Hank Thomas Critiques the Lauderdale County Commission

Dewey Mitchell

"The Lauderdale County Commission lives in the past," according to Waterloo resident Hank Thomas. Thomas further links Commissioners Larry Irons and D. C. Thornton with Dewey Mitchell, who will be seeking his first term in the new position of County Commission Chair. According to this most persistent critic, these two commissioners "take their lead" from Mitchell and vote as he wishes them to.

Thomas presents at least two interesting issues. It seems the county's emergency plan was last updated in 1998. Since then, the commission paid 10K for a new plan in 2008, but has yet to review it--a necessary step before it can be implemented. At this rate, the "new" plan will be out of date before it's inaugurated.

Thomas' second issue with the commission is the 9:00 a.m. meeting times. Obviously, most working individuals are not able to be present at these semi-monthly events. Thomas states there was once a suggestion to move the meetings to a later hour, but no vote was ever taken on the issue, nor was it ever broached by any commission member after the initial introduction by a county citizen.

Hank Thomas wants all Lauderdale County citizens to become involved in its government. We here at Shoalanda Speaks lobby for the same end. Our commission members need new leadership, not the same good ol' boy politics they have experienced since 1994.

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We hope the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department has enough furnishings and supplies to fill its new offices. It seems one retailer refused to sell any merchandise to the department when its credit card was rejected. Did someone forget to pay the bill?



Shoalanda

Republican Renaissance in Lauderdale County

Not only does Lauderdale County now have an elected Republican judge, this northwest Alabama bastion of the Democratic party now has its first elected Republican county school board member:

Daniel Patterson, the first Republican elected to the Lauderdale County Board of Education, will be sworn in this Tuesday, November 16th at 8:30 a.m. in Judge Carole Medley's courtroom on the 4th floor of the Lauderdale County Courthouse. The event is open to the public.

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Speaking of Democrats, Lauderdale District 1 Commissioner D. C. Thornton barely won reelection to the county commission. Whether this was due to the mistaken premise that actual campaigning wasn't needed to return him to office or if his near-defeat was the result of unrest among the electorate, we won't attempt to speculate here. Still, it does not bode well for Rhea Tays Fulmer in 2012. Her recent antics have brought her more criticism than praise.

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Now some Reader Q & A:

Q: Doesn't Shoals Hospital also do cardiac caths? Why is this different that Keller doing it?
A: Our source tells us that Shoals does not do catheterization procedures; they do angiograms which are supposedly less invasive. The source further stated that things do go wrong with these procedures at times and the patient is immediately transferred to ECM. Whether this would be a good point for Keller to argue, we don't know, but it is an interesting comparison.

Q: How many applied for Lauderdale EMA director when George Grabryan was appointed?
A. Thirty individuals applied for this position. Among others, Mr. Grabryan beat out Colbert County Coroner Carlton Utley and Anderson Police Chief Mark Bowers.

Q: Who hired George Grabryan?
A: The Lauderdale County Commission hired Mr. Grabryan as EMA Director. The 911 Board hired him as its director; the commission appoints the 911 Board.

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1906 view of Montgomery Avenue in Sheffield: Link




Shoalanda

Calling Commissioner D. C. Thornton

Lauderdale County Commissioner D. C. Thornton has just announced that he has heard no opposition to the creation of the position of a part-time commission chairman--a job that pays $40,000.00 a year. We're not sure of the good commissioner's auditory acuity; we are sure that of the hand full of e-mails we have received, no one has been in favor of such a new position.

If any of our readers feel the 40K annual salary for a part-time position seems fair, please let us know. For those who feel otherwise, please contact:

D.C. Thornton - District 1
13100 Highway 72
Rogersville, AL 35652
256-247-5533

Rhea Tays Fulmer - District 1
170 Fox Den Road
Killen, AL 35645
256-757-4107

Larry Irons - District 2
699 Longshore Drive
Florence, AL 35634
256-757-4780

Fay Parker - District 2
P.O. Box
Waterloo, AL 35677
256-767-0989

Do We Need Two Deweys?


Shoalanda

Do We Need Two Deweys?

Dewey Mitchell is the current Probate Judge of Lauderdale County; he is also the Chairman of the Lauderdale County Commission. In Colbert County, as well as many other Alabama counties, commissioners rotate the position of chairman. If this were to be done (and it's doubtful it would be since this is the most economic way to handle the matter), the chairman would be given an extra vote in case of a tie among the four commission members.

Commissioner D. C. Thornton is lobbying for the creation of a separate commission chairman. This part-time position would offer an entry level salary of $40,000.00--not bad considering the median household income in Lauderdale County is just over $33,000.00.

Duties of this part-time commission chairman would include:

1. Promoting economic development - While we do need all the help we can get in this area, much of this would seem to be a duplication of other similar positions.

2. Establishing and enhancing intergovernmental partnerships - Wasn't this position first introduced in Orwell's 1984?

3. Serving as representative on boards, committees, and other organizations - This might be useful; the county would never again face a standoff in whom to appoint.

4. Other duties as assigned by the commission - For 40K a year, we would hope so.

Oh, well, as Eddie Frost often said, it's only money.


While on the subject: Wouldn't it be nice if the next Lauderdale County Probate Judge actually had a law degree?

Shoalanda