I would beg this council to simply act like adults. I'm sure that you would like to leave a legacy of your time as a public servant. You have an opportunity to do that by taking advantage of a growing population in one of the fastest growing, desirable communities in the whole state! The potential is limitless and I know from living and working here that there are many people who want to invest there time and money right here in Wetumpka. You saw that last night with the new owners of the former Dakoda's establishment and the changes they want to make with it as a more upscale business.
They are two of many who see the exciting possibilities and incredible potential that Wetumpka has! We have a beautiful city with all sorts of natural and man-made resources. We have a beautiful river right in the middle of town that hosts boat races, two whitewater outfitters, and a whitewater festival. The expanded Fourth of July celebration with the concerts and street dance on Friday night was a rousing success that exceeded even the loftiest expectations and Christmas on the Coosa is one of the most anticipated events of the River Region! In less than two weeks, over 200 participants will take part in the Coosa River Challenge Adventure Race which begins just a few miles up the road at the Swayback Bridge Trail and finishes right in downtown Wetumpka at our own Gold Star Park. Factor in volunteers, family members, well-wishers, and those who are just curious and you will have over 1000 people, probably a conservative estimate, who will stop in Wetumpka to eat, play, and watch the race! My goodness, we just hosted one of the biggest outdoor events in the country with the Bassmaster Elite Series setting up camp right next door to city hall! The whole country got a look at Wetumpka, Alabama and just a tiny bit of what we have to offer! Movies that have been filmed here and our rich history and heritage bring visitors from all over. It's not unusual to see out of towners walking through downtown taking pictures.
Throw in new businesses who will want to locate here especially in a revitalized downtown area with specialty shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and entertainment and you have the makings for something very special! There may be those who don't wish to see growth but the ship has already sailed on that topic. Growth is not only coming, it is happening right under our noses. This administration has the responsibility and privilege of being able to facilitate this growth in a way that can change Wetumpka from what some would say is nothing more than a bedroom community(I would disagree with this assessment) of Montgomery to a destination city! A place where people come to play on our river or ride our bike trails or visit and shop at our downtown shopping/entertainment area or stay at a bed and breakfast. There are those who would love to have an opportunity to see an expansion of fine arts in our city through music or dance or the visual arts. Music and art festivals could prosper in such an idyllic location as Wetumpka.
All they want is support from our local government. A promise that this and future administrations will do everything they can to create an environment that gives them an opportunity to grow and succeed. I can't imagine anyone other than the most staunch hater of change being opposed to much of anything I've mentioned in this space. The people are coming whether we like it or not. The time is now, regardless of the supposed depressed state of the economy, to dream big and if I may use a cliche, think outside the box. To begin to set the stage for the big things that can come if the mayor and city council can see past their differences and focus on what I hope is their common goal of making Wetumpka into a better place to live with each passing year.
This first year of your four year term has been a considerably less than ideal one. There has been too much petty bickering and backbiting. There has been too much mountain out of molehill making and I think that now is the time for it to come to an end, both for the good of those of us who proudly call this city home and for your own legacy. In twenty years, I'd love to look back and say that 2009 was the year that Wetumpka began to tap into its potential and that this administration was the catalyst. Whether you like me or not or vice versa is irrelevant. I, and I hope you, don't mind giving credit where credit is due. All of you are smart enough and good enough people to make the next three years something worth defining. To make them be remembered for something other than all this current useless drama as it is referred to in today's vernacular. What a shameful waste. There is plenty of time to change things. All of us are counting on all of you. Please don't disappoint us!
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3 comments:
(This comment was left by a registered user, wrj03, on an older blog. I thought it was worth moving here)
wrj03 said...
This is soo funny (Three Ring Circus) BUT SO VERY SAD!!
As a business owner in the city of Wetumpka, I have attended council meetings recently and I have to point out that I haven't ever (in over 25 years working in a professional environmant) seen the dis-respect that Councilman Washington directed towards Mayor Willis, Ms. Lynn Weldon, Public Works director and Larry Bryson, the Public Works eemployee.
It is a shame that the tax payers of our city have elected a man that is so ill equipped to serve as a City Councilman. Being an effective City Councilman not only demands common sense, but people skills as well. This man (Washington) lacks both! I haven't ever heard Coucilman washington say anything good about about anyone or anything that involves the City of Wetumpka, EXCEPT the Police Dept. This just proves how out of touch Washington is with the city. Why should the Police dept. get a raise when no other city employees are being granted the same benefit.
About all I can in summary here is that until the tax payers wise up and elect someone with at least one eye and half sense, I will not be wasting my time in attending the three ring circus that they are referring to as "COUNSIL MEETINGS". I am very proud of the growth of this city, the City Employees that work hard every day and the wonderful Mayor that we have. And one more thing...Mayor Willis is a genuinely nice person and he only wants what is the best for this city. It is a shame that someone of his same caliber couldn't have been elected to the seat Councilman Washington holds.
I just have one comment for wjr03: My father is a retired Wetumpka police officer and I saw many times when they were denied raises while the rest of the city employees received them. Just sayin'.
Now as for the original post: I am a photographer, and I want to move back home to Wetumpka to set up my business in downtown with a fellow photographer. But I'm still unsure as to whether that's a good idea or not. So many people simply don't care about the history of our town and want to see small businesses fail so that larger commercial businesses can move in. It's just dumb. It just irks me to know that some of our own councilmen can't see the potential of the city they are supposed to be caretakers of.
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