The Most Important Florence Council Seat? - Part 2

 

In part one of our take on District 2, we established why Jackie Hendrix's lack of caring, out for himself attitude, and total "bow down to the machine" mentality make him the one choice no intelligent voter would support. That leaves us with Gunner Ford and River Zurinsky.

Both Ford and Zurinsky have run for local offices before and been defeated. We feel it was just the wrong time for their campaigns, as both men have much to offer the citizens. So, is one preferable to the other for this position?

Yes, one is more dedicated to and adept for serving city citizens. That one person is River Zurinsky.

River knows his district better than any and, we firmly believe, cares more than 90% of those on the ballot. While we've never heard from Mr. Ford, River has been communicating with us for almost six years, keeping us abreast of his plans and activities. In short, he elicits feedback from the public.

River Zurinsky is someone who makes the city, not his billfold, a better place. We hope you'll support his candidacy on August 26th.

River Zurinsky: An Undercurrent of Change for District 2!

 

My name is River Zurinsky, and I am asking for your vote for Florence City Council District 2. I’m running for office because I want to serve the citizens of Florence and inspire our next generation of leaders. I was born at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital (ECM) in 1999 and have spent my entire life as a citizen of District 2, where I’ve lived in the McFarland Heights neighborhood for 26 years. I attended W.C. Handy Head Start, Kilby Laboratory School, Shoals Christian School, and graduated from Faith Academy. I’m a member of the Florence Beautification Board, a SKYWARN Storm Spotter, and an advocate for people with disabilities.

As the first person with autism to run for public office in Florence, Alabama, I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to have their voice heard and express their opinions. For the past three years, I’ve regularly attended and advocated for citizens of Florence at city council meetings and I'm one of only four private citizens who submitted a redistricting proposal in 2023 to the Alabama State Legislature following the Allen vs Milligan Supreme Court decision in an effort to protect African American representation. In 2025, I was the only citizen in Florence who submitted a redistricting proposal to the Florence City Council as an alternative to NACOG's proposal which took away our only black majority district. If I'm elected to the Florence City Council on August 26th, I will seek to restore the comments section on the City Of Florence, Alabama - Government Facebook page so that the elderly, parents with small children, people with disabilities, and all citizens who are unable to attend city council meetings in person can bring their concerns to the attention of the Florence City Council prior to agenda items being voted on. 

Another top priority of mine is safety. I have a friend on Chisholm Road whose son has autism. Cars speed past his son’s school bus stop, and I believe it’s urgent to address this before children are killed while boarding or exiting the school bus. Our city could purchase 50 yellow school bus stop signs for $3,500, and I will push for this if elected. I have also made numerous presentations to the Florence City Council concerning the broken pedestrian signals downtown that particularly impact parents walking with small children, senior citizens and the disabled. If I’m elected to the Florence City Council on August 26th, I will continue to advocate for fixing the broken pedestrian signals on Court and Tennessee streets and adding additional pedestrian signals on Pine Street. I also support raising the salaries of our firefighters and police officers to increase safety on a city-wide level and I propose building a new fire station on Darby Drive in District 4, along with the new station that is currently being built at the intersection of Franklin Street and Mahogany Avenue. I've been speaking for the last three years at Florence City Council meetings regarding the need for a fire station in proximity to Deibert Park, Riverhill School, and the Children's Museum. Florence has six districts, but only five fire stations, and I want citizens of all districts to have a rapid response during emergencies.

As a Christian, I believe it’s important for us as a city to honor God and love our neighbors as ourselves. I support putting the phrase “In God We Trust” on our fire trucks and police cars and want to establish an annual Veterans Day Parade to honor and recognize the men and women of Florence who have served our country. I believe that Florence City Council members should be truthful, ethical stewards of taxpayer funds who prioritize the everyday needs of their citizens. This can be demonstrated by addressing repairs to existing infrastructure and roads, budgeting annually for ongoing maintenance, and reserving money each year for future expenses such as the estimated 115+ million-dollar federal water treatment regulations that the city must meet within a few years. Additionally, I believe it's a necessity to work with the Lauderdale County Commission to increase the annual budget for the animal shelter to maintain our no kill status.

