Franklin County?/Two Days & Counting

A few readers have asked why we haven't endorsed a full slate of candidates in Franklin County, as we have in Lauderdale and Colbert. Franklin traditionally has a larger ballot, featuring some offices that don't exist in the other two counties. We've also received much less input, either good or bad, from Franklin County concerning what might be termed lesser offices.

We have noticed a candidate named Randy Hargett running for the county commission. We know nothing of Mr. Hargett, either positive or negative. His name did remind us of a problem former Franklin County District Attorney Chris Hargett encountered while in office. At that time he was continually asked if he was related to then police officer Chris Hargett. The latter Hargett is now police chief in Russellivlle. D.A. Hargett never failed to answer in the negative and placed strong emphasis on the fact. We do wonder if candidate Randy Hargett is claiming kin to either?

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A few words from two endorsed candidates in the last days of the campaign:

From B.J. Tully -Thank you for your endorsement in the Lauderdale County Commission Dist. 1 Republican Primary. I have always put the citizens first and will continue to do so when elected commissioner

From Mel Grimes - It is my hope that within the next few years Lauderdale County will be well on the way to becoming a template for county governments everywhere. To achieve this goal, our community must establish the following priorities:

1. A love for God, our country and our neighbor.

2. We must find ways to mitigate the devastating effect of crime on life and property.

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A guest commentary:  I know that Shoalanda Speaks primarily addresses what could be termed the tri-county area, but I also know that many readers come from Limestone County. Limestone has a growing Republican vote, and for those voting in the Republican primary this Tuesday, I'm asking that you vote for Brad Curnutt for Circuit Court Clerk. The three needed attributes for any office are honesty, ability, and experience. Brad certainly has the first two, and I believe his record shows he also has the third. Thanks for your consideration.

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Tomorrow will be our last blog before our state's Super Tuesday. If you have any comments, please send them now so that we may publish them tomorrow as early as possible. Thanks to all our readers.

Shoalanda

B.J. Tully/Carla's Closing/Runners

 B. J. Tully

If you live in Lauderdale County, you've heard the name B.J. Tully. Mr. Tully has long worked in law enforcement and similarly toiled in the political vineyard. The Republican is currently running against Roger Garner for the county commission seat in District 1.

Both gentlemen have good records, but Mr. Tully has more diverse experience and has proved himself in numerous capacities. We wholeheartedly endorse B.J. Tully for the Republican nomination.

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Have you eaten at Carla's Sandwiches & Burgers yet? Open less than two months, we hear that today is their swan song. The South Court Street location was previously home to Backyard Burger, another regional chain that failed to make it there, not once but twice.

We're still hearing rumors that Zaxby's is considering downtown Florence. The main question is will they give this location a try or consider it jinxed at this point?

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Fast Delivery for Fine Dining: If you live or work in the immediate Shoals area, you should be familiar with Runners. This new business is something of a novelty in the area, but owner Bill Gibbs tells us it's gaining new customers each day. For a small charge, Runners delivers for several local restaurants and is adding to the list daily.

Runners on Facebook

Runners Menu Blog

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The legal system failed Tommy Arthur? We wonder how long Arthur would have been allowed to live if human existence depended upon what a person gave back to society?



Shoalanda

Jimmy Sandlin's Paternity Court

The TimesDaily today published an article featuring Jimmy Sandlin's Paternity Court. Judge Sandlin oversees what is commonly referred to as "family court," but we have no idea what "paternity court" may entail.

Perhaps the TD was actually referring to parenting classes that are mandated in some divorce/custody trials. With Judge Sandlin's flair for unusual wording to create colorful acronyms, we can't be sure...

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During a town council meeting Monday night, the town of Anderson "fired" seven reserve officers--individuals who serve as police officers without training or pay. Such officers can be a boon to towns with an extremely small budget for public safety, but they can also present a great liability. Apparently the latter had become an issue, and Mayor B. J. Tully, along with a majority of the town council, voted to terminate the reserve force until further notice.

That leaves only Chief Mark Bowers to patrol the extremely small Lauderdale County town at this time. Bower's brother Brian was one of the seven officers who were dismissed. Commenting on the situation he stated:

If we're not around to protect him (Mark Bowers), watch his back, uh, they could actually hurt him or kill him. So, that's their agenda.

Are we to understand it's the agenda of the Anderson Town Council to hurt or kill the current police chief? Stay tuned--the council meets to discuss Chief Mark Bower's employment next Monday, February 1st.


Shoalanda