Alabama Politics in
Doc’s Political Parlor
& Home of Lawn Mower Repair

Gov. Bob Riley came to the Anniston Meeting Center on Thursday and encouraged residents of east Alabama to think outside the county lines, setting regional priorities for economic development and improving the quality of life in rural areas.

Riley’s visit marked the official kickoff of the East Alabama Action Commission, a body that includes Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Etowah, Randolph, Talladega and Tallapoosa counties.

Citing the success of the structure behind the Black Belt Action Commission formed in 2004, Riley told more than 200 people gathered for the event to take their economic future in their own hands.

“There is no question you can make it happen,” Riley told the crowd. “The question is, how badly do you want it?”

The East Alabama Action Commission (EAAC) is one of eight the governor is forming around the state modeled on the Black Belt Action Commission.

The East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission is facilitating the action commission by arranging meetings and providing information.

The EAAC is divided into committees focused on economic development, education, health and work force development. EARPDC Executive Director Bill Curtis is the deputy chair of the commission. Co-chairs are Congressman Mike Rogers and Anna Berry, mayor of Heflin.

People who attended Thursday’s meeting had the opportunity to fill out yellow forms stating where they would be interested in dedicating time and talent to economic development. The Black Belt Action Commission had more than 800 volunteers.

Valveena Harville, from Randolph County, said she was interested in serving on all of the committees.

“Randolph County is one of the more rural counties of this particular region,” Harville said. “There’s so many needs … the most common is in work force and education.”

Todd Adams, chairman of the Coosa County Commission, said in a phone interview Thursday he’d like to see the EAAC focus on job creation, which would increase the population.

“One thing I see that’s a problem in our area is we haven’t got the population to support the larger Wal-Marts,” Todd said. “You’ve got the city of Sylacauga on the north end of the county and Wetumpka on the south end. All of our (sales) tax benefit goes (there.)”

Kevin Kiser, a commissioner in Clay County, said in a telephone interview that counties fare better when they work together to recruit industry and deal with issues like access to water supply.

“I think as a region if we can attack some of those projects together, that would be helpful,” Kiser said.

Riley said there is no good reason why the east Alabama region should fall behind other areas of the state in economic development, noting the proximity of the area to Birmingham and Atlanta.

“This whole corridor should explode,” Riley said. “We have been our own worst enemies.”

Riley said he plans to revisit the city in a year and check on the commission’s progress. Former state Sen. Gerald Dial, Executive Director of the Alabama Rural Action Commission which establishes the local regional commissions, said the plan is for the governor to hold quarterly meetings with the co-chairs of each commission.

Dial said the East Alabama Commission is in a unique position because Riley is from Ashland, in Clay County.

“When you’ve got the captain of the team on your team, you can’t do much better,” Dial said.

At a table taking up sign-up sheets for the work force development committee, work force development co-chair Elizabeth Lyons gathered up a stack of yellow paper.

“We’re excited about this initiative,” she said. “We think it will work.”