County Commission | The Magazine December 2018 | Page 4

President’s PERSPECTIVE
I
Hon. Tony Cherry
President
High Price to Pay
if County Family
Does Nothing
Additional Funding
for County Roads
and Bridges Only
Possible with All
Hands on Deck
4 | DECEMBER 2018
n early December, nearly 400
county officials and employees
from all over our state gathered
for an orientation class for our newly-
elected county commissioners and our
annual Legislative Conference. It was
an amazing three days, and it was my
honor to continue my service as your
president by presiding over this most
successful kickoff to the 2019 year.
The major takeaway from the
gathering was the importance of our
“County Family,” including the more
than 60 new commissioners and
probate judges, speaking with ONE
Voice over the next three months and
throughout the entire 2019 session of
the Alabama Legislature. It is important
that all of us carry our weight and fulfill
the responsibility to speak for the people
who depend on a strong and responsive
county government.
Since I took my place as President
in August, I have consistently
encouraged my fellow County Family
members to also find their individual
place in our steadfast organization, and
I want to encourage our newcomers to
do the same, as we are in the midst of a
critical time for county government.
For far too long, we have done
little to expand our road and bridge
resources without recognizing that the
price tag of staying stagnant is much
more damaging than the “cost” of
investing in our future.
In our personal lives, sometimes
unpleasant outcomes can be
sidestepped by simply choosing to
do nothing. Avoiding unnecessary
personal expenditures, unwanted
consequences and unexpected
accidents is often preferred to the
outcomes of rash decisions at home.
But in our “public lives” as elected
officials, protecting the status quo
almost always means losing ground
and failing your community.
That’s about where we are with
our roads and bridges. The cost of
doing nothing is high — 1,100 lives
are lost on our roads annually. Look
at that number, and then think about
all of the heartbroken families. And
60 percent of those deaths happen in
rural areas.
The price tag for doing nothing
increases with missed opportunities in
economic development, hours spent
on school buses detouring our failing
bridges, and unnecessary expenditures
on automobile repairs for you and me,
as well as the transportation costs for
our farmers and timber owners.
Maybe your county has all
the good jobs it needs. Maybe the
school children in your district have
an extra hour a day to sit on a bus.
Maybe the farmers and loggers and
other industries are happy with the
conditions of the roads and bridges.
And maybe the people who vote for
you have, honestly, decided that they
will just have to live with a sub-
standard transportation system.
But in my county — and I trust in
yours — the people deserve better.
If we do nothing, no one will fix
the problem for us. As time marches
on, more paved roads will crumble;
they’ll crumble so badly that we have
no choice but to grind them into
gravel, while more and more bridges
will pass their 50th birthdays.
All of us, including those who have
just joined our County Family, will be
asked to take an active role this year.
On the next page, I’ve outlined three
specific things each and every one of us
can do today to help ensure additional
funding for county roads and bridges.
The price of doing nothing has
been staggering. If we are to stop
waiting and, finally, start attacking our
transportation needs, then everyone in
county government must be a part of
the solution.
The #OneVoice of county
government has a place for you. Let’s
get to work!