County View

By Jeff Poor

With an extensive history of antagonizing the masses at the University of South Alabama as writer and editor of The Vanguard, I come to Lagniappe to broaden my journalistic horizons and provide the Lagniappe readership insight and coverage of Mobile County politics.

There is a lot going on in Mobile County politics with the school board antics, the sometimes three-ring circus known as the Mobile County Commission and a new sheriff coming to town.

Hopefully I can maintain the benchmark set by other Lagniappe columnists and bring you perspective like only this publication can.

Mardi Gras Park or High-rise condo?

Nothing says progress for the city of Mobile like a giant statue of a Moon Pie situated in park commemorating Mardi Gras.

Mayor Sam Jones and Commissioner Mike Dean oppose initiatives by Commissioners Stephen Nodine and Juan Chastang to put a high-rise condo at the site of the old Mobile County Courthouse adjacent to Fort Conde downtown.

Back in 2002, Dean, Jones and the great Freeman Jockisch decided to forever memorialize the Mobile tradition of Mardi Gras at the old courthouse site. The park was to come complete with a clock tower and a fountain that squirts water choreographed with music. Sounds like a prime place to bathe for the bums who crashed out in Bienville Square the night before.

Who needs to travel thousands of miles to see the fountains in front of The Bellagio in Las Vegas when you can make the journey to Royal Street? The tourist lure of a Mardi Gras park doesn’t sound real promising. If the idea were to grow into a Mardi Gras-based theme park with roller coaster rides shaped like Mardi Gras floats, kiddy rides shaped like purple and green beads and masked revelers making balloon animals for the children – well, then now you’re talking. The demise of Six Flags in New Orleans opens this door for Mobile.

But on the other hand, should the Mobile County Commission opt to go with the condo idea, there was some mention of upscale retailers coming to Mobile.

Nodine told Lagniappe last week he thought it was all preliminary. “Do I think it is the best use of that property to have a Mardi Gras park?” said Nodine. “No I don’t. I believe a compromise could be reached. One is the Spanish Park Plaza right next to the Mardi Gras museum. What a more conducive place to put a Mardi Gras park.”

Nodine suggested to the Press-Register that this development would draw big-named retailers like Macy’s or even Saks Fifth Avenue. Isn’t that what Mobile needs, a place to buy a $200 sweater? I’m sure the folks will come beating down the doors for that.

“It’s a vision thing once Mike Dow does it or Sam Jones does it. But it seems like it is not a vision thing when new ideas are brought up,” added Nodine.

The Sheriff’s Race

Earlier this month, the Mobile County Young Republicans hosted a candidate’s forum for Republican Mobile County Sheriff candidates at the Semmes Community Center. Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mark Barlow, former Sheriff’s deputy Kyle Callaghan, retired Mobile Police Chief Sam Cochran and Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Bobby Hartman participated in the festivities, made complete by a rousing introduction and short-lived appearance from Commissioner Nodine and Democratic candidate and party-crasher Clint Uimer accompanied by a few of his supporters.

Other than the expected rhetoric of improving response times and fighting the meth head craze that has caught the rural parts of Mobile by storm, the most noteworthy topic was whether or not to privatize Metro Jail. All but Callaghan were opposed to it and Callaghan was only “open to the idea.”

Privatization of the jail could allow for a huge cost savings for taxpayers, however it presents myriad other problems for the county. Liability issues, oversight concerns and the possibility of having to relinquish control of such a huge government entity to a private company.

Some off-the-records concerns – what sort of a possibility for any backdoor or shady dealings would a huge government contract like this open up, not that anything like this would ever happen in Mobile.

One of the more bizarre candidate forums occurred on the Democrat side last Tuesday at the Prichard Public Library with Ulmer, Matt Tew and DeVon Gray in attendance. The most interesting point brought up with these non-contenders was a need for diversity inside the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department including employees fluent in Spanish, Vietnamese and Laotian.

After the Press-Register gave its candidate’s endorsement to Cochran, it’s a foregone conclusion how the race will turn out now with that huge momentum shifter.

Contact Jeff Poor at jeffreypoor@yahoo.com.

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