In a few more days you will be sworn in as the officially elected members of our City Government for the next four years. None of you will be issued crowns or tiaras to wear. All of you were elected by the smallest number of voters in Laurel history, you need to be humble and take care of the peoples business and interest.

The history of City Hall is that you can pretty well do what you collectively want to do as a City Council. City Hall in the 1950’s had to have interstate 59 run through the middle of town. They made sure we received sales tax from the traffic on I-59. They “S curved it” right through the middle of town to make sure they would get their “bread and butter sales tax.” This caused many people to lose their lives and destroyed million of dollars of property.

Their stupidity destroyed our interstate business section that every town in America enjoys but Laurel.

Ten million dollars and 50 years later the “S curve” was straighten out, destroying liveable governmental housing for low income renters It will be up to you, the New City Hall, to decide how to best utilize this valuable prime property. Do you go for the “bread and butter sales taxes’ or give or sell it to the South Central Regional Medical Center, the largest employer in Laurel, for them to grow and expand their facilities. You will have an opportunity to repay the 45 people who lost their jobs at SCRMC because the old City Hall allowed Laurel to become a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants and SCRMC Emergency Room had to treat any patient seeking there, and was put into deep financial distress.

Yes I am against illegal aliens living in Laurel! Legal Immigrants? NO! I’m proud they are here and are working, learning English, and enjoying our American way of life.

When I used the term City Hall I am speaking only about our elected Mayor and our elected City Council Members. This does not include our two newly elected council members. Our only hope is for the two new ones to join Johnny Magee who isn’t afraid to say NO! and bring some sanity back to our City Government. I have the utmost respect, and appreciation for the wonderful hard working people who serve with dedication in providing services to the citizens of Laurel. The employees in City Hall offices, our water department, our policemen, our fire departments are great and doing a terrific job for us and we don’t want them messed with.

The current Council has badly damaged one of the best Sanitation Departments in America buy going to a once per week pickup of garbage. Sanitation workers are being forced to pick up a double load of garbage in one trip instead of two trips per week. Doing two days of work in one day is asking a bit much of an employee and should be considered abuse of workers by the City Council. Plus garbage cans are twice as heavy if picked up only once weekly.

A City Council that is so gung ho in suckering new business to Laurel because they are our “bread and butter sales tax” could at least provide dumpster service to the business community. I see no difference in the Sanitation, Police Department or Fire Department having to be profitable when they are pubic services providers to the citizens of Laurel.

If the City Council needs to make budget-cuts, start with the Indian” Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs and let the Indians alone — They are the real “bread and butter” heroes of Laurel and continued to keep Laurel functioning during some God Awful City Administrations.

— Chaplain (Maj) Howard Ellzey , US Air Force Ret.

Laurel