Florence District 4/The Thief Isn't So Innocent

It’s hard to say if District 4 in Florence is a more hotly contested race than District 1; both are pivotal for Florence if it’s to take a new direction. We made no recommendation in the first primary and we’re not making one in the runoff. Why?

No one who blogs here lives in District 4. The rhetoric surrounding this race has ranged from bought votes to theft. What’s the truth? If you live in District 4, we suggest you dig deeply for that elusive quality. We’re happy to publish readers’ comments.

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Most Wanted Lists? Why is a person on a most wanted list? He or she allegedly committed a crime. Not only has this person committed a crime, he or she has run from facing the consequences of this crime.

No, all crimes aren’t equal, but stealing four or five hundred dollars from a retail concern is no small matter, especially if you’re already on probation for bank robbery. If you’re wondering why we’re addressing this now, earlier today we received an absolutely charming message from the niece of the man who’s wanted in Colbert County for this exact crime. The message contained more filth than most garbage collectors see in a week, so needless to say she lost her privilege to contact this site.

What happens when you steal $500.00 from a retail concern? (We’re using an arbitrarily rounded amount.)

* The vendor is still liable for sales tax of $50.00 to the state.

* The vendor is still liable for paying his vendor the original cost of the merchandise, around $225.00.

* The vendor may be responsible for a bank fee (Yes, that actually happens with some banks).

* The vendor has lost time in stocking and unstocking merchandise for which he’ll never see a financial return.

* The vendor himself may have bounced a check due to your crime.

* The vendor is out still more money when he has to pay a charge for the district attorney’s office to collect the check.

Ah, but you say (yes, someone sent us a copy of your FB post) you knew nothing about it. Really?

* Your bank should have sent you an overdraft notice.

* Your bank statement would not have shown the check as cleared.

* The business you defrauded would have attempted to contact you.

* The district attorney’s office would have attempted to contact you to tell you a warrant had been issued for your arrest.

* Your name and photo have been plastered on at least FIVE sites that we know of. Surely someone would have mentioned this to you in the intervening four weeks.

Aside from a select few of your friends and family, whom does the public support? In case you haven’t guessed, it isn’t you.

Florence District Four: Who?

District Four In Lavender

Is there a perfect representative? For our state? For our various towns? Since total perfection is unobtainable, we have to seek the best for our purposes and that can be relative.

Currently Barry Morris, a former professor of Economics at the University of North Alabama, represents District Four in Florence. Because of his past and current ties to the college, he is unable to vote on any issue concerning UNA. It also makes his voting on anything concerning the Retirement System of Alabama (RSA) iffy.

This further makes him a liability when he cannot adequately represent his constituency. Morris has also from time to time taken a different path from his fellow council members, and that can be either good or bad. Here's a quick bio of Barry Morris:

Barry Morris retired as Professor and Chairman of the Economics and Finance Department at the University of North Alabama in the summer of 2008 and is currently serving as the University Foundation's Director of Planned Giving.

He was elected to represent District 4 in August 2008. He is Chairman of the Planning Committee and a member of the Finance Committee and the Utilities Committee.

He is active in Rotary International, having served as the President of the Florence Club, and Assistant Governor and Coordinator of Programs for District 6860.

Barry and his wife Suzanne have three sons, Scott, David, and Dean and are members of the First Christian Church of Florence.

Earlier in the week, the first of what we are sure will be many announced he's sounding out the community concerning running for the council in 2012. We'll have more on this possible candidate later.

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How to handle the current boondoggle concerning outstanding warrants in Lauderdale County? Sheriff Ronnie Willis may not have the answer, but one of our faithful readers does. From Joseph Tully:

A simple solution is find room at the detention center, in an area where inmates are not allowed, and keep the warrants there. Its really the best place for them since a deputy always in the past had to stop by dispatch to pick the warrant up on the way to jail. A detention officer can confirm a warrant just as easy as a dispatcher can.



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