continued from page 5 together a road and bridge program if he or she had been working alone. Likewise, everyone could have provided their own thoughts on how the money should be divided, the right amount of new taxes that should be levied and what roads should be given priority. In the end, however, success in this kind of battle lies in identifying your leaders, trusting their judgement and then pulling your weight for the common good. That’ s what Tim Choate meant when he said we must have one voice. And this past session, there were some who didn’ t understand that we can succeed only if we are all pulling together.
One single county or 10 counties or even 20 or 30 or 40 are guaranteed to fail unless the remaining counties join together to provide that unified, undivided, single voice. Influencing public policy in Alabama is not the job of our staff alone. In fact, it is their role to move this Association into a place of leadership and respect – and then it is our place to close the deal. It is our responsibility to use our individual influences, relationships and political skill to achieve our collective goals. And it is our job to pull in one direction, with one voice.
This past session, one single commissioner – who said the right thing to the right person at the right time – could have led to the passage of the ATRIP-2 Program. Things were that close, and we were that close to success on the House floor that day. Standing before you tonight, I wonder if everyone did everything they could’ ve done. What if I came out there right now and sat across from each of you, looked you in the eye and asked,“ Did you do everything you could’ ve done?” If I did that, I wonder – would your answer be“ Yes, I did all I could” or would you look away?
Because not only could one person have led to our collective success, but also one person – who goes off on his or her own – well, that one person can do more damage than any of us can imagine.
I remember a few years ago when our 9-1-1 directors gained national attention for pulling together and enacting a statewide program to fund 9-1-1 activities with a single statewide fee. I remember that a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears – and give and take – went into that legislation. But in the end, the 9-1-1 community pulled in one direction. And the result was a new law that most people had thought was impossible. The same can be said for the passage – and voter approval – of the Amendment 4 powers we discussed earlier, or the passage of the self-governance authority, or the omnibus pay bill enacted years ago, or the establishment of a new property insurance program or even the collective effort that has been necessary to move every county toward the successful completion of the $ 1.2 billion ATRIP Program. All of those achievements were possible because every single person did his or her part, while at the same time being willing to compromise and accept what is best for the full membership. If we are to succeed on the difficult roads that lie ahead of us – passage of ATRIP-2, a stronger local voice on the state retirement system board, reform of our juvenile justice system and updating our state’ s workers’ compensation laws, among other things – we must become laserfocused on unity. It is important that we address problems“ in house” and before they become public. We cannot give our opponents a way to divide county against county or commissioner against sheriff or tax official. I truly believe that any public policy issue can be resolved, in a positive way, if true leaders will provide true leadership. Tonight, I challenge each of you to be a true leader in this Association. I challenge you to resist those who encourage you to be a voice of division and dissent. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Yesterday, I sat with pride and listened to the discussion about leadership in courthouses all over this state. And, like most of you, I wiped away tears when Commissioner Peavy talked about his passion for serving as a foster parent. The new members of our leadership“ PLAN” group are setting a standard for all of us to use as a goal. In the coming year, I hope you will search your soul, find your passion and get busy being a true leader in your community.
Some of you may not know this, but I was originally appointed to the county commission by Gov. Bob Riley. I have never forgotten the challenge he laid in front of me when he called to tell me that I was being appointed. He said that he was not appointing me to go to meetings at the courthouse. He told me that I was being appointed so that I could be involved, join the Association, work with my colleagues all over the state and go about being a part of a common solution. He told me to accomplish something – not to simply sit in a chair at a commission meeting. And I took him seriously. Ever since I received that call, I have tried to fulfill the commitment I made to him, to the voters in Dale County and to each of you.
As we start our year together, I am here tonight to deliver the same message to you. If you plan to just sit in your chair this year, if you plan to do nothing, if you plan to sit by and watch all of your colleagues dedicate themselves to something truly inspiring, then I ask you to please just sit their quietly. Yes, I am asking that if you cannot join us actively, then please just sit there quietly and let those of us who want to get some-
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