I published a piece recently titled, John Archibald—a double standard.  Some people, who probably didn’t read the piece thoroughly, thought it was an attack on Archibald.  However, I said specifically that John is an excellent writer and journalist.  Quite frankly, if I had 1% of John’s writing and investigative skills I would be a happy man.

Bottom line is that when you agree with Archibald—he’s Moses; when you disagree with him, he’s the devil.

In a recent editorial he authored, Archibald was Moses.  He clearly understands what it will take for us to march metropolitan Birmingham out of the desert and into the promised land.

In his editorial piece Keeping it real in Birmingham: What is the state of this city, Archibald writes…

“In the end the state of the city is meaningless. Because Birmingham is not just Birmingham. It is not just a city. Birmingham is Hoover and Bessemer and Trussville and Vestavia Hills and so many more. It is not a tale of one or two cities, but of 35 and counting. If Birmingham is to truly make progress, to lure businesses and brains and all the economic and cultural assets that make a city great, it can never do it as three dozen disparate interests. It must find a way to pull in one direction as a community.”

Hallelujah!

I’ve published ComebackTown every week for more than three years—170 blogs—with an objective to begin a conversation about a better Birmingham with an emphasis on fixing our segmented/dysfunctional government structure…and then Archibald says everything there is to say in less than 100 words.

Birmingham is in the center of the Southeast, the fastest growing region of the U.S.; our people are smart and generous–and our mountains and valleys are beautiful.  If we could get our act together we could give Nashville, Charlotte, and Austin a run for their money.

But, ‘if Birmingham is to truly make progress, to lure businesses and brains and all the economic and cultural assets that make a city great, it can never do it as three dozen disparate interests. It must find a way to pull in one direction as a community.’

Long live Birmingham!

Long live John Archibald! (well, for this week, anyway)  🙂

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David Sher is the publisher of ComebackTown, a co-founder of Buzz12, a division of Intermark Group, and co-CEO of AmSher Compassionate Collections.  He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham(REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).