Ala. County Commissioners Threatened, Reverse Vote to Buy Terrorist Insurance

Two weeks after voting to spend $7,000 a year for terrorism insurance, commissioners in a rural Alabama county have responded to a more immediate threat: angry voters.

The Clarke County Commission has voted unanimously to reverse its previous decision, also unanimous, to buy a policy insuring county-owned buildings from damages caused by an attack by foreign-based terrorists.

Commissioners said residents questioned whether the policy made sense for the southwestern Alabama county of about 27,000, described in a Montgomery Advertiser editorial as “one of the least likely targets for terrorism on the planet.”

“The majority of the people who approached me didn’t think it was worth it,” Commissioner Joe Hunt told the Mobile Register. “I’m supposed to represent the people, so that’s why I changed my mind.”

The county’s regular insurance policy covers domestic terrorist attacks.

Insurance industry officials said insurers are required to offer coverage against foreign terrorist attacks, but rural counties aren’t the typical buyers.