He Came to Florence...and Left

We'll call him “Pat.” He lived in a northern state (read: cold) and he was very unhappy since the death of his wife. Florida...that was the place to be, and since he knew Florence, Alabama, was on the Florida state line, he applied for a job in that fair city.

He got the job, edging out qualified local applicants who actually knew the system Pat was now in charge of, but that mattered little since Pat talked a good game. He may have even been a singer/songwriter for all we know.

Indeed, he did sing...and tap dance...and make everyone like him, at least at first. He soon found just how far it was to Florida and just how cold the Shoals could be in the winter. He met a woman who like him wanted to move farther south; they married and did just that.

Then came the aftermath. Was there missing money? There were certainly missing records, sloppy bookkeeping, undone tasks, and broken promises. No one was sure just what Pat had or hadn't done, but in the end the system he once headed was disbanded. The employees who had worked for the system for years before Pat was even heard of were left not only jobless, but referenceless since there was no system left to hand out such accolades, and the replacement body wanted nothing to do with any reminders of the broken system that had once been the envy of many areas in the Southeast.

Ah, it's truly a cautionary tale, isn't it? Perhaps today there are those who want to come here not because they have any interest in our area, but because we're only a few minutes away from Nashville? Or at least much closer than Kingston, Ontario?

*****

We trust everyone yesterday recognized our photo of Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas. There are truly many great imports from Canada; sadly, the Shoals area seems to get the National Railcar variety.

Perhaps we should start a pool on how long our new tourism director will last? Just what number special session of our legislature will be in Montgomery when Rob discovers the depths of pettiness that plague our board members? If he returns to Canada, perhaps we can talk him into taking some of our elected representatives with him?



Shoalanda