Where Does Polly Ruggles Send Her Child to School?

Colbert County resident Polly Ruggles has announced her candidacy for District Judge. She is among what is rumored to be a large field seeking to succeed retiring Judge George Carpenter.

Ruggles has worked as municipal judge in various Colbert County towns and is affiliated with the District Attorney's office. Married to Sheffield businessman David Ruggles, she is also a Sheffield school board member. Yet, where does Ruggles' child attend school? If you guessed her hometown of Sheffield, you would be sadly mistaken.

We received this e-mail today from a concerned resident of Colbert County:

I have no doubt that Polly Ruggles has enough experience serving in the many roles she was appointed to. She seems to have been covering all the areas she could in order to get to this point. Yet I feel that maybe her sitting in judgement of others in an official capacity has warped her ability to connect with her common citizens outside a courtroom. A judge's qualities not only include a broad knowledge of the law but someone who provides such with dignity and respect. I would assume that when one is a city judge and a school board member who believes they know what is best for this area, it seems almost hypocritical that candidate Ruggles would send her child to an elite boarding school in Birmingham. This tells the other parents that Sheffield is good enough for their kids but perhaps not so much for her own. Or perhaps Sheffield didn't offer as much potential for educational growth. Isn't that why she is Vice President of Sheffield's school board? To enact changes that would allow each child to maximize their educational growth potential? It seems as this candidate has given up on one area and aspect of Colbert County because it didn't suit her needs. Therefore how am I to believe that if her self interests aren't best served by this community that she will still act in a way that is best for the everyday citizens of Colbert County?

Should this disqualify Ruggles from running for the position of District Judge? Certainly not. What it does do is cast doubt upon her commitment to Colbert County and its citizens.


Kudos to Andy Betterton and the Florence City Council for voting to allow Eugene Sak's patio home project to move forward. Sak indicates that construction will start in approximately twelve months, so if you want any souvenir photos of the stately Ponderosa Trailer Park, now's the time to take them.