Dick Jordan's Legacy

 

Everyone hopes to leave some kind of legacy. Former Florence councilman Dick Jordan is no exception. Perhaps his most fitting epitaph is "He hung in there."

Here's part of a short bio from The Shoals Tatler used with permission:

His name is William Dickerson Jordan. You can just call him Dick.


His parents moved to Florence, Alabama, after World War II, expecting a real estate boom. Barksdale Jordan and Jessie Dickerson Jordan may not have found the boom they had anticipated, but nonetheless the couple prospered and by 1950 had opened their own real estate company.


An interesting side note: Barksdale, of Lamar County, and Jessie, of Selma, pronounced their surname as “Jurdan.” As an adult, Dick has always used the pronunciation of “Jordan.”


Dick was the middle of their three children, born in 1944. He attended Coffee High School where he played on the football team along with his lifelong pal Joel Anderson Sr.  After graduation in 1962, he attended Auburn University where he met his first wife, Charlotte Jernigan of Falls Church, Virginia. The union produced two children, William Eidson Jordan and Ella Gaines Jordan Llevat.


Back home in Florence after graduation from Auburn in 1966, Jordan began his career at the M.J. Carter Insurance Company. He first ran for and was elected to the Florence City Commission in 1979. When the commission form of government changed to a city council, Jordan was on the inaugural panel representing District 2 in 1984.


After he was elected to the old Florence City Commission, Jordan began to write various insurance policies for the city. The Alabama Attorney General Charlie Graddick stated at the time that there was no ethics violation in the practice.


Jordan and his first wife divorced, and he soon married Etta Kay Williams. Then Jordan hit a blip in his council career. By 2000, Florence mayor Eddie Frost was seriously ill. Jordan was next in line to succeed him.


When Frost died in March 2001, Council President Dick Jordan became mayor. It was a position that Jordan proclaimed he had never wanted; nevertheless, he was now in the public eye more than ever. During the next election cycle, Jordan chose to run for his old council seat representing District 2, saying that serving as a full time mayor interfered with his work at the Carter Agency and ultimately cost him money.


Things may have returned to normal for Jordan in his career, but his second marriage was not on such an even keel. Soon Dick and Etta Kay parted ways.


Dick then met Elizabeth Stockard Watts. She was twice married and divorced, as he was. Libby, as she was known to her friends, was looking for a better job, and Dick was there to help. With his assistance, Libby found a home on the University of North Alabama Board of Trustees. About the time of their marriage, Libby began work with Florence Arts & Museums.


Libby became the only Director of Cultural Tourism that Florence ever had…courtesy of Dick. She then went on to become the director of the Rosenbaum home…courtesy of Dick.

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Jordan to Step Down July 1st

 

Florence Council member Dick Jordan has announced that he's stepping down on July 1st, over one year before the end of his term. He's promoting Party Pros owner Jackie Hendrix (pictured) to take his place.

Hendrix mentioned Jordan had been in city government over 30 years. Try 45: Back home in Florence after graduation from Auburn in 1966, Jordan began his career at the M.J. Carter Insurance Company. He first ran for and was elected to the Florence City Commission in 1979. When the commission form of government changed to a city council, Jordan was on the inaugural panel representing District 2 in 1984. - Shoals Tatler

However, just because Hendrix has Jordan's backing, don't assume he has the job. It will be interesting to see who else may be on the horizon.

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Speaking of the Tatler, we've been waiting on the second part of his article on how the Yankees took Florence.

Council Meeting Cancellation Shows No Plan?

 

First, we'll have a little contest. On the left if a mini-tree from Toomer's Corner. On the right is Dick Jordan. Tell us in the comments (Blogspot or Facebook) which is more useful.

Now, the weather. Storms have been predicted for two days. Schools were dismissed. Dick Jordan waited until around two hours before the council meeting to reschedule.

Next year, Dick will be retiring (or so we've heard), and the current mayor will be voted out. Certain department heads should be very afraid.

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Want to be on the right side of Florence history?

Vote Andy Out!