I would also like to work with TVA to improve McFarland Park, where I propose the additions of an amphitheater, dog park, skate park, and a splash pad. A permanent venue for live music would bring about more opportunities for our local musicians to showcase their songs. A dog park would give the many dog owners that live in District 2 a place to bring their dogs and socialize. A skate park would encourage teenagers and young adults to be active outdoors and provide the opportunity for the City of Florence to host skating tournaments. Skating tournaments would provide a new source of revenue for the City of Florence and attract tourists when baseball and softball are not in season. A splash pad would provide a place for young children to play and cool off during the summer. I also support adding additional covered pavilions and improving the picnic areas. Another priority is replacing the bulbs in the McFarland Park Lighthouse to showcase the entrance to our city and make the Florence Harbor and Marina more welcoming and well-lit at night. All these improvements would benefit Florence citizens and visitors alike. 

I’m hosting a town hall at Companion Coffee Roasters (1210 N. Wood Ave in 7 Points) on Saturday, July 12th at 6:00 PM and invite everyone to attend. I hope to see you there! You can also reach out to me on Facebook or Instagram where you can find me @riverzurinskystar or by emailing me at electriverzurinsky@yahoo.com.

Did Your Favorite Florence Candidate Care Enough?

 

From River Zurinsky:

Michael White invited all of the candidates running for City Council and Mayor of Florence to join him at Broadway Recreation Center yesterday to discuss their ambitions for running and answer questions from voters. This was the first opportunity I had since announcing my candidacy for Florence City Council District 2 to answer questions directly from voters, and I enjoyed getting to meet some of you and listen to your concerns. This was also my first opportunity to meet Alisa Sumsion Dickson who is running for Florence City Council District 3, and Ricky Pickett who is running for Mayor. Billy Ray Simpson who is running for Mayor, and Chapel King who is running for Florence City Council District 6 also took time out of their day to attend this event. I was disappointed when none of the candidates running for Florence City Council District 1, District 4, or District 5 showed up. I'm committed to making myself available to answer questions from the public whenever I have the opportunity to do so, and I hope that many of you will stop by my table at First Friday! I will be in Booth 80 in front of Rosie's Cantina beginning at 5:15 PM! Right now there is a 60% chance of rain on Friday morning, but I'm hopeful that the sky will be clear by Friday night.

Mr. Zurinsky not only appeared at the event to answer questions, he took the time to report on the meeting. It takes initiative to serve on the Florence City Council. Where were the other candidates?

Florence Candidate #5: River Zurinsky

 

If you keep up with Florence politics, the name River Zurinsky is familiar to you. Mr. Zurinsky has forwarded a copy of his application to the council:

I am seeking the position of the district 2 councilperson vacated by former President Dick Jordan on June 20, 2024. As a lifelong citizen of Florence, I feel that I bring a lot of knowledge and insight about the city to the table which can help me carry out my duties as a member of the Florence City Council.

I was born at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital (ECM) in 1999 and have spent my entire life as a citizen of District 2, where I’ve lived in the McFarland Heights neighborhood for 25 years. I attended W.C. Handy HeadStart, Kilby Laboratory School, Shoals Christian School, and graduated from Faith Academy. I’ve been interested in local politics since I was in fourth grade, and I’m attaching an essay that I wrote after a field trip to our state capital, Montgomery. This trip kindled a desire in me to be involved in Alabama politics when I was old enough to run for office.

After graduating from high school, I completed formal training to become a SKYWARN Storm Spotter for the National Weather Service. This was spurred by a personal experience that greatly impacted me. On a sixth-grade class field trip to Atlanta on April 28, 2011, I witnessed firsthand the devastation that violent weather inflicted upon Cullman and Moulton. This later inspired me to start livestreaming during tornado warnings for Lauderdale, Colbert, and surrounding counties. My familiarity with reporting severe weather to the NWS and assisting with local emergency management agencies will be a valuable asset to my role on the Florence City Council.

