County View

By Jeff Poor

I have an idea for Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine. There’s nothing that captures my attention more than when “The Commish” appears on Ron Frazier or Uncle Henry’s daily talk shows. Most of the listeners seem to loathe hearing his voice on the airwaves, but they’re always so inclined to discuss it the following day or two.

I’m a chronic iPod user, not so much for the wonderful music, but all the talk radio podcasting you can listen to at your own convenience. That being said, rather than the Stephen Nodine Newsletter, why not have the Stephen Nodine podcast, downloadable on your favorite mp3 or home computer. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions have their version. It could features not only county politics, but improving your Golden Tee scores, your golf swing or whatever the news of the day is.

Paris: Not just the star of America’s favorite porn flick

The folks at Delta Air Lines, who lead the way when it comes to setting Mobile Regional Airport’s outlandishly high airfares, must be pleased Mobile County Commissioner Mike Dean is focusing so much time and effort into making the commute from the southern part of Mobile County to the airport a more expedient process.

Residents and business owners, who apparently aren’t going to be absolutely satisfied regardless the outcome, have now been presented with the idea of a traffic circle to connect Dawes Road, Grelot Road and this airport connector. This circle, or roundabout, was the brainchild of an economic development trip to Paris, according to Dean.

Mobile’s original traffic circle is located on the University of South Alabama campus. Being in the final semester of my fourth year at the University of South Alabama, I’ve always wondered if the traffic circle in the middle of our campus was the product of a Frederick Whiddon junket to some exotic European destination. Whiddon was of course USA’s first president. Nonetheless, the traffic circle has seemingly stood up through the rigors of time. No impromptu NASCAR-esque short track races have broken out.

If the from EADS come to Mobile and read our brethren in western Mobile County can’t grasp the concept of a European-style traffic circle, imagine the concern they will have when it comes to employing these same people to assemble a few billion dollars worth of high-tech aircraft out at Brookley Field.

Home-rule is coming, like it or not

Despite some opposition at a Mobile County Commission meeting earlier this month, the commission is proceeding ahead to act on a limited self-governance referendum overwhelming passed by voters in Mobile County last June.

The county now has the authority to police dogs, junk cars and weeds where they’re deemed to be a public nuisance, apparently to the dismay of some of the self-proclaimed libertarians out in the rural parts of Mobile County. Their contentions are the language in the original referendum was confusing thus people didn’t know what they were voting for, the cost of enforcing this referendum are going to be more than the county should afford and the county is exercising authority in the way a municipality would, hence voiding the whole reason they live in an unincorporated portion of the county in the first place.

There are going to be meetings set up throughout Mobile County pertaining to this issue and once those meetings have concluded, the commission will advertise fines and ordinances for 30 days and then vote them up or down.

Florida could beat Mobile’s early vote to the punch

Alabama House Majority Leader Ken Guin, D-Carbon Hill, and Minority Leader Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn introduced legislation earlier this month that would give Mobile the opportunity to conduct an election on the Wednesday before Fat Tuesday. Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis is pushing the idea.

There’s been some discussion if Mobile were to hold its primary earlier than the rest of the state, the city might receive national attention and offer a preview for the national Super Tuesday primary held Feb.5, 2008.

However, the Florida House voted last Wednesday to set a Jan. 29 primary, with an option to go even earlier. The bill still faces the scrutiny of the Florida Senate, but this would in fact violate rules set by the Democratic National Committee that states only Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are allowed to hold their primaries before the Feb. 5 date,

Alabama tinkered with the idea of holding a primary earlier than Feb. 5 because of Fat Tuesday also, but was threatened with the loss of some of its 52 delegates. A March 8 Boston Globe story reported officials in New Hampshire were hoping Alabama would play the role of guinea pig because they are considering moving their already-early primary up even further also.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican presidential nomination contender has invested heavily in television spots in Florida and revealed last week on Hugh Hewitt’s nationally syndicated talk show last week he thinks Florida will in fact move it’s primary up, hence the amount of early interest his campaign is devoting toward it.

It would be difficult for national presidential campaigns to devote the attention toward Mobile that was recently anticipated if 60 miles to the east in Pensacola, a statewide primary with 185 delegates votes are at stake. So much for the hopes of John McCain and Barack Obama appearing on a Mardi Gras float next year.

Contact Jeff Poor at jeffreypoor@yahoo.com.

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