Dick Jordan & Family over the Years

 

Before we address our District 2 councilman Dick Jordan, we want to expound upon a recent comment that drew some harsh criticism from two readers. Why mention the huge pants size of Andy Betterton and Bill Griffin? Our reader's original comment used the expression "heart attack city." We simply felt our wording was nicer, but if critics want it reworded, we're happy to use the original term our reader used.

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Dick. What can you say about him? Married three times comes to mind. There was Charlotte Jernigan. That one lasted about ten years. Then there was Etta Kay. She used to sell real estate. We're not sure if she still does, but a friend saw her recently at a medical office and remarked she's holding up much better than Libby. Ah, yes, Libby the current wife is also on her third marriage. 

While Dick has been in office for over three decades, he's had a position created just for Libby at the Rosenbaum Home. She then became a department supervisor under Mayor Mickey Haddock; at some point the supervisory position became a department head. Yes, there were lawsuits from those not chosen.

More recently, Mayor Andy Betterton selected Dick's son Bill to head Parks & Recreation. He was the best in the whole city, according to Andy. Imagine, two "bests" in the same family. Of course, nepotism wasn't involved at all.

Then it got really weird. Libby decided to retire after less than ten years on the job and Andy selected her protegee' as the new Arts & Museums head. Yes, Brian Murphy was chosen. Brian who has exaggerated his position with UNA and deceived those who asked why he was being picketed at Pope's Tavern. We can only imagine Dick's role in that:

We will assume that Dick doesn't plan to run again. If he should attempt to win another term on the council, citizens won't forget what he said to District 1 representative Kaytrina Simmons.

We would hope all of them would tell Dick to "Be Quiet!"

You Be Quiet, Dick Jordan!

 

It's unusual that three highly charged political issues come before the Florence City Council at once, but they did in the meeting last Tuesday. At that time, a new recreation center in West Florence, relaxed regulations for short-term rentals, and amended parade/noise regulations were all brought before a meeting that lasted around three hours.

At one point, council president Dick Jordan pointed his pen at District 1 representative Kaytrina Simmons who was speaking and loudly said: You be quiet!

Jordan later apologized in a haphazard manner, stating that the situation was misunderstood. Really, Dick? It looked pretty straight forward to us. It's hard for any woman to obtain respect in the political arena, much less a black woman. Dick Jordan showed the world what he thinks of Ms. Simmons; she deserves a much more public apology than she received. 

Over the years...and there have been plenty of them...we've given Jordan a lot of leeway in his actions. Our criticism has been minimal, but make no mistake that his influence over the council has been anything but minimal. He has quite a record; let's look at it...

Next: Who is Dick Jordan and who are his friends and appointees?

The Luck o' the Jordans

 

Did you ever feel if not for bad luck, you'd have no luck at all? All of us do from time to time. Well, perhaps not the Jordan family.

Consider that in 2013, Libby Watts Jordan (wife of Florence councilman Dick) was one of 30 candidates for the position of director at the Rosenbaum Home. Her expertise? Most bios list her degree as in geology; however, we have to speculate that it's actually geography. No matter which, it certainly wasn't in the arts or history.

Now consider that in 2021, Bill Jordan (son of Dick) was one of 39 who applied to become the newest director of the parks and recreation department. Bet you can't guess who got that little plum.

But wait, there's apparently more. Bill says that he's worked for the Florence Electricity Department for 23 years...and for 23 years has been a supervisor. That means, at the approximate age of 28, young Bill was hired to serve in a supervisory position. 

When Libby Jordan was selected as director of the Rosenbaum Home, there was at least one lawsuit filed amid the 29 losers. Now that there are 38 losers in this newest appointment, should the citizens of Florence expect to pay more legal fees?

When You're a Special City Councilman

 

Seen recently on Facebook:

Inquiring minds just wondering. Why do all the Florence City council people have florenceal.org email addresses on the Florence City web site but Dynasty Dick Jordan has his insurance company as his email for the city? We mean it's ok to have a few different email addresses, but shouldn't the one connected to the city NOT be your BUSINESS email? A little "subliminal self promotion" which seems to be Tricky Dicky's MO in a lot of areas concerning the city of Florence! Let's talk about it from a question of security issues also! As we said inquiring minds are asking A LOT of questions about DD's decisions for the good of the citizens of Florence!