In addition to serving as a SKYWARN Storm Spotter, I am actively engaged with the Shoals community, and I’ve built a social media presence on Facebook and Instagram while concurrently pursuing my interest in local and state government. In 2020, I ran for the District 2 Florence City Council seat during the first election I was eligible to run in at 21 years of age. While I did not expect to win this election during my first attempt, I gained invaluable experience from my political campaign and developed a greater understanding of the needs of my constituents and how local government works. In 2023, I was one of only four private citizens in the entire State of Alabama to submit a Congressional Map proposal to our State Legislature (*see attachment). Making a congressional map of the state taught me a great deal about the electoral process and the demographics of various regions within our state. After submitting my map, I contacted multiple state legislators including Representative Kerry Underwood and Speaker of the House, Nathaniel Ledbetter, who read my email correspondence with him aloud during the Reapportionment Committee hearings held after the Allen v. Milligan Supreme Court ruling. This helped me gain invaluable information about the complex process of getting legislation passed in Montgomery. If you select me as the next District 2 Council member, I hope that I can be an example to our younger citizens and encourage them to participate in the political process.

My selection as the District 2 Council representative could also inspire persons with disabilities to become involved in local government. At the last City Council Meeting on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, I spoke about being diagnosed with autism and losing my ability to communicate as a young child. Losing my speech became a tremendous motivation for me to speak out publicly on behalf of others now, because I believe that my ability to do so is both a privilege and a gift from God. As a person with autism, I would bring a valuable new perspective to issues brought before the Florence City Council. While living with autism in a neurotypical world is challenging, it also comes with a specific set of strengths and abilities that include honesty, logical thinking, special attention to detail, and a strong sense of justice. I believe that I have a strong sense of what’s right and what’s wrong and I believe that this, coupled with my strong faith in God, could help champion integrity and the equitable representation of all voters within our city government.

I am very active in our local community, and you can regularly find me attending events such as First Fridays in Downtown Florence and grand openings of new businesses. I also regularly patronize Shoals area businesses and music venues and use my Facebook and Instagram pages to promote dining, shopping, and engaging in recreational activities locally. I am also one of only a handful of citizens who regularly attend Florence City Council meetings. While I am deeply committed to local government that fairly represents the population of Florence, I am not a typical “politician” as defined in the minds of many people. I don’t have wealth, own a business, or possess political connections. This is exactly why I am uniquely qualified to ethically serve the citizens of Florence. Mistrust in government at all levels is at an all-time high. There are reasons for this, and some of these reasons are legitimate. Integrity must be restored to the governmental process and elected officials should fairly represent the needs of the voters who elected them, not seeking financial gain or favors by representing the interests of a select few.

While I believe that a Special Election must occur in order to ethically fill the District 2 council seat vacancy with a representative chosen by the voters, as one of two remaining eligible candidates who ran in the 2020 election, I am willing to serve the citizens of my district under the current circumstances until a lawful election can be held in 2025. My reason for this is to prevent the appointment of a person who never ran in a District 2 city council election being appointed to the position simply because he was hand-selected by the former City Council President. If the remaining Council members choose to rubber-stamp his appointment, this will solidify and perpetuate public perception of corruption and favor given to special interest groups by disenfranchising the 2,811 voters in District 2. Alternatively, if the City Council chooses to appoint either Reverend Billy Ray Simpson or me (who are known to voters from the previous election) to this position until a lawful election can be held, it might help restore some degree of public trust in our current city government. For this reason, I stand ready to temporarily serve as the City Council member representing District 2.

We've admired River for some time, both because of his intellect and his dedication to the City. If he's selected, we know he will perform his job well and not be influenced by graft or use his power to promote friends and family.

