Kerry Underwood: Nellie's November Surprise

 

When Tuscumbia Mayor/Accountant Kerry Underwood was scheduled to announce his run for the statehouse, we received the following from a reader:

I can only imagine how this will end if elected. All those businesses that had to pull their accounts from his accounting business because of poor work, tax issues and his lack of returning phone calls may have some warnings for the voters. Is bubba's accounting firm and, or business partners auditing government agencies he is in control of? May be time for his ethical practices to be tested. 

The above is just opinion, but now a Huntsville television station has announced that several weeks ago the Tuscumbia boutique Nellie Mae's filed a lawsuit against Underwood for damages resulting from his haphazard accounting methods. We believe this qualifies as an early November surprise by...hmmm. Who did tip off the reporter?

Rep. Andrew Sorrell will be extremely hard to replace. That being said, we still believe Mayor Underwood, who may be guilty of taking on more work than he could properly oversee, is still the preferred candidate next Tuesday.

Kerry Underwood: "Supporting Life" at Every Turn?

 

Our blog has been asked to shake a tailfeather and start making a few endorsements in the November 8th general election. We're going to start with State House District 3.

We have Kerry Underwood (R) v. Wesley Thompson (D). It would be the upset of the decade if Thompson should defeat Underwood. That being said, do we support Underwood? Yes; however, some of his platform and public statements do not come across as either likeable or believable.

First, Kerry, your description of your children makes you look cold and cruel. Surely someone else has already told you that. Even Andy Betterton claims "all his" children. It's sad when Betterton outdoes you.

But here's the kicker: You say you'll be the fearless defender of life at every turn. Now if the death penalty should come up in the legislature, we expect you to keep your promise. Or you could quote Tim Melson on why election promises are often broken.

If you want to win some undecided voters, you need to put on spurs, mount up, and ride over to the Colbert animal shelter. Then make some much needed decisions while you're still Tuscumbia mayor. 

Prove to voters that you stand for what's right.

And now our traditional start to October:

Prince Threatens to Bite Mayor Underwood

Hi, guys. Shoalanda asked me a few questions about the dog situation in Sheffield and I was only too glad to fill her in. In fact, I volunteered to do a blog and to bite whoever needed it starting with Tuscumbia mayor Kerry Underwood.

Yes, the shelter is full. Just because not all the animals who have to camp out there are listed on the website, it doesn't mean they aren't actually there taking up those luxurious suites and dining high on the Purina pig. A lot of them are strays that the shelter has to hold or are undergoing medical treatment that prevents them from being on the active adoption list. Also, there aren't enough employees to keep the list up to date. 

In fact, the shelter may have to reduce the number of employees even if it's currently understaffed. The budget hasn't been redone since 2000. Yeppers, 19 years since anyone has had a raise or increased funding.

Funding? Tuscumbia has consistently failed to come across with its share of doggo dough. So I'm here today to offer a grrrrreat solution. I'll bite anyone free of charge in order to help the shelter out. I'll start with Mayor Kerry Underwood and then work my way up to the Colbert County Commission (otherwise known as that pointless pile of do-nothing puppy poop).

So let's get together and demand that Tuscumbia pays its fair share. Then let's elect a new commission that will act alive enough to keep the fleas off them. How about it?

Biting for Justice Since 2015

The Word of the Day is "Integrity"

This article is about Tuscumbia, Alabama Mayor Kerry Underwood. I was sitting at the restaurant here in Town Creek the other morning. I was reading the Times Daily while I was eating. I came upon the article concerning the City of Tuscumbia passing an amendment to their 2019 budget due to a mistake by Mayor Underwood. 

Tuscumbia Mayor Kerry Underwood

So that we are on the same page, here is the article from the Times Daily:

“TUSCUMBIA — City Council members have voted to amend the fiscal 2019 budget after an accounting error placed the budget $100,000 into the red.

Mayor Kerry Underwood, a certified public accountant, said he made a typographical error in his spreadsheet for the 2019 budget.

The council adopted a general fund budget of $7,874,518 in anticipated expenses.

Underwood said he made some moves in the budget to make up the $100,000 loss.

"I think I underestimated our sale of surplus property," Underwood said. "I think I overestimated the cost of repairs and equipment."

He said there are also some openings in the Police Department that may take some time to fill, which should provide some additional revenue.

"I think we can make it work," Underwood said. "I took the blame for it."

Councilwoman Katie Logan said she's being optimistic the city can make up the additional revenue.

"It's one of those things that's got to be fixed," Logan said. "We can't let that slide."

She agreed with the mayor that there will be savings in maintenance and equipment since the city will be replacing numerous pieces of equipment with the proceeds of a $2.5 million bond issue the council approved last year.