As the days pass, we're seeing more and more individuals ask questions about Florence city government. Will this be a city changing movement? Sigh...

It's extremely hard to keep movements alive. We're hoping this one grows and that Tricky Dick and Big Daddy Betterton realize that all areas of their lives are under a microscope.

That microscope includes others as well, even those appointed to various city positions. After all, you don't really think that everyone in those special groups of yours keep your secrets just because the bylaws say they have to, do you?

Welfare Check on Dick Jordan?

 From a reader:

Has anyone checked on Dick Jordan recently to know if he is ok?

The reason I ask this very serious question is because of a comment he left on the City of Florence, Alabama Government's official Facebook page on the morning of September 11th. The shared post was the Florence Alabama Police Department's outline of what were thought to be rules for protesting in downtown. By now everyone knows Mr. Jordan's direct connection to Project Say Something, but was this a cryptic message or just a case of auto correction gone horribly wrong? Using upper case and lower case as well as the use of a punctuation mark is what has had everyone so perplexed.

Not being a Bletchley girl, it's difficult to say. Perhaps Dick was telling someone to try Florence City Council District 5? But why? 

John Travolta & Dick Jordan Have a Lot in Common

Most people know who John Travolta is. They also know he's a strong supporter of Scientology, a cult-like religion that most deem an absolute farce. Travolta is such a devotee of the group founded by L. Ron Hubbard that he ill-advisedly starred in the widely panned Battlefield Earth, a movie based on one of Hubbard's science fiction novels.

While we certainly don't support Scientology, we do support Travolta's right to espouse these beliefs and to try to convert others to his way of thinking. This is the United States, after all. We also support anyone's right to speak in favor of the Salvation Army Church and to attempt to encourage the support of others.

Yet, we have to wonder why some are such ardent supporters of this outlier in the world of religion? Many groups contribute to society's needs without discrimination against women, homosexuals, etc. These groups don't appropriate large chunks of cash for themselves. These are the groups we feel are Christ-like.

That brings us to Tuesday's Florence City Council meeting. Anyone else watch it? It lasted all of 11 minutes (we assume due to the current health/lockdown situation). In that 11 minutes, council chair Dick Jordan got in three positive, even fawning, comments about the SA Church. 

We're not sure if Jordan has some sincere and misplaced love of this organization or if he simply wants to keep promoting a group that removes "undesirables" from the downtown area. We highly suspect the latter. 

Tricky Dicky & Sharky Marky Want YOUR Money! - Part II

Yesterday, we presented some extremely interesting information on elected official Dick Jordan's plans for some of your tax dollars...tax dollars you didn't even know you were on the hook for. Now let's look at Mark Linder's plans...both of them...for university money, some of which involves your tax dollars.

According to TD reports:"Melson said the University of North Alabama has agreed to use the arena for basketball games and graduations. The university is moving to NCAA Division I and needs larger sports facilities, he said."

The article doesn't specify what kind of agreement has been reached. Obviously, the ag center is not yet a done deal and may never be. If it does come to fruition, the university would logically pay a fee to use the facility.

Let's assume the ag center does become reality by May 2020 as Sen. Melson wants, what about Flowers Hall? We're sure the 1970s era gym will be well-used for practice, high school tournaments, etc. Like everyone who cares about UNA, we hope it's well taken care of.

Earlier this month, UNA athletic director Mark Linder announced a massive renovation for Flowers Hall to begin after approval from a state governing body; he didn't give a timeline as to when approval or renovations could be expected. Among Linder's plans for the gym is a new floor. These are needed periodically in all gyms, and apparently UNA is past due for one. The other two renovations proposed by Linder are not quite in the same category. One is, in fact, extremely questionable. 

Linder has announced new seating. The current bleachers are original to the gym and obviously need improving. The question is: Do they need a total replacement? We frequently read of bleachers in various local gyms being refinished...or has that sophisticated electronic space age bleacher technology passed the old seating by?

