Chelsea Kauchick on Some Muscle Shoals Issues

Since this blog began publication, the population of Muscle Shoals has grown by 20%. Obviously, you have us to thank.

If that logic sounds very faulty to you, consider candidates who mention every business that has located in their fair town since they've been in office. Does anyone ever think these businesses came solely because of them? No, it takes more than idle boasts to run a city.

Here's a very interesting conversation with mayoral candidate Chelsea Kauchek and a concerned Muscle Shoals citizen...

Citizen:

There is a legal reason why MS does not have commission districts. The US Justice department determined that housing is not segregated enough to allow for district representation and Leon Madden was subsequently elected in an at-large election. Out-of-city students do not have a right to attend our schools; let their parents annex and pay the taxes we have to pay. My advice for anyone seeking income equality is to go to work as our Constitution only guarantees equality of opportunity. Muscle Shoals does not deserve a social activist as mayor. If. I in any way mis- Understood your appeal I apologize. I was hoping for a new mayor who would work for ALL the citizens as there are areas of this city that are unknown to the politicians.

My response:

XXXXXX, I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me. I enjoy engaging in discussions on how to grow our city so please don't hesitate to continue sharing your thoughts. In regards to districting, from what I've researched, the decision to district or create an at-large council version is up to the municipality, but the US Justice Dept. would step in if they deem that the current system is in violation of the Civil Rights Act.

I know our current system has been in place at least since 1992 when we went to a mayoral/council format. I'd be curious to know if the city reassesses the current system each election cycle to determine if this is the best system moving forward. Historically, at-large council representation in city government are prone to overlooking minority communities because there is no representative responsible for the betterment of that particular location. Of course there are pros and cons with every format, but I want to make sure our city recognizes that some communities have been overlooked due to our current system. If my understanding of this is incorrect and the city does not make the decisions regarding districting, please let me know where I can find that information and I will be happy to put out a statement clarifying this.

Regarding Mr. Madden, I'm aware of his service as councilman from 1992-2000, a good 20 years ago. Would you agree that after two decades of only having white men serve, our city would benefit from having new voices in leadership from different backgrounds?

Furthermore, would you agree that having NO female leadership on the council hinders us from making the best decisions for more than half of our population?

The neighborhood I was referring to that was zoned out for city schools is right in the heart of our city. It is within one mile of our city schools and very much within city limits, so they pay taxes just like we do. Is it fair that they get bussed out of our city to attend county schools 20 minutes away just because they are considered lower income or don't fit into the MSCS image? As you mentioned, under our Constitution we are given rights for equal opportunity. Where is the equal opportunity for these students? Why is it that neighborhoods with higher-income families that live much further away from our city schools are zoned in while these other students right down the road are zoned out? I hope you and I can both agree that there is a misaligned moral compass on this issue.

You mentioned you are hoping for a mayor who would work for ALL of our citizens, and that is exactly what I'm trying to express in my campaign. You don't want a social activist mayor, but what I consider social activism is this: being engaged with our community. Communicating with civility and compassion. Learning from each other. Speaking up when we can do better. Leading by example.

I would argue that social activism is an imperative part to running a city because at the end of the day, it's the people of this community who matter and as mayor, my job includes being present for ALL of our community.

I would love to learn more about the areas of this city unknown to politicians. I feel like I've already brought up a few of them in this email, but I know there's more to learn. I learn from people like you. Please let me know what you think we could work on as a city. Feel free to contact my personal cell so we can discuss.

Again, thank you for your time. I hope this addresses your concerns, but if I missed the mark, please let me know. 

All the Best, 

Chelsea Kauchick