Update on River Zurinsky

My name is River Zurinsky and I am asking for your vote for Florence City Council District 2 on August 25, 2020. I was born at ECM Hospital in District 2 and have lived in District 2 all my life. At 21 years old, deciding to run for Florence City Council was not an easy decision for me to make, but when I saw our current city council deny Room at the Table the right to feed the hungry out of their building, I knew it was the right decision for me to run. This decision was reinforced when our current city council recently allowed a carnival to keep their permit and set up in Florence in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic after denying Room at the Table a permit. Allowing the carnival to come to Florence during COVID-19 may have resulted in hundreds more cases of the virus than we would have had if the carnival had not been allowed to set up. If I am elected to the Florence City Council, I promise to never put profits over people. I will look out for the health and well-being of the people of Florence. One of the first things I will do if I am elected is meet with Room at the Table and negotiate a deal which will allow them to feed those in need without costing the taxpayers of Florence court costs and legal fees. I will also quickly introduce legislation to buy cyber insurance for the City of Florence's computer systems. I think it is unacceptable after being warned that our current city council took no action to protect information in our computer systems, then unanimously voted to give internet hackers a $290,000 ransom.

The Times Daily has reported that Muscle Shoals is paying their police officers more than Florence is. I want to raise the salaries of Florence firefighters and police officers to make sure they are being paid an equitable amount. I also want to add the phrase "In God We Trust" to our fire trucks and police cars. Another thing I would like to do, which I mentioned in my previous Shoalanda Speaks interview is to work with Florence Fire to build a sixth fire station on Darby Drive. While I will look out for the needs of District 2 in particular, I believe part of the job of city council member is to look out for the needs of everyone in Florence. I know in the event of a fire every second is critical. Building a fire station on Darby Drive will give residents of that part of the city a quicker response. Riverhill School is located on Darby Drive and I believe it is important for the safety of students attending there to build a fire station nearby.

During the COVID-19 pandemic many of our local businesses have struggled to make ends meet. I would like to offer our local businesses several tax-free days in 2021. Getting money back in the hands of local entrepreneurs will save jobs and reduce closures, and that is critical right now since we don't know how long COVID-19 will pose a threat to our city. The State of Alabama already hosts a "Back to School Sales Tax Holiday Weekend" where parents can buy school supplies for their child with no added sales tax. My proposed tax-free days would remove the city tax on items sold at all our locally-owned businesses, whether you are buying clothing, fuel/gasoline, groceries, hardware/tools, jewelry, pet supplies, or a meal from one of our many local restaurants.

For many years I have had the idea of building an aquarium in Florence. I think that having an aquarium would bring more family tourist groups to Florence. An aquarium would also be a great educational tool for our local children. The aquarium would have local freshwater fish found in the Tennessee River, but would also have popular saltwater fish species such as Blue Tangs, Clownfish, and Jellyfish. It would also have a Touch-A-Ray Tank which would give children the chance to interact with Manta Rays after COVID-19 restrictions have ended. Local hotels and restaurants would gain additional business from tourists who visit the aquarium. The aquarium would also create jobs for Shoals residents.

I think another way to attract more tourists, create new jobs, and improve the lives of residents of District 2 would be to use the old McFarland Park golf course area to build an amphitheater, dog park, skate park, and splash pad. Several local bands already play in McFarland Park and having an outdoor amphitheater would provide them a much nicer place to play with a seating area for the audience. In 2012, I watched a group raise $900,000 to build a city-owned dog park which never got built. The proposed location for the dog park was part of the old McFarland Park golf course. There is still high demand for a City of Florence owned dog park today. The dog park would provide a place for dogs to get exercise and play with other dogs. Teenagers living in District 2 could benefit from a skate park as it would encourage them to be physically active outside. They shouldn't have to travel all the way to Cox Creek Parkway just to skate. Having a splash pad in McFarland Park would be a great way for residents of District 2 and tourists to beat the heat and cool off on hot summer days. I also propose building a canoe/kayak storage facility on the part of the old golf course adjacent to Cypress Creek and the Tennessee River. TVA recently awarded Florence a grant to build a canoe/kayak ramp at the north end of Cypress Creek. Building a canoe/kayak storage facility at the south end of Cypress Creek would give people a place to store their canoes and kayaks after floating or paddling down Cypress Creek. Being located in McFarland Park, people on the Tennessee River could dock and use this facility as well. Building the canoe/kayak storage facility would help bring more events to McFarland Park and the Tennessee River. This facility would also help to pay for the improvements that I propose for McFarland Park. I think that revitalizing McFarland Park will encourage new business development along Highway 20/Savannah Highway and in downtown Florence, creating even more local jobs.