Yet the installation of new bleachers isn't the most questionable item on Sharky Marky's agenda. He wants a VIP reception area for all those bigwigs who are sure to visit UNA basketball and volleyball games. In case you think Mick Jagger might soon show up on campus to catch a local game, Linder is referring to monetary donors. We're aware that UNA does have the stray donor here and there, but they're never mentioned when the university requests more state funding. Perhaps it's just us, but would a donor who really cares about the school want UNA money used for a VIP area in Flowers Hall? And what of the VIP area if scheduled games are moved to the ag center? 

Can you all say "poor planning?"

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Tuscumbia (or is that Florence?) architect Hugo Dante has had to or will have to redo two plans for taxpayer funded projects this past year. We'll look at these tomorrow. 

Tricky Dicky & Sharky Marky Want YOUR Money! - Part I

The following blog isn't about the proposed agriculture center, at least as to whether you or we or anyone else want it. It's about the mindset of local politicians and others who spend your tax dollars.

In case you need to be brought up to speed on this situation, here's a brief rundown of the facts:

1. Several years ago, a two-cent a gallon gasoline tax was passed for Lauderdale and Colbert Counties in order to pay for the RSA's Marriott Hotel complex and Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. At that time, it was publicly stated the tax would be removed when the bonds were paid off.

2. The bonds are almost paid off, and the Lauderdale legislative delegation, with the exception of Larry Stutts, wants to continue the gasoline tax in that county in order to pay for a proposed agriculture center. Sen. Larry Stutts feels this is taking advantage of the Lauderdale County taxpayers (gasoline buyers).

3. The Florence City Council is also opposed to this proposal, partly since TVA funding will be diverted to it; however, one council member is opposed for other reasons.

4. According to a recent TD article: "(Dick) Jordan said when the economic development bonds are repaid, the city wanted to use the money to help build a bridge over Cypress Creek on West College Street, and to pave city streets."

Did everyone get what Tricky Dicky said? He's not concerned about taxpayers remaining on the hook for this two-cent tax; he's concerned the city can't latch onto it once it's no longer needed to pay off the RSA bonds.

So where does Sharky Marky fit in? Tune in tomorrow for Part II where we'll discuss UNA athletic director Mark Linder and local architect Hugo Dante.

Return to WAG Central

If you're not a sports fan, you may not know that the acronym WAG refers to “Wives & Girlfriends.” This being Alabama we're not too much into WAGs with the exception of those who may date/marry select college quarterbacks. That's okay—we make up for it with all the news WAGs of politicians generate.

From a reader: Whats the big deal, while mayor, Jordan circumvented state bid laws letting contracts to Libbylewinsky's employer, Tomlinson/Sims in an effort to woo her, nobody raised an eyebrow. When she got her current job nobody raised an eyebrow, even though she has no formal education in art history, public history, business, or education. By the way, these are the preferred credentials of her support staff per the city's job description. So why don't we clean up our on mess before worrying about Bentley's.

We can truthfully answer our reader that our feeble brain wobbles in an attempt to understand this. Libby Watts Jordan beats out 29 other applicants for the Rosenbaum Home position, with Todd Nix calling her far and away the best candidate, but the tourism board has to go all the way to Canada to find a new director?

Our best answer to our reader is that the public does have a limit on just how much it will take. Remember the local sitting circuit court judge who gave his girlfriend a plum job for which she wasn't qualified? Did he get re-elected? Uh, no!

We'll inject our worst peeve here: For all the money the city is paying Dick Jordan's brother-in-law to “co-ordinate” its capital projects, why can't the public get an update? Just one? We'll even take quarterly, if monthly is too much of a strain on Steve Eason.

Our reader also questions why we care about Bentley when Jordan is behaving so badly (at least in the eyes of many)? We certainly have an easy answer to that one.

Like the recent elections for sheriff in Lauderdale and Colbert Counties, only one of these men has been touting his ethical and moral behavior toward his family, and that's Robert Bentley, not Dick Jordan. The public is apparently helping to pay a salary to a woman with her own agenda...whatever that may be. We strongly suspect her agenda changes with the highest bidder.