"Hopefully, maintenance will be down this year," she said. "The department heads are doing really well keeping costs down."

She said the council continues to reach out to business owners to lure them to Tuscumbia to help increase the sales tax base.

The last thing she would want to do is make cuts in services, Logan said.

"We have that bond money, so we're not in the hole like we have been in the past," Logan said.

Council member Mike Isom said he voted to approve the amendment.

"He sent us an email on it a night or two before the meeting," Isom said of the mayor's quick action to announce the error.

He said the mayor discussed the error with council members during the meeting.

"I don't know if it was brought to his attention of if he caught it," Isom said.

Isom said he wants to discuss it further with the mayor.

"I will talk to him in the next few days," he said.”

I sat back and thought about what I had read. Mayor Underwood took the blame for something that he had done, even though it was an accident. That is something new in this day and time. In further thought, I decided I like this Underwood guy. Never met him, but I have to respect him. This boy has Ethics and Integrity. Don’t see much of that in today’s politics.

So let’s define those two terms. Going to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, we found the following definitions:

Definition of Ethic -

ethics plural in form but singular or plural in construction : the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation

ethics plural : a set of moral issues or aspects (such as rightness)

Definition of Integrity

1: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY

2: an unimpaired condition : SOUNDNESS

3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided : COMPLETENESS


Mayor Underwood made a mistake. He contacted the Council and told them about the mistake. He furthermore took full responsibility for the mistake and then the Council voted for an amendment to solve the problem. That is Government working as it should. With the dirty politics that is seen on TV, read about in newspapers or on Social Media, it is refreshing to see a group of ELECTED people work for what is best for their City.

This is how America is supposed to work. We elect people to represent us. These people make decisions to help us as well as the City, Town or State that we live in. To see a small town do this, gives me hope that this country has a chance on bouncing back or getting back on track.

So in conclusion, I must say to Mayor Underwood, well done. You messed up but you were man enough to stand up and take the blame or repercussions for it. I applaud you. Everyone, let’s give Mayor Underwood a golf clap. Festus the dog just gave you a “woof” of support.


That’s it for now. But remember that the Midnight Rider will always be around to voice his/her/their (?) opinion.

I am and always will be...

The Midnight Rider

Tuscumbia Traffic Lights?

The Midnight Rider Debates an Article

By: The Midnight Rider

Today my sons and I were riding the back 40 acres checking on the herd. You know my sons, Easy Rider, Cool Rider and Circuit Rider. My Dad was with us, Ole Ghost Rider, himself. Anyway, we decided to take a break to grab some lunch. Stopping at a small restaurant in the County, we sat down for a meal.

While waiting for our food, my youngest son, Cool Rider, said “Dad, you might want to read this” as he handed me a copy of the Times Daily. I read an article (You Said it) from someone that just slurred the Mayor of Tuscumbia, then talked about St Florian, Walmart and Tattooed girls, Trump as well as Whoopi Goldberg. Looking over the Editorial, I came up with the following commentary.

In regards to the Mayor of Tuscumbia, the article centered on the traffic light and the previous speed bumps at an intersection. I got on my High Tech phone and before long; I had found information about this intersection. It seems that this intersection has been a problem with wrecks especially during the school year. This was reported by the Times Daily as well on Social Media such as Facebook.

Ok, I’m just a country boy but if there is a problem with an intersection, doing something to correct it doesn’t seem out of the way. It would seem to me that people would be glad. Let me state here, I don’t know Mr. Underwood. I wouldn’t know him if he sat next to me at the restaurant.

However, by “reading” (which is a way to do research), it appears that he is at least trying to better the City of Tuscumbia. Also, I don’t see where calling Mr. Underwood names adds merit to the opinion of the author.

Furthermore about this article in the Times Daily, the author begins to deviate from his initial subject to other areas that do not have relevance to Mr. Underwood. I am not sure how Trump or Whoopi Goldberg has relevance to what you are trying to convey.

But let’s go with your scenario. Let’s put this in a Court Room with Mr. Underwood and the red light being the reason you are there:

You: St. Florian lowered the speed limit

Defense Attorney: Objection. Relevance?

Judge: Sustained

You: Whoopi Goldberg

Defense Attorney: Objection. Relevance?

Judge: Sustained

If you are going to criticize someone or possibly several different people, make sure you have your facts and it is written in proper English Terms. I am not saying you’re wrong, I am saying you went about it wrong. Name calling is something we did in grade school. I have an idea, if you are so unhappy with Mr. Underwood as Mayor, in a couple of years, run for Mayor and change everything. The only thing is I live in the County and can’t vote for you.

I asked Dad, the Ole Ghost Rider, what he thought about the Editorial and he replied “Horse Hockey.”

I am and always will be, the Midnight Rider...