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GADSDEN — The fact that Phil Williams was the only freshman to be awarded a Senate leadership position should say something about how well he was received at this month's legislative special session.

After returning from Montgomery as part of the historic Republican takeover of the Alabama Legislature for the first time in 136 years, Williams was back in his office at a local business last week, where he sat down for an exclusive interview with The Post. Williams, who lives in Gadsden, defeated incumbent Democrat Larry Means in the General Election on Nov. 2.

“My life has gotten a lot busier, but I am passionate about the job,” Williams said. “I enjoy working for the people of this district, and I always try to be responsive to the different groups and constituents who elected me.”

The Iraq war veteran waded into a different type of battle zone in early December when he made his first trip to the state capital as the senator from District 10. Williams admitted an affinity for the governing process, based on his first experience.

“It was a high-pressure week, no matter how long you have been in the Senate,” he said. “I recall Sen. (Jabo) Waggoner (R-Birmingham) telling all the freshmen that if we still enjoyed it after this week then we'll keep on enjoying it.”

Before he even took his place in the upper chamber, Williams was appointed to the Special Senate Committee on Ethics Reform, the only rookie to receive such a slot.

“I deeply appreciate that my Senate colleagues chose me for such an important position,” Williams said in a statement released by the Alabama State House on Dec. 9.

Williams said he sensed legislators came to Montgomery with a “sense of mission” because of the nature of the special session, which was called by Gov. Bob Riley to pass a series of sweeping ethics reforms.

“There were some times when we had some tension across the isles but there was still and agreement to disagree,” he said. “I never felt like we were creating enemies within the two parties.”

Among the reforms passed is a ban on legislators holding another job with a state agency, a ban on money transfers between political action committees, stricter guidelines for registering lobbyists, limits on gifts to legislators, and a ban on payroll deductions to pay dues to the Alabama Education Association.

Williams said he has already heard from constituents on both sides of the issues, particularly the one that deals with the AEA.

“Some teachers have called me,” he said. “But I rarely heard a teacher say their chief concern was being able to pay their dues electronically.”

Williams said the Senate listened to teachers' concerns relating to insurance, collective bargaining efforts, and other non-political issues before the final bill passed.

“Those were fair questions, so we went back and changed the language of Senate Bill 2, to make sure we included all the things that an association does on behalf of its people, except fund campaigns,” he said.

Williams scoffed at the idea that the primary aim of SB2 was to allow Republicans to drain the political influence of AEA Executive Secretary Paul Hubbert, a powerful Democrat influential in Alabama politics since the 1970s.

“I refute that, outright. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Williams said. “We passed seven bills, and the sum of those bills was to remove undue influence, and to provide transparency.”

Williams also explained the ethics-related concern behind SB3, which goes into effect in 2014 and will prevent state employees – including anyone who works at a state agency, public school, college or university – from also holding a seat in the Legislature.

“We weren't concerned about a teacher losing class time,” he said. “We were concerned about public employees coming to Montgomery and being able to vote on their own budgets.”

Williams suspects the reforms, which Riley has already signed into law, will not be the last word on ethics.

“The bill requires that the Ethics Commission report to the Legislature the best practices of other states so we can further develop our ethics laws,” he said.

Williams said he doesn't yet know the details of Republican plans to address the 62 percent pay raise state legislators voted themselves in2007. But he said he strongly suspects the issue will be addressed when the Legislature reconvenes in March.

“I think there will be discussion on that in the General Session,” he said.

Speaking of the General Session, Williams said he has already decided on one of the first bills he plans to introduce.

“I've already got the Legislative Referral Service helping me draft a bill that will help 25 counties in Alabama, including Etowah and Cherokee,” he said.

Williams said the bill will expand the Alabama Enterprise Zone Act to include tax incentives for retail and white collar businesses.

“So, for example, if someone wanted to open a new Target in Gadsden, or a new Publix in Centre, they would be able to get the benefit of a credit on their state corporate tax, which would make it more attractive for businesses to come to our area.”

Williams said the biggest job he and his peers will have to face come 2011 is an extensive trimming of the state's budget after years of declining revenues and other consequences of the Great Recession.

“I think one of the things you'll see if a reform of the manner in which our budgets are written,” Williams said. “In the past, there was an unrealistic aspect in that budgets were written based on the revenues that were hoped for. And every time those 'hoped for' numbers were wrong, we'd wind up in proration. ”

Williams said his favorite idea so far is a proposal called the “rolling reserve” budget act.

“What it would do is require, by law, that the Legislature take a look at the past 15 years, average out the trends, and only budget where we think we'll be, as opposed to where we hope we'll be,” he said.

Williams said he has already made several trips to Cherokee County since Nov. 2, and has plans to visit the area often over the next four years.

“I consider myself to be a two-county senator,” he said.