ICYMI Story About Our Johnny Mack

Let's hope no one thinks politics in Alabama can't get, pardon the expression, stranger. Because they certainly can. 

Unless you've been living under a rock or bridge, you know that Doc Larry Stutts unseated Roger Bedford in the last state senate race. You also know there's a distinct possibility that he won't be a member of that sometimes less than august body after the next election. That brings us to longtime North Alabama pol Johnny Mack Morrow who will be running for the seat on the (curses...) Democratic ticket.

Perhaps the worst criticism we've heard of Morrow's long political career concerns his habitual blowing off meetings, and an offshoot of this behavior may have led to this relatively under-covered event. On March 6th of this year, Morrow was presiding over an unofficial fact finding public meeting concerning proposed walking trails in Marion county that would run parallel to existing railroad tracks. 

The exact sequence of events may be unclear, but what is clear is that Morrow was already packing up to leave the meeting when former Marion County clerk Odis Garrard rose to speak. Garrard leases part of the land the proposed trail would cross and spoke to oppose the project. When Morrow simply thanked the former clerk for his input, Garrard took umbrage and added that he wouldn't be above stopping the project with guns if necessary.

What would we have done? If we had been Morrow, we hope we would have attempted to defuse the comment and taken a few moments of our time to assure Garrard that no decisions were being made that night. What did Morrow do? He had Garrard arrested for making a terrorist threat. 

Yes, Garrard was carted off to the Hackleburg city jail and allowed to bond out within a few minutes. Three charges were pressed in total, the specific terrorist threat being the only felony. Odis Gerrard was formally indicted ten days ago and will now face a jury trial with Johnny Mack Morrow being the primary witness against him.

Shall we chalk that up to being at least one person who won't support Morrow in his bid to unseat Doc Larry?

*****

 *****