By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
On September 26, Mayor Ronnie got a chance to do something completely unexpected, and that was to bless the production of a movie that is being produced here in Athens. Our city had been contacted by people in Hawaii about coming to Athens-Limestone and producing a “Hallmark-type” family feature film. When the mayor and I met for our usual appointment, the fun of the event and the beginning of filming was still fresh, and the details of the project are going to have to wait until the studio releases them. I don’t know the storyline, but somewhere in it a live kangaroo takes center stage. Branscombe Richmond, who is a veteran TV and movie actor based in Hawaii, is the one who asked Mayor Ronnie to bless the film, and “Kanga” (a stand-in name from Winnie the Pooh that I chose to use for the movie-making marsupial) was resting in the motor home while the group shot you see here was taken. So, Mayor Ronnie did the honors and then talked about something I found both refreshing and encouraging.
The producer gathered the crew together and in the presence of the Athenians who were there, made it very clear that they were there to work hard and have fun. There was to be no inappropriate anything—that included political stuff, romantic behavior, language, et al, and if people couldn’t comply, well, there would be consequences. “Wow, what a concept!” was my response to the mayor when he told me.
We then tackled the second part of Chapter 10 from the discussion of our current book, Crucial Conversations. It deals with practical ways to apply what has already been set forth in the book as ways that work to greatly improve communication with the result of building lasting relationships. The first is called Start with Heart, which is probably the scariest because it requires someone to go first in the vulnerability department. It has to do with the why of the matter, and from there builds to what is called Learn to Look. That is where you endeavor to discover and then focus on a mutual purpose. The next is Make it Safe, finding a way to assure safety for the other party in the conversation, as well as yourself, by stating their needs as you understand them, and then your own. You Master Your Own Story by getting behind the reasons for the way you feel, State your Path, which talks about your own plan of action, Explore Others’ Paths, and come up with a shared plan of action without demanding that you agree on every point ahead of time. “This is good stuff,” I said.
Mayor Ronnie talked about some new developments at Calhoun, specifically a robotics-based welding program, and how glad he was that kids felt like they had options when it comes to education, vocations, and careers. “Not everybody needs to go to college, but everybody needs a skill,” he said.
This 2025-2026 season for the Mayor’s Youth Commission is getting ready to get going, with the final applicants being considered to round out the roster. It is one of the mayor’s favorite parts of being the mayor.
Fiddlers’ is this weekend, the Airstreamers are back, and there was much to celebrate. It was also time to pray, so we did, and then it was time for Ronnie to roll.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
