The Devil Went Down to College Street; He Was Lookin' for a Council to Steal

 

We've long thought that the Devil loves Facebook because it wastes the time of so many, as well as spreading false news to divide cultures. Somehow we've never thought of it as evil simply because an elected official doesn't want to have to deal with the individuals who elected him or her. Yet now it's been said.

Yes, Florence City councilman Jimmy Oliver is leaving Facebook. Apparently, he's also leaving e-mail since he says the only way to reach him is via a phone call or face to face. We assume he'll still receive snail mail, but whether he'll read it or not is anyone's guess. What the heck...it's not like Dick Jordan reads his either.

We first attempted to reach an elected official approximately 20 years ago. We wrote the Lauderdale County Commission and the Florence City Council. How many replies did we get? It was a nice round figure. In the intervening years, we have had exactly one council member reply to us concerning pressing issues. How hard is it to set up an automated response stating the message has been received? 

Now we have a council member blaming Satan for not doing the job he was elected to do. No, not everyone who writes has a valid point. Not everyone can do something for you. Not everyone likes you. They still deserve a response - how hard is that to understand?

Here's an idea, Jimmy. Why don't you walk down the hall and wake Mayor Andy Betterton up from his nap. We're sure Napping Nancy will be happy to help you make a dent in your communications.