Let's hope the situation in Montgomery is resolved quickly.



Shoalanda

Who Will Replace Debbie Wilson?

We had planned a blog on the injustice done to Debbie Wilson; however, she seems to have turned the table on Dick Jordan and the Testy Tourism Three, so we will offer sincere congratulations on her new post with the State of Alabama! Florence/Lauderdale loses. We're unclear if Debbie will have to relocate to fulfill the job requirements for this position. We hope not, but obviously Florence has not been that hospitable to her recently.

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From Florence-Lauderdale Watchdog:

We are furiously checking on the validity of this rumor from some random person on another page:

Libby Stockard Watts Jordan

"In a related story, city councilman Dick Jordan announced today he will now be in charge of the local Tourism Office, wife Libby will be the assistant director, with son Bill and Grandsons all paid special assistants to the director. Male Tourism Board Members are said to be prepared to expand the current budget to accommodate the additional expense. Electricity expense will be reduced to help balance the numbers."

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And from another source:

We've heard that if Steve Eason doesn't work out in his new position, Scooter Muse has a job for him cleaning toilets at various public housing locations.

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While on the subject of nepotism/cronyism, we recently heard this joke:

Q - How many blacks work in Muscle Shoals City Hall?

A - Three. One African-American, Marcel, and Marcel's son.




Shoalanda

"That's Why I live in the County"

* I want my dogs to be able to run loose--that's why I live in the county.
* I want to keep chickens in my yard-that's why I live in the county.
* I want to let my grass grow--that's why I live in the county.
* I want to park in my front yard--that's why I live in the county.
* I want to shoot my gun in the back yard--that's why I live in the county.
* I want to live next door to a (noisy business/pig farm/dump)--that's why I live in the county.

Oh, wait, you've never heard the last reason. No, probably not, but we are utterly amazed that anyone who prefers to live in the county for the first five reasons has the temerity to complain about their next door neighbor's noise.

No, Alabama does not have home rule for counties. If you want to live in the county for the first five reasons, don't complain about the sixth one. You don't look very intelligent.

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The WVNA sign by O'Neal Bridge continues to rust and foster copious climbing plant growth. The sign now belongs to Urban Radio Broadcasting of Mobile. Do they care? Probably not. The property it sits on apparently belongs to the City of Florence; however, the city seems to also overlook this eyesore--it's in Dick Jordan's district.

It's been on our Shoals Eyesore list for some time. It seems it will remain so for the foreseeable future.

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The Sherwin-Williams Police has issued a new warrant for Lucky's Package Store on Jackson Highway in Sheffield. Now it's a compound felony--the bright yellow street paint is currently abetted by purple lights around the windows. What? The drunks can't find it otherwise?

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While looking for info on the Sheffield City Jail, we found:

Shoalanda

Steve Eason to Coordinate City Projects?

Yes, it seems it's true that former Florence city clerk Steve Eason is the new coordinator for the city's capital projects. Exactly what that position entails, we have no idea. Eason was removed from his position as city clerk by a 5-1 vote of the Florence City Council in October 2004. Sources say that Eason is married to Councilman (and former mayor) Dick Jordan's sister. At the time of Eason's termination, outgoing Mayor Jordan accused the five who ousted Eason of having a vendetta.

Vendettas seem to be popular in Florence. We can remember a vendetta against a Florence planning department employee. Surely just a coincidence...

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Public information? All arrests are public record. The TimesDaily has stated it doesn't publish misdemeanor arrests, but that policy apparently wasn't followed when the five UNA football players were arrested late last year. The TD seems about as consistent as UNA athletic director Mark Linder.

Just because the TD doesn't publish an arrest, whether felony or misdemeanor, that doesn't mean it isn't newsworthy. We see the TD did publish the out of state arrest of a Rogersville man on attempted murder charges the day after it appeared on other sources.

We understand the TD refused to publish the name of Greene Davidson who was convicted on animal cruelty charges. So, a drunk college kid is more newsworthy than a middle aged preacher who deliberately starved a family of dogs? Interesting...

