

Cain has said that a two-year extension of tax rates and a 2 percent payroll tax holiday is not going to make our economy more productive. His sermon is one familiar and dear to the hearts of Republicans in this county and that is that we need less government and a more serious business approach in leading our nation.

State Representative April Weaver and County Commissioner Rick Shepherd are co-chairing this year’s event, and Judge Mike Joiner has been selected as Shelby County’s Republican of the Year. Freddy Ard is chairman of the local GOP.

Shelby County has long been the highest voting Republican county per capita in the state and boasts the fact that every single elected official in our county proudly carries an “R” behind their names.

Sponsorships for the event range from $500 to $5,000 with various benefits attached. Individual tickets are $100 each. Members of the Republican Party and elected officials from all over our state are known to attend this local event so buy your tickets early.

For more information on the Shelby County GOP or the fundraising event, visit Shelbycountygop.org or call 994-6497.

Beth Chapman, Alabama’s secretary of state, is a Shelby County resident and writes a weekly column for the Shelby County Reporter. You can reach her at bethchapman@bellsouth.net.