Some of you are probably going to think I’m going to blame Irondale’s financial challenges on its elected officials.
I am not.
I’m not sure there’s a human being alive who could find a painless way for Irondale or many of our other municipalities to avoid financial challenges. Continue reading Why we should worry about what’s happening in Irondale
It was the dark of night.
My Mountain Brook friend slipped down the stairs to his basement, opened his garage door, and quietly pushed his trash container to the street. Continue reading Mountain Brook stealing from Vestavia Hills
“There’s the guy who wants to get rid of Mountain Brook.”
It’s a bit unsettling, but that’s what a prominent Mountain Brook man says to me every time he sees me.
If you follow his logic, then you would assume I also would be the guy who would like to get rid of Vestavia Hills, Homewood, Trussville, and every other Jefferson County municipality. Continue reading There’s the guy who wants to get rid of Mountain Brook
There’s an old joke about the highly addicted smoker who complains, “I’ve read so much about the dangers of smoking that I’ve decided to quit reading.
That is how I feel about Nashville.
I read story after story about Nashville’s continued economic successes—recruiting companies—large and small to their city. Continue reading Nashville’s goof may be Birmingham’s big break
You’ve probably had the misfortune of noticing a few ants crawling around in your kitchen cabinet.
This is almost always a tell-tale sign that there are a lot more ants nearby.
That’s what we’re beginning to see with Hoover.
Continue reading Why we should worry about what’s happening to Hoover
I’m impressed with Birmingham’s new Mayor–Randall Woodfin.
His first few months in office have been a whirlwind of positive energy.
He’s surrounded himself with good people, sought feedback from anyone who will talk to him, and slowly and methodically identified and prioritized Birmingham’s problems and opportunities. Continue reading Is Birmingham mayor crazy?
Why do Alabama governors seem not to care about Jefferson County?
Often our governors, our legislature and even some state departments–either ignore or abuse us. Continue reading Fox6 asks Gov. Ivey about her tough comments on Birmingham
Rarely do you have an opportunity to read an article that clearly shows why we’ve had virtually no job growth in our metropolitan area.
Erin Edgemon of al.com recently wrote a piece about how a Jefferson County municipality took a big gamble and lost.
Continue reading Mtn. Brook, Homewood, Vestavia wannabe gambles & loses
If this article doesn’t get your attention about the future of greater Birmingham—nothing will.
We all know how a bathtub works.
Water comes out of a faucet into a tub and as long as the stopper is engaged, the bathtub fills up.
But what happens if there is no stopper? Continue reading Birmingham like a bathtub with no stopper
I’m almost shell shocked.
I was flipping through the pages of the Over the Mountain Journal, when I saw the headline, “Hitting on all cylinders—Mountain Brook Mayor Welch Lays Out His Plans for 2018.”
The mayor of Mountain Brook, as you might expect, discussed his efforts to help Mountain Brook merchants and restaurants.
But then Mayor Welch, a longtime financial executive, went off in a completely and unexpected direction. Continue reading Mountain Brook, Hoover, Homewood, Vestavia Hills show leadership