Finally! Recall Proceedings Have Begun Against Vincent Mayor and 4 City Council Members

You don't push some people without one day expecting them to push back.

*Updated Tuesday afternoon see below

It's been a long time coming, but finally, Vincent, Alabama residents opposed to the massive rock quarry that was been railroaded through approval by a non-responsive and corrupt city government, have challenged the Mayor and four council member's jobs with a recall petition.

Vincent Mayor Ray McAllister, City Council members Bridgette Jordan-Smith, Johnny Edwards, Mary Lee Reynolds and Larry King are all targets of the petitioners. The one lone dissenter, Ralph Kimble, did not sign the petition.

It could not happen to a more deserving group of turncoats in our opinion.

Expect BARD bullies Stephen Bradley and Rob Fowler to run to the protection of the city leadership, in addition to a hurry up by ADEM to issue a permit. Wonder if they'll try to pull a trick and skirt the public meeting requirement before permit issuance?

While we're on this subject, let's have a look at the idiot in charge of Vincent and his outlandish claims of what an almost 1000 acre quarry will and won't do. 

(video link, takes time, abt. 3 minutes, to load after commercial, be patient, it's worth it) 

Here's a translation transcript sent to us by a reader that is spot on, and written in southern colloquialism befitting the geniuses that run Vincent who fancy themselves so educated:

"Fact:  Vincent has the largest live decorated Christmas Tree in the state of Alabama."   "Now - back in July - after a year of investigating...we voted to re-district some property   and they have made a lot of commitments to the town of Vincent - they are putting in the most modern equipment....... they say ZERO dust....folks don't like dust."  
 
"I went to see a little quarry... and I say --- how purty the water was going over a little water fall.... the man say --'I work here at this here quarry and git you a jar and git you some water and it's gonna be bettah than what you got in your city water....... the good news is we gonna git 125 jobs....not that 125 jobs is a lot of jobs."  

"That paper place is closing....we be right across the riber from dat. People gonna spend their money locally."  
(How many Vincent residents worked for dat Bowater place? We tol’ the folks these heah jobs was going to be Vincent jobs for Vincent folks…maybe we lie a lil’ here and there.)

"400K from ADECA - to pave the #1 worst road in the state of Alabama..."   

Ol’ Spencer Boy Bachus got them a grant for a fire truck and let dem quarry folks off da hook for the $350,000 they promised to give Vincent for da' truck- thank God for Homeland Security and FEMA.  (You know they get so little done right).   

The Mayor claims "Vincent is beautiful, we got us some parks…" 
(he really did mention Gorman Park - who ever wrote this speech might should have warned him about the discarded condoms lying around.)   

Maybe some of dem folks at da Chamber meetin' will go on down to Gorman Park and see for demselves, after all the Mayor put an invite right out there didn‘t he?   

Good for you citizens of Vincent!

*Update-- The never-friendly-to-citizens Alabama League of Municipalities (ALOM) is claiming that the residents cannot use recall based on this section of Alabama Code. Note the section applies to Commissioners only, and according to the LOM, only in one city in Alabama is there a provision (thanks to the Aladumba legislature) that provides the right to recall-- Dothan. 
(So the rest of you are out of luck. How stupid is this?)

The Vincent residents used this section of Alabama Code. 

Which clearly covers recall of at least the Mayor (and any Commissioner according to this section.) 

So which is it? 

Is the ALOM citing the code section that serves their purposes and is on the side of denying the people of Vincent, or any other municipality for that matter, the right to recall their elected officials everywhere but the City of Dothan, Alabama? 

Just whom do you really serve ALOM? Never mind. We know the answer.


If ALOM is correct, then it is one of the most poorly written laws imaginable, and no community in Alabama is afforded the right to recall their elected officials.
Even our state constitution speaks to the right of the people and their government:
"People are the source of power"

This should be the test case for every Alabama community to be afforded clear and concise remedy to bad government in the form of recall when the citizens demand it. 

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