FROM THE COVER
Constant Change“ You’ ve got to be willing to change,” said Commissioner Lindsey Allison from fast-growing Shelby County.“ At least in our county, you’ ve got to understand that nothing is constant. Every day you get new challenges, and you’ ve got to be open to that.”
Allison has been a commissioner for 25 years, and fewer than a dozen commissioners in office in Alabama today have served longer. She is the senior-most female county commissioner in the state, but for all that seniority it sounds as though she works her district as hard as if she were just getting established.“ I’ m continually trying to keep my ear to the ground,” she said.“ Networking. Relationships, relationships, relationships.”
Dealing with Unhappy Citizens
Counties are at“ ground zero” in this national epidemic of dissatisfaction with government, Allison said, so the pressure is on.“ You’ ve got to show that government works,” she said.
“ Trust me, we get yelled at. I bet y’ all do too,” Allison said, triggering sympathetic laughter from the audience.
“ What I really have tried to do is be very positive with people and say,‘ I know you have a problem. I know we need to address this problem. We may not have the answer to your problem, but I’ ll get you to the person who can’ – and not leave them standing there in anger.”
30 | COUNTY COMMISSION
“ Trust me, we get yelled at. I bet y’ all do too”
Saying“ no” to a constituent does not have to end on
“ Most of the time, people just want to be heard” a sour note, advised Choctaw County Commissioner Tony Cherry.“ You just have to be truthful with people and hear their concerns, and the main thing is to follow up with people. I believe in going back and telling them what the results are. If it’ s not favorable, then that’ s just what it is. Just be upfront and honest,” he said.
If that doesn’ t get the job done, sometimes you have to be even more direct.“ I get a lot of questions like‘ well, we used to do this’ or‘ we used to do that.’ I’ m sorry; I’ m not,” said Cherry, ACCA’ s president-elect.“ My philosophy is I’ m not going to jail for anybody.”
Chairman Mark Culver, who has served the people of Houston County for more than
30 years, said there’ s no way
The importance of communication was a persistent theme in the second panel’ s discussion. From left: NPR National Correspondent Debbie Elliott; Houston County Commission Chairman Mark Culver; George Grabryan, director of EMA and 9-1-1 in Lauderdale County; and Choctaw County Commissioner Tony Cherry. commissioners can make everybody happy. He knows. He tried.
So many commissioners entered public service to make a difference their communities, and they tend to be very action-oriented. From that viewpoint, it can be easy to overlook that listening is, in fact, an action step.
“ Most of the time, people just want to be heard,” Culver said.“ They want to vent, tell you their story.”
More Common Ground than Expected
Citizens often think their situation is unique, that no one has ever had a particular problem before, Culver said, and county leaders can fall into the same trap.
“ We have problems that are not unique to Washington County,” said Chairman Allen Bailey.“ Everybody has basically the same problems.”
Leverage Every Resource
Counties are known for finding a way forward when others see only obstacles.“ You have to leverage every resource you possibly can,” said Bailey, a 23-year commission veteran.“ With partnerships, we’ ve done things that would have never happened if we had relied only on our local county resources.”
As an example, he pointed to a railroad overpass that was constructed as a joint effort by the county, the railroad and a local industry.“ There was a community of people behind this crossing, and when trains were switching they couldn’ t