On Tuesday, people in Montgomery County will go to the polls to vote in one of the most important elections in decades. Their votes will help decide the direction and future of our city for years to come.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve walked neighborhoods and knocked on doors in every part of Montgomery. Hundreds of people have told me they are very worried about the crime that is plaguing our city, making the news, and making people afraid to walk down streets that used to be safe.
Too many people told me they worry that their children and grandchildren will move away because Montgomery’s economy isn’t growing and there aren’t enough good jobs, career options, or long-term chances to keep the next generation in town.
Many people complained about how bad our roads were, how it hurt their cars, and how nothing was done when repair problems or safety concerns were brought up.
But everyone I talked to in the city shared one thing in common: a deep love for the place we all call home and a strong desire to stop Montgomery’s slow decline.
Too long, ambitious politicians and power-hungry insiders have kept our city divided by planting seeds of discord and fostering a “us-versus-them” mindset. This has kept us from moving forward as a whole.
After unruly and rude tourists attacked Montgomery’s riverside for no reason, our whole city came together to support and encourage the riverboat crew member who was just trying to do his job and serve the passengers on one of our most beloved landmarks.
But our city and its people coming together for a shared cause shouldn’t have to be sparked by stupid and violent acts that make no sense. It should be as normal as waking up in the morning.
During my campaign, I only talked about things that would bring us together as Montgomeryans, not about things that were made up to make us disagree with each other.
We have all been hurt by the high rate of runaway crime in Montgomery, or we know someone who has.
When an 8-year-old takes police on a high-speed chase while driving a stolen car and carrying a loaded gun, we can all agree it’s clear we’re going in the wrong direction.
We all know that it’s hard to feel safe on the streets when a city worker gets hurt on his daily collection run when stray gunfire hits his garbage truck and breaks the window.
We all want the boards covering shops that have been closed for a long time to be taken down so that new jobs and new hope can come in. Instead, businesses are closing, not opening, and parts of our city are becoming real retail deserts.
We all want streets that are safe and in good shape so that we can welcome business and keep our neighbourhoods healthy, thriving, and happy. Unfortunately, too many roads are still in bad shape with no sign of when they will be fixed.
We all want city services to be done quickly and well, but broken equipment, bad planning, and low priorities by our leaders have caused trash and debris to sit on the street for up to four weeks in some areas. This is bad for people’s health and makes their lives less enjoyable.
I’ve talked about solid, well-thought-out, and commonsense ways to solve each of these problems in my speeches, at candidate forums in which I’ve taken part, and in chats with worried people from all over the community.
We can make our streets better, help our police, and give them more people to work with. Our roads can be fixed and our neighborhoods can be made better. We can give people work and hope who don’t have either.
You can look at all of my plans, ideas, and projects on my campaign website, www.barrettgilbreath.com. I encourage you to do so and think about each one.
No matter where you live in the city, where you go to church, what your political beliefs are, or what you call yourself, we must all agree that Montgomery has seen better, more peaceful, and more successful times than the ones we are living in now.
But with God’s help, your support, and your willingness to be a part of the answer, we will turn Montgomery into a proud city that meets the needs of all of its residents, who come from a wide range of backgrounds.
I want your vote on Tuesday for mayor.
Read More:
- Plies fulfills Alabama’s wish after the riverboat fight: ‘I’MA BE THERE!’
- Police have charged a 20-year-old in the shooting death of a Montgomery man