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In the humor is where you find it department, a reader made us aware of an ad in this week's Courier-Journal. The staff of a certain business wishes everyone a happy new year. Just the staff?

Apparently the owner(s) don't even show up except to collect a draw. It's not against the law, but if this is all the attention the owner gives to his business, we wonder how much he gives to the city council of which he's a member?



Shoalanda

Dick Jordan Speaks...on Tourism...Surprise

In today's TimesDaily, Lisa Singleton-Rickman's article on the latest Florence-Lauderdale Tourism news is informative...as far as it goes. We've commented before that any local official could state to the TD that they've just returned from a lunar vacation and no writer would even blink. Perhaps these writers have been told not to veer from the script, but when the interviewee makes, shall we say, a very odd statement, wouldn't it be in the readers' best interest to follow up?

First, let's see what Florence City Councilman Dick Jordan said on the tourism board issue. Mr. Jordan's comments are in red; our take on the remarks is in green:

Florence City Council President Dick Jordan said he’s aware of the public backlash since the meeting. He also said Morris’ sentiments aren’t representative of the council as a whole.

Morris' remarks are representative of most Florence citizens who are in favor of more transparency in local government. Obviously, they are not Mr. Jordan's sentiments.

He said the council will abide by state law and not remove either of the two men, Abramson and Muhlendorf, who are appointed by the city. “We appointed these board members to act on their own and our intention is not to micromanage,” Jordan said. “They are appointed for four years, and when their terms are up we’ll re-evaluate and at that time either reappoint or choose a successor.”

And just how were these board members selected? From a WAFF story: "Everyone tells us, including Tourism, that they're number one in the state. If you're number one in the state, adding someone is not going to make you any better. I picked the most qualified and that's what I did. I went through the applicants and regardless of what committee they're on or where their (sic) from, I picked who I felt was the most qualified." said Jordan. So Mr. Jordan picked them, did he? He now says "we," but in October he used the personal pronoun "I"--very interesting. Just which one was it?

Anything else left out of the story? Ahem...yes. Dick Jordan's wife Libby Watts Jordan is currently the curator of the Rosenbaum home; before that she was the director of cultural tourism--the only one the board ever had. She was the first to hold that title, and apparently when Ms. Jordan left the position of cultural director, the board felt there was no need to replace her. 

As far as we know, there is still an ongoing lawsuit concerning L. Jordan's appointment as Rosenbaum home curator:

New Director of Rosenbaum Home

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There have been a great number of comments online supporting Adam W. McKinney, the Rogersville man accused of physically abusing his girlfriend's 13 month-old son. We will address one of them: Were the child's injuries definitely intentionally inflicted?

Nothing is 100% in such a case, but we're going with the medical personnel on their take of the situation. We sincerely doubt that Athens Police have any grudge against McKinney.

We know that Limestone DHR has the victim in their custody. We would like to know if McKinney's partner's two older sons have also been placed in their care. McKinney is now out of custody on bail.

Shoalanda

Unprofessional: Dick Jordan or the Tourism Board?

Dick Jordan is a member of the Florence City Council; he's also an insurance salesman...selling insurance to the city and to government related groups. Is this ethical or professional? In a small town, it may not be that unethical, but it still smacks of good ol' boyism.

Now, the Florence Lauderdale Tourism Board, for which Dick's current wife Libby worked until very recently, has questioned how he presented an insurance policy to them. Either the entire tourism board is very mixed up or Dick doesn't communicate well or...you fill in the space. When the board questioned a deficiency in the policy, Dick called them unprofessional. Nothing like a good offense for a defense, is there?

When anyone buys anything, get it in writing. We should all know that, but it's very easy to forget. So what happens now? We await the next installment...

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Has anyone filled Libby Watts Jordan's place as director of cultural tourism yet? We await that news also...

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Yesterday we blogged on Oliver Brazelle, recently arrested for the sexual abuse of one child and accused of the same crime with as many as ten others. When the case goes to trial, or is plea bargained, there may be an easy out for the former youth minister due to his age. Let's hope not.

