After 20 years as Pike County’s representative in the Alabama House of Representatives – and 40 years of public service in the area – Alan Boothe is enjoying his newfound leisure time.

But that doesn’t mean he has slowed down.

“It’s been really interesting,” Boothe said. “I stay busy, busy, busy; my wife has a lot for me to do and there are a lot of things I am interested in, working around my farm a lot. And I’m still engaged a lot too; I’ll still have my opinion and express it to the current representative whenever an issue comes up that I’m passionate about.”

Former probate judge Wes Allen took over for Boothe in the Legislature immediately following his victory in the general election on November 6. Boothe had served five terms in the role before deciding to step down and leave public office.

Before serving as representative, Boothe spent 20 years in Pike County serving as the county coroner and on the Troy City Council.

Boothe said his advice for Allen is to always hear what the community wants.

“I think the most important thing is to listen to the people and do what is in the best interest of the people that you represent,” Boothe said. “That’s kind of the philosophy that I had and I think that served me well. I didn’t please everybody, but I tried to do what I thought was best.”

Boothe said there were ups and downs during his time in the House, but he wouldn’t change anything.

“I don’t have any regrets,” Boothe said. “There are some things I wanted to get passed I didn’t always get passed, buthat’s OK. I got a lot of satisfaction in helping somebody, I’m a very service-oriented person.”

As for the future, Boothe says he can’t see a time when he’ll ever slow down.

“I don’t see slowing down,” Boothe said. “I’m going to continue to be involved and continue to do things I enjoy doing. I don’t foresee running for public office in my future, but you can never say never. I’m not sure what God has in store for me, but any way that I can help people and do something to benefit the folks I live around, I intend to do that. I certainly enjoy being retired and every day brings a new challenge.”