President's Message
- Volume 54, Number 1 - 2010
By ACCA President Larry White
ACCA Congressional Breakfast an enlightening event.
Alabama’s Congressional Delegation attending the ACCA Breakfast helped ACCA President White realize that being “Southern born, and Southern bred” makes Alabamians uniquely strong and committed to their communities.
Though they represent their own separate sections of Alabama, U.S. Reps. Jo Bonner and Bobby Bright put their fingers right on the pulse of Alabama the other day.
Speaking during the Association’s Annual Congressional Breakfast in conjunction with NACo’s Legislative Conference, the two approached our
nation’s problems from different perspectives. Both arrived, however, at a resoundingly positive and similar conclusion helping bring a few things into focus for me and the other county officials in the room.
Rep. Bonner, the four-term Republican from Mobile, is no rookie in Washington, having served for more than 15 years as a staffer for former U.S. Rep. Sonny Callahan before being elected.
Shortly after breakfast was served, he used a reference to two favorite “Alabama” songs – one by Lynyrd Skynyrd and the other by Alabama – known worldwide to illustrate his point. You know the words of both songs, we all sing them proudly whenever they are heard. You’re probably even humming the tunes right now.
“The message in both songs is the same,” said Bonner, whose father was a probate judge and chairman of the Wilcox County Commission, “and we feel it in our hearts: Alabama is a special place. And, whether we were born in Alabama or have chosen to make it our home, we
all love Alabama. And, it is that love for our state that sets us apart.”
The county officials gathered in the historical Kennedy Caucus Room, smiled at this insight. His words really struck at the heart of why you and I have chosen to spend our lives in public service. There is a reason why we campaign every four years; why we stand in the grocery store and talk with an unhappy citizen about “county” business; and why we willingly get up out of bed and respond to calls for help well past what anyone would consider “regular” working hours.
We love Alabama, and we love the little section of our state that is “my home.”
In the few short months I have served as president of this Association, I have come to appreciate that sense of dedication and pride which, honestly, sets Alabama apart from most of its peers. You can sense it when you’re at an event like the Legislative Conference of the National Association of Counties. It’s as real as the words of those two songs.
While attending the conference, I spent much of my time watching and listening to our colleagues from around the country. There is just something different about our delegation.
Though our financial challenges in Alabama are just as severe as those in other states, there was a sense of optimism from the Alabama voices in D.C. earlier this month. Many of our counterparts spoke so negatively about the future that one wondered if they really believed county government in their area would overcome the current economic challenges. Many sounded like they had given up.
Participation from Alabama officials could not be stronger. For example, the Annual Alabama Caucus attracted a gathering of county officials unequaled at the NACo event. The room was full to overflowing and the discussion of the issues facing county government, both in Washington and back home in Alabama, was thoughtful and exemplified our collective commitment to make things better for the people in our community.
Anyone taking an honest look must admit the prospects for financial improvement are not all that glowing. Discussions in Washington make it clear that the future of funding for road-and-bridge projects is as bleak as any time in the
last 50 years. Funding for disaster recovery is so uncertain that many counties, including Escambia, may have to wait until early summer to be reimbursed for repairs and clean-up that simply cannot wait that long. One must assume that the growing national debt will almost certainly result in cuts for many of the programs providing needed funding for rural water and sewer improvements.
How, then, could the discussions between Alabama county officials focus so singularly on the future and their belief that county government can, and will, meet the needs at the local level? Well, I’m not sure my election as president has given me any uncanny insight. But, it would appear that Alabama commissioners just believe – while some other folks may not.
We believe in each other. We believe in our ability to focus our collective ideas and resources in a unified way that will help all counties. We believe that any effort to divide our organization, to pit counties against each other, will not be successful. In the end, we just believe in Alabama.
Rep. Bright, the former mayor of Montgomery and first-term member
of Congress, put his finger on the issue as the last speaker during our
breakfast meeting. He urged us, and also his colleagues in Washington, to
focus not on the issues causing conflict, but on the problems that must be met and overcome.
“I know things are going to improve,” he explained, “because I believe in this country, and I believe in the people who are willing to serve in public office. I also believe we in Alabama have the ability to focus not on our differences, but on the things we have in common. What we have in common is our dedication to making Alabama better and our belief in each other.”
Those words rang true that morning and put into focus something very important – we have a little something extra going for us, and that sets us apart.
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