Just be aware it could happen. It happened in Franklin County when Hershel Graham received a sweetheart sentence due to his health. As we said at the time of the Red Bay murderer, we're sure the Hamilton facility for the aged and infirm has a spot waiting for Brazelle. He can't be placed there soon enough.



Shoalanda

A "Jordan Political Dynasty?"

Last September, Robert Palmer wrote an article for the TimesDaily in which he used the term "Jordans Build a Political Dynasty." Just what is a dynasty? From dictionary.com:

1. a sequence of rulers from the same family, stock, or group: the Ming dynasty.

2. the rule of such a sequence.

3. a series of members of a family who are distinguished for their success, wealth, etc.

Does the Jordan family qualify? While both Dick and his son William have been elected, Dick's third wife Libby Stoddard Watts Jordan has never been elected to any public office, nor has she been appointed to fill out any vacant political term. She may have political aspirations, but so far she has not publicly announced any. What about her service as a member of the UNA board of trustees? Yes, it may be a political appointment in reality, but it's certainly not political officially.

A short time after the death of Florence mayor Eddie Frost, a somewhat misguided writer penned a letter to the TimesDaily in which he stated Jordan seemed much more a man of the people than Frost, who appeared as an elitist. In reality, Eddie Frost attended what became the University of North Alabama on a basketball scholarship and toiled in the highly underpaid field of education before he entered politics. Dick Jordan's father was a local real estate mogul and sent his son to Auburn.

In March, Dick will be 70. He's worked in the business world for many years, and we would assume invested his income well. This may very well be his last term in political office, and we doubt he feels the need to answer to any and all constituents. This doesn't have to be a bad thing, but it could be.

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On one thing, we will congratulate Mr. Jordan--he's never seen the need to campaign on "family values" while having had more wives than some have owned vehicles. It should be an interesting Lauderdale County sheriff's race...

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Tomorrow: Unprofessional?



Shoalanda

Is Dick a Public Servant?

By definition, elected officials are public servants. They answer to the people. Or do they? Has Dick Jordan been good for the city? We have to say that in most ways he has. Is it enough to make up for his shortcomings?

Everyone has shortcomings. Those who wish to get ahead in the world minimize their shortcomings and maximize their strong points. Has Dick performed to the best of his ability? How about answering e-mails?

From OB's Corner: Does not know how to respond to email. (Dick!!)

From a faithful reader: I have repeatedly sent Dick friend requests and messages on here (Facebook) and time and time again he has declined and ignored me. Obviously the word accountability means nothing to this man. He ran unopposed for reelection and he knows he can do whatever he wants.

From another faithful reader: I once contacted the mayor and all the city council about an issue. Never heard from Dick Jordan or anyone else.

We have it on pretty good authority that there are e-mail programs that answer every incoming e-mail with a stock expression--something like: I've received your e-mail today and want you to know that I value your input. Let me know if I can be of assistance again. How hard would that be?

What does the local press have to say? A recent article in the TimesDaily was entitled Jordans Build a Political Dynasty. Really?

To be continued...



Shoalanda

Jordan's Wife New Director of Rosenbaum Home

Libby Watts Jordan, third wife of Florence councilman Dick Jordan, has been named the new director of the Rosenbaum home. Watts, who's undergraduate degree is in geology, beat out 29 other applicants for the position.

Martha Murphy, one of four city employees who applied for the job, has filed a grievance. Murphy, currently administrative assistant to the mayor, states she may take her quest for the job to other more official legal venues. Murphy is the founder of Mrs. Murphy's Foods and has an extensive background in several business areas.

Now here's the kicker: The job pays only $37,500.00 a year. Perks? Fascinating surroundings and an impressive job title. What are these perks worth in dollars and cents? Zero.

So what's the beef? The position is worth very little financially, and the fact that there were 29 applicants besides Mrs. Jordan doesn't speak very well of the local economy...or mindset. The real beef seems to be "the appearance of evil." We say if Libby Watts Jordan wants the job, let her have it. Surely there are much better things to come for Martha Murphy and any other qualified applicants who may not have been given a fair shake.

Related Post: What's Happening



Shoalanda