By: Steve Garner
There is a storm coming and it has a name. It is “Change.” There is nothing we can do to stop it. It has been slowly happening since the beginning of time. Now it is accelerating to a speed that we simply must take notice of. The question now becomes what to do with the change.
I may be biased, but I have always believed Limestone County to be the best place on earth to live and raise a family. I am not like others who have never left Limestone County. I have traveled all over the world and seen how the rest of the world is. That experience only strengthens my belief in Limestone County.
I am running for the office of Commissioner of Limestone County, District 1. Not for the reasons that many others run or the reasons that I may get labeled with. I am running because I love Limestone County, its people, my grandchildren and great grandchildren, and yours. Unfortunately, those children will grow up never seeing the county that we “old folks” grew up in.
Our county is growing and soon it will be bursting at the seams. We know this by looking at our friends in Madison County. I grew up with the first red light in Huntsville being at the Parkway. Highway 72 was a long and lonely road with very little traffic. Now we spend an hour trying to go five miles. Huntsville is expanding. It has already annexed land in Limestone County and will continue to do so. It has no choice. It is blocked to the south by the river, to the east by the mountains and to the north by Tennessee. Meridianville was once a small community, but it has been assimilated and made almost as crowded as Huntsville. If you talk to the longtime residents, they do not like it. We are next.
With Space Command, Eli Lilly, and many others coming to Madison County (and the annexed land of Limestone County), employment opportunities abound. Many of those positions are presently filled by the influx of families already working for them. Those families and many of the current residents of Madison and Huntsville want to work there but they do not want to live there. They want the relaxed peaceful atmosphere offered by Limestone County. They want to work in Huntsville, but they want to raise their families here. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is that our current infrastructure and county government mindset does not support that growth.
Our county government is like a multimillion-dollar corporation with the owners being the citizens of Limestone County. The county (our corporation) is led by four commissioners and a chairman. We have always elected those commissioners based upon the friends and family mindset. We cannot afford to do that any longer. This election is critical for the future of Limestone County. If we keep doing what we have been doing and expecting a different outcome, we will be sadly mistaken, (the definition of insanity). Four more years on the current path will put Limestone County at the point of failure. We will be so far behind, we will not have the time or the money to recover.
There are seven Republicans and a couple of Democrats seeking office this time. As far as I know, they are all wonderful people. A few I have known all their lives. The sad part is that only a couple have the life experience and insight to run a corporation like Limestone County. The others are friends and family. If you need heart surgery, you do not get a plumber. You research and find the best heart surgeon available. You look at their credentials and their experience. An informed voter will do the same. Do we want four more years of the exact same that we have had for the last fifty?
Transparency is a vital part of any relationship. Yes, I said relationship. The county government and the citizens of Limestone County need to have a “one-team” and “one-mindset” relationship. Unfortunately, transparency seems to not be a part of the commission’s vocabulary. This statement is based on the facts that have surfaced during this election. Funds suddenly appear that were never mentioned before. Roads are being widened that really do not need widening. I travel Bethel Road at least twice daily. It is one of the better roads in the county. Why not use that money to repair pig trails like Slate Road and many others? Is it that this road gets a lot of traffic and can “show” county progress?
At this point, I would like to take time to explain what I can bring to the table. I have over 40 years’ experience in engineering, construction management, corporate management, site selection and negotiation, road and rail construction, community outreach, and foreign missions work. I could list more but will stop there. I do not want to bore you too much. I managed the construction of the Orion Amphitheater. I have interfaced with state and local governments across this nation as well as abroad. Sitting across the table from leaders of major corporations and million-dollar lawyers takes experience when negotiating deals with them. They already know what you know, and they know what you do not know. You can get taken advantage of very quickly. An example would be the Toyota Mazda Plant and all their suppliers. Limestone County lost big on that deal.
I want your vote on May 19, but what I want even more is for you to be an informed voter and make your decision based on what is best for the county and who can contribute the most to achieving our goals. I said “our goals” because your voice needs to be heard and included in the decisions that our government makes. Transparency needs to become the norm, and sidebar meetings need to be publicized.
As I have referenced before from one of my favorite movies, “If you build it, they will come.” Even if we do not build it, they are coming and our county will continue to grow. They want to live here in Limestone County where they can raise a family and relax from the hustle and bustle of Huntsville and Madison County. They will live here, and if we do not prepare for them, they will simply stop on the way home in Madison or Huntsville and get all they need there and bring it home with them. That provides Madison and Huntsville with more tax dollars but leaves Limestone County with only property taxes.
You as the voter will make the decision on May 19.
You will decide whether to “hang on to the old or grab on to the new.”
Choose wisely………
By: Steve Garner
