MauryTHINKS

It would appear Sen. Barack Obama and Columbia’s Mayor Bill Gentner have at least one thing in common. Sen. Obama couldn’t remember the Rev. Jeremiah Wright ever giving a hate America sermon over the past 20 years.

Mayor Gentner was “never once disappointed” with the efforts of local business leaders and the Maury Alliance in recruiting new businesses to Maury County over the past 20 years, as he outlined in his June 5, 2008, Daily Herald article.

The question remains, as to what Mayor Gentner’s disappointments have been in Maury County over the past 20 years. The Maury Alliance wasn’t formed until 1999, and initially resulted in disappointment to some, as Spring Hill refused to join the organization, even though special efforts and free membership were offered as enticements.

Maybe the good mayor couldn’t recall that the first Maury County Economic Development Council Director, Mike Dubois, was forced to resign because officials were “not happy with his performance” to bring new businesses into the area.

Is it possible, that he was a little disappointed when the first Maury County Convention Bureau executive director, Van Drummond Jr., resigned after only two months on the job over disputes on the Mule Day promotion budget being only half of what he recommended to officials?

Could Gentner, as Columbia’s city manager, have been a little disappointed when businessman and chairman of Columbia’s 2010 committee Jim Sloan resigned over disputes involving interviews of city department heads for ideas on economic development?

Might he have been somewhat disappointed that Columbia’s new Chamber of Commerce executive director, Tom Quinn, resigned after only eight months on the job over the lack of elected and business leader cooperation and unity of purpose?

Could he have been a little disappointed when the National Education Association ranked Tennessee 50th out of 50 states in per capita education funding in 1992, and Maury County was listed as below the state average in academic performance, with a graduation rate of 75.4 percent, and over 1,700 students jammed in Central High school?

Was he ever disappointed when the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled that Columbia breached its 1993 contract with Spring Hill, Mt. Pleasant and Maury County when it raised water rates 181 percent?

Was he a little disappointed when the Maury County Chamber of Commerce executive director, Mike Chance, resigned after an unsuccessful attempt to get business and local government officials to agree to raise the Maury County EDC dues to $1,000 to fund increased marketing efforts for Maury County? One has to wonder if Gentner ever talked to the disappointed community leaders of the 21st Century Committee, Maury Vision 20-20 members and other civic minded groups who worked hundreds of hours to bring a consensus together on community priorities, only to be disappointed when no action was taken by government leaders on their recommendations, bringing business leaders like Jim Sloan to plead, “I’d give anything in the world to put aside petty arguments and jealousy aside and work together.” (The Daily Herald, Nov 23, 1990)

Of course, all that’s behind us now as the Maury Alliance is up and running and, according to the good mayor, is now responsive, patient and persistent. Apparently, everyone is working together now. Downtown Columbia, which had 17 vacant stores in 1992, is now booming; new business prospects are lining up to come here; parking costs a shopper only $4 per day and they only have to walk three blocks to shop; while the lawyers and government employees get the preferred parking spots.

The key, says Mayor Gentner is “patience and persistence,” but patience can wear thin over time where there is no action, and persistence can fade in the face of continued disappointments. That disappointment is evident in recent Daily Herald letters to the editor from prominent civic and business leaders like Jim Webb, Alice Algood, Richard Thompson, Cyril Evers, Jim Kitchen, William Wade, Emily Mabay, Jerry Hodges and others.

Maury County, Columbia, Spring Hill and Mt. Pleasant, after considerable debate have funded a new comprehensive growth plan study. The question remains as to whether or not it will be a unifying document. The four separate and distinct local government agencies still have their own agendas. The problems and issues facing these four entities of government actually transcend their artificial political boundaries and adversely affect the taxpayers, who as a result, pay more taxes for their inaction, inefficiencies, ineffectiveness and redundancy. They are inefficiencies and redundancy that exist in waste disposal and landfill costs and operation; rising violence and teenage crime rates; underfunding and the lackluster performance of public education; multiple rural and city water agencies adding higher costs reflected in our water bill because of the lack of economies of scale and duplication; the maintenance and operation of four separate law enforcement agencies with communication gaps, jurisdictional and manpower allocation inefficiencies that reduce effectiveness; infrastructure priorities that has some areas getting nothing and other areas being overfunded; and fire protection coverage that leaves some happy and others depressed at the risk variation.

The recent “Brawl at City Hall” and “Go to mat” mentality over the Animal Control shelter leaves the opportunist wanting more leadership, more honesty, more integrity and vision from our business and civil leaders. I hope we’re not disappointed anymore.