By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
The Athens City Hall offices were closed on Labor Day, and so we managed to eke and squeak out what became a two-part meeting on Tuesday, September 2. Turns out, that was a day residents of North Alabama will never forget– the day it was announced that Space Command had come home…again. More on that later.
Grateful that the elections were behind us and thankful for the results, Mayor Ronnie gave a quick overview of the things we are going to be facing down as a result of the latest growth spike to which we had just been introduced. The infrastructure needs are substantial, and if ever there was a time for Athens to grow well, it is now.
If you have been following our perusal of the book Crucial Conversations, you are aware that it is a work that has been heralded by the likes of Stephen Covey as a true masterpiece when it comes to communication and solving difficult situations. Department heads of the City of Athens have gone through the training sessions that are designed for professional groups, and everyone I have talked to has said it is excellent.
The chapter for this session was Chapter 9, “Move to Action, How to Turn Crucial Conversations into Action and Results.” One of the takeaways is breaking down how to make decisions, and the section is entitled, “How do we decide to decide?” There are three parts to that—commanding, which is what is used when the opinions of others is not necessary; consult, which is used in order to get more information to make an excellent decision; and vote/consensus, which is the most challenging. All of the components included in this chapter move toward what are called savvy decisions that are then turned into smart decisions.
Another part of the chapter stated something that got my attention, and that was, “Dialogue is not decision making.” It’s necessary, for sure, but it in and of itself doesn’t lead to a decision.
“We’ve got to plan smart, and we’ve got to communicate better than ever,” said the mayor. He spoke with special concern for the schools, as well as our surrounding communities. “We will grow westward, for sure, and it has to be done well,” he said. “Conversations have to be turned into actions, and we have to have positive results,” he added.
So many things were discussed, such as the need for another swimming pool. We need a new fire station on the west side, and the increase in population is going to significantly impact roads, shopping, jobs, all of life. The mayor mentioned that Senator Tuberville had stated in the announcement that while he was glad the decision to move Space Command to Huntsville had been made, if another place would have proven to be safer and better for the country, he would have chosen that for the location. That was reassuring to the mayor. So many things to talk about and consider, but we were out of time. There was just one thing left for us to do, and that was to pray. So, we did and once again it was time for Ronnie to roll.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