Since the safety of the citizens of Florence is a major concern to me, if I am elected to the Florence City Council, I will immediately introduce legislation to fix the many broken pedestrian signals on Court Street. Right now, six of the seven intersections on Court Street that have pedestrian signals are not in fully working order. None of the pedestrian signals at the intersections of Alabama Street and Court Street and Court Street and Dr. Hicks Boulevard light up, half of the pedestrian signals at College Street and Court Street don't light up, and the intersections at Court and Mobile, Court and Tombigbee, and Court and Tuscaloosa have no buttons for a pedestrian to push to signal that they need to cross the street. It shouldn’t take someone getting hurt or killed for this problem to be fixed. My legislation would also propose the addition of pedestrian signals to the intersections of Mobile and Pine, and Pine and Tombigbee so that residents of Courtview Towers can safely cross Pine Street to get to our local restaurants and shops in downtown, as well as adding pedestrian signals to the intersection of Pine Street and Tuscaloosa Street so UNA that students will be able to safely walk down Pine Street to downtown.

I love Florence and with your vote for Florence City Council District 2 on August 25th, together we can make Florence an even better place to live! I’ve set up a campaign e-mail address electriverzurinsky@yahoo.com and I have an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/riverzurinskystar/ where I post daily about my campaign. You can also watch my live campaign broadcasts on Instagram every Friday at 6:30 PM between now and the election. Please DM me on Instagram or e-mail me any questions you have about my campaign/platform. If you live in District 2, look for my flyers in your mailbox on August 11th or August 12th! I encourage you to read my previous interview with Shoalanda Speaks if you haven't already done so at http://shoalandaspeaks.blogspot.com/2020/06/see-dicks-opponents-run-part-i.html. Thank you for reading this and voting for River Zurinsky on August 25th. Together, we can create positive change!

Voters can contact me at electriverzurinsky@yahoo.com or by DMing me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riverzurinskystar/

During a time when public campaign events cannot be done, I think it is important to be available daily online for anyone with comments or questions. It's the least I can do. I enjoyed reading the comments I received on the first interview I did with your blog, looking forward to reading the comments I receive from this one.

See Dick's Opponents Run - Part I

Municipal elections are fast approaching. In Florence two candidates have announced they will be giving long-time District 2 Councilman Dick Jordan some opposition. One is political newcomer River Zurinsky. Here's an exclusive update on his platform:

I am River Zurinsky. I have enjoyed reading your posts for the past several years. As I am sure you are aware, I am the first candidate to announce running for the District 2 City Council Seat in Florence for this August's elections. I am only 21 years old and a few years ago if you would have told me I would be running for office now I probably wouldn't have believed you. A few months ago when I saw how Room At The Table was being treated by the current city council I knew I had to do something. While it is important to get Room At The Table operating in their own building I know that is just the start of what needs to be done. One of the first things I will be doing if I get elected is introducing legislation which will add the phrase "In God We Trust" to our police cars and our fire trucks. Whenever I am in Iuka, Mississippi I love seeing "In God We Trust" on their police cars and I find it very important we add the phrase to ours. Besides adding that motto to our police cars, I also want to increase the pay that our police officers and firefighters receive. As I talked about in my interview with the Times Daily, I recently learned that Muscle Shoals is paying their police officers more money than Florence, and we need to make sure our police officers and our fire fighters are getting fair pay. The forth thing I want to do in office is get an official City Of Florence dog park built. I heard a group had raised about $900,000 dollars to build one, and it was supposed to be built on part of the old McFarland Park Golf Course but it never happened. I want to finally get that done!

