The Arab Tribune | 'Huddling' with the governor
'Huddling' with the governor
By David Moore | The Arab Tribune | October 1, 2012
A touring Gov. Robert Bentley "huddled" with local legislators and Republican officials over lunch at - his choice - Huddle House in Guntersville Wednesday. High on his list of priorities were economic recovery and industry.
Rep. Wes Long got a sympathetic ear from the governor for his continuing efforts to restore what he called the effective and balanced aquatic weed control program for Guntersville Lake that TVA severely cut in 2008.
While there was no news about good things coming to Marshall County, local Republican Club Chairman Russ Elrod took the opportunity to jokingly remind Bentley about the good things that came his way the first time he visited Arab shortly after announcing his candidacy three years ago.
Also at the lunch meeting were Sen. Clay Scofield, R-Arab, Rep. Kerry Rich, R-Albertville, and Marshall County District Attorney Steve Marshall
"One of the main topics was the weed issue in the lake," Elrod said. "You could tell the governor was well aware of the situation and he was wanting to resolve it."
Long, R-Guntersville, was unavailable for comment afterward, but said in a news release that he's pleased to have the support of U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, and Bentley in his effort to find a solution to the needed weed spraying.
After being ignored by TVA officials, Long said, in April he and Aderholt requested an opinion from the U.S. Attorney General on TVA's policy change and responsibility to continue its former aquatic weed program. They cited a 1999 executive order by President Bill Clinton and TVA's charