CUT TO THE CHASE

Have you ever read a politician's comment and thought ... Hey, why didn't he/she just cut to the chase and say what they really meant?!? For example tonight WHNT19 had a segment called "Taking Action: Addressing the sinking crosswalks in downtown Tuscumbia" which featured a citizen calling-out Tuscumbia to make repairs on sinking crosswalks.

Mayor Shoemaker made several very lackluster comments so I thought hey let's help the mayor "cut to the chase". Check out the WHNT19 report then read the "cut to the chase" comments below.

Mayor Shoemaker: "Their main priority right now is clearing up the damage left behind from an EF-1 tornado that recently passed through." CUT TO THE CHASE: Um... can't you see that we are in the middle of a TORNADO clean up?!? We don't have time to correct an ongoing, unsafe road hazard. Come on, we have priorities! Broken tree limbs need picking up first!!!!

Mayor Shoemaker: "Fixing them is a long term goal by digging them up and starting from the beginning." CUT TO THE CHASE: We really don't have the money to do it right now because tax payers are still paying off my new office (nice executive desk, chair, bookshelf, etc.) along with all the other high cost renovations to city hall.

Mayor Shoemaker: "It’s going to take the right timing to get the project done safely and effectively. They hope to address the crosswalk problem this fall." CUT TO THE CHASE: If we put off the repair project then maybe people will forget about the problem. If not, then we can blame it on the Muskrat burrowing underground. Yeah, I think that's believable. Or I can consult with the Park Director for another excuse. 

Mayor Shoemaker: "It’s not safe to put out warning cones, because they could cause more harm than good." CUT TO THE CHASE: Oh no we can't have warning cones! Let's not cause additional attention to the road hazard. (I've got to divert their attention away from the sinking crosswalk) Did we mention we had an EF-1 Tornado? 

Thank you WHNT19 for Taking Action, but I'm afraid we will never see results ... Unless the Robbin$ Family can bail out our city again.


Tuscumbia Muskrat

Sunshine Week

Today is the first day of Sunshine Week, an annual event designed to focus on not just transparency in government, but accountability as well. The emphasis of this year's campaign is local records, particularly those posted online. So how does the Shoals stack up?

If you live in Franklin County, not technically a part of the Shoals, you have absolutely no online access to public records. Neither Franklin nor its county seat of Russellville has an official site where records are available for public consumption. This survey (see link below) did not consider privately funded websites or sites erected by such public entities as fire and police departments.

Looking north to Colbert County, we find a website for the county, but not for the county seat of Tuscumbia. The city of Muscle Shoals does provide a site at which some of its records may be obtained; it is the only municipality within Colbert to do so.

Moving on to Lauderdale County, the availability of online records increases, but is still found to be wanting. For instance, the website connects to one offering court dockets, but once there we find only the most recently completed docket, with no information concerning future trials. Inside Lauderdale, only the county seat of Florence provides a website where any such records may be easily obtained.

Obviously, this area has far to go. I think it's safe to say it won't improve until we call our elected officials accountable and demand an increase in easy access to these public records.


To see how other Alabama counties stack up, check out this year's Sunshine Project from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa: http://chrisrob.com/sunshine

Shoals Ghost Walk with Debra Glass

In case the pumpkins on every doorstep haven't given it away, Halloween is just around the corner. This autumnal holiday wouldn't be complete without Debra Glass's annual ghost walk.

This year Ms. Glass will be leading tours on October 24-25 and October 27-31. Tours begin at 7:30 p.m. and originate at Wilson Park. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, Debra is a consummate story-teller and provides a memorable experience for anyone from nine to ninety-nine.

I chose Debra Glass's Ghost Tour as my topic today in order to honor a special request; however, I've been aware of her collections of ghost stories and Romantic fiction for some time. Always best sellers in the Shoals, you can buy her work at Coldwater Books in Tuscumbia and K's Cove in Elgin.

When you see Debra, tell her Shoalanda said, "Boo!"


What's up with this: It seems a local candidate for state office is being opposed by numerous Shoals area defense attorneys. Look at it this way, guys--if she wins, you won't ever have to put up with her again.

October 20, 2008 - Meet Shoalanda Speaks

Beginning today, conservative political pundit Shoalanda Speaks will be discussing issues facing the Shoals area. While Ms. Speaks is a true Southern conservative, she will attempt to present all facets of the issues discussed herein. Please feel free to contact Shoalanda at Shoalanda.Speaks@gmail.com if you have any questions about the Shoals area, its politics, or noted citizens...or if you have an idea for future columns.

What better way to begin than with a toothy issue--that's right--the proposed Tuscumbia dog ordinance. That city has certainly been lax in its enforcement of current animal control laws. Perhaps Tuscumbia needs only to make a concerted effort to enforce the existing laws before enacting an ambiguous code that could be easily overturned. "Barking for no reason?" Sorry, guys--dogs don't bark for no reason. If the city feels it needs a stronger ordinance, I would suggest that it look to current laws in neighboring cities. Florence has long been adept at animal control without such draconian edicts. Spot and Rover don't need a maximum security prison--just a little guidance now and then.


Today's What's Up with This: Speaking of Tuscumbia, what local artist with the initials P.W. was recently escorted from Coldwater Books by local police?