Speaking of the old McFarland Park Golf Course, I wanted to use this e-mail to talk about that as well as the old ECM site. Those were 2 things I didn't talk about in my Times Daily interview. I wanted to focus on Room At The Table as well as our Firefighters and Police Officers for the interview because those are the things I feel like need my attention first if I am able to get elected. After we focus on those things I want to have a public meeting whether it be a livestream online or in person to discuss what should be done with those sites.

With the old ECM site I recognize there are several citizens who live nearby and I believe whatever is done with that site we need to make sure their voices are heard. I want to hold that meeting before I announce a plan because I believe I need to hear all their ideas and concerns.

The old McFarland Park Golf Course I still think would be a good location for the dog park I want to build, even building the dog park at that location I know there will still be so much usable space not taken up by the dog park or the Tourism building. I remember when I was younger going to Funland. Funland is obviously long shut down but I feel like something for children other than the playground and ball fields should be down there. Some things I think might be popular include a Skate Park and a Splash Pad. I also believe an Amphitheater would be popular as local bands already play there frequently. I like the idea of building a few more pavilions down there as well. McFarland park needs nicer spaces for people to have picnics that are covered from rain. Larger pavilions could also be used as wedding venues. I think at the Cyprus Creek end of McFarland Park that city could build a canoe/kayak storage facility. It would be a place where local residents could store their canoes and kayaks when they aren't out on the Tennessee River or Cyprus Creek and the storage facility would help pay for everything I think could be built on the old golf course. I know the old golf course is big enough to put all that down there and there still be some room left over.

2 other things I would like to do is put an Aquarium in Florence (I know the Tourism center has a small one but I would like to see a place with an Aquarium with local Tennessee River fish species but also popular saltwater fish species which would be an educational tool for children) I had the idea several years ago that the aquarium could be located within the Children's Museum. I also have spoken with some of our firefighters and they have told me they hope to one day have a fire station on or around Darby Drive to better serve that area of the city. While that part of Florence is not in District 2 I want to work with the mayor and the rest of the city council to see if that is feasible.

Besides all that, I did touch on in my interview with the Times Daily that I want to put pedestrian signals at the intersections of Pine and Mobile, Pine and Tombigbee, and Pine and Tuscaloosa. I know especially with Courtview Towers being located there that there are a lot of pedestrians in that area. Those lights are dangerous at busy times of the day without having those signals, also a lot of the pedestrian signals on Court Street are not functioning properly. Next time you drive down Court Street look at the intersections of Court and Mobile, Court and Tombigbee, and Court and Tuscaloosa, none of those pedestrian signals have the buttons. That means those lights can't even recognize when a pedestrian is there and needing to cross, the lights at Court and Alabama, Court and College, and Court and Dr. Hicks do have the buttons but the Don't Walk / Walk lights are burned out. I will see that this gets fixed ASAP before someone gets hurt!

I wanted to reach out to you since I am running for the first time and I realized that you probably don't know much about me. I saw where you made a post about a candidate running in Muscle Shoals who hasn't answered people's questions, and find it important to make myself readily available to answer the questions the citizens of Florence have for me. If I am able to win my goal is to be available day and night to address the needs of the people in this city. I feel the current city council has let the citizens down and I think most importantly I want the voters of not just District 2 but of the whole city to know that things can be different!

I have started an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/riverzurinskystar/ and I hope to use it to interact with people not just now, but after the election is over regardless of whether I win or lose.People can also e-mail me at electriverzurinsky@yahoo.com

Next: A perennial candidate pops up again...