RSS Feed
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mayor pro tem shares thoughts on economic growth
"We are in a rural area. We are never going to be Mobile….Whatever we bring to town is going to affect our small town. That's what we are always going to be - a small town." Mayor Richard Long and the Industrial Development Board (IDB) worry about jobs, South said, but "if those jobs are not good paying jobs - if you work an hour and it still won't buy a gallon of gasoline, there's no reason to have that plant locate in your area. We need good paying jobs to help the community." South gave his take on the economic development process in Jackson and how he interacts with it. With the announcements of the ThyssenKrupp and Northup Grumman development in Southwest Alabama, South said the city has a comprehensive plan for growth. However, "I feel, personally, that we're not going to get that much growth off of TK. If we do, it will be the suppliers. "We've got good schools. We've got good recreation. We've got good churches. First and foremost, we've got good water and we've got a sewer system, which is good infrastructure. "…We need a hospital," he said. "We need grocery stores…restaurants. They think about building a motel. Where are they going to eat if you build it?" In regard to the effort for economic development, "even with (former Mayor Norma Beard)…the mayors want to keep this kind of information to themselves. Why? I do not know. It's going to end up in the council's lap - in the end - if there is any money…or property involved." South said he has no communication with Debra Bolen, executive director of the Clarke County Economic Development Partnership. "She won't talk to me. She wants to talk to the mayor. That's not a good thing. "…They do a lot of meetings without me being there. I guess they don't want me being there - because I'm always going to have a voice. "…The council runs the city," South said. "It says in the League of Municipalities, the mayor sits as a member of the council. He has a voting right - no veto. His vote is just as important as my vote. "…A (prospective development) plan is given to the IDB. The IDB is another borrowing leg for the city of Jackson. Even though the IDB may be broke, the city will loan them enough money or borrow money in their favor. It's just another leg we use to borrow money for the city for economic growth. "That's how the $1 million came about with the (new Dixie Pellets) plant," he said. "We needed $1 million to prepare the site. It was brought before the council. We agreed and now we're going to get reimbursement from the state to some degree and we'll have to put in some of our own money." With the rush to progress, South is worried about the quality of life for residents. How will residents deal with rising gas, grocery and utility prices? How can people with fixed incomes deal with prices continually rising? However, "if you got it you don't care about the other folks." He's worried that politicians are sometimes more concerned with their pictures in the paper and the pursuit of jobs at any cost. "…Is Mobile ready for this growth? No….But, it's great to announce it. In two years, they won't be ready. They will still be looking for band-aids in two years. That will be to get by until they come up with another plan." The great plans for the future of Southwest Alabama can easily get off the tracks "if your leaders don't take in consideration (people living here)." South would like to see the city be aggressive in recruiting a new grocery store for Jackson as they have been recruiting industry. "…I'm more or less a people person. I like to look at their needs." For 16 years on the council, South felt he had earned his money. "I don't want to lay down in bed at night and not feel like I haven't done my part." "I want the people to decide where they want to be," he said. "Do they want me to put an industry so close to them it is going to rattle their windows? The pellet plant on (Highway) 177…We ruined the quality of life for those people….They don't realize these plants run 24/7…They are going to hear that rumbling and grinding and truck hauling - and all that is quality of life. Some of those folks in that area were born in those houses." South worries that industrial sites are moving closer and closer to town.
The mayor pro tem encouraged residents to come to city council meetings and express their opinion on the future of the city. "Any meeting with the city is public," he said. If Jackson wants a new hospital, "it will take people to get involved. You can't have one man sitting there saying I'm going to do this."
|
for larger version       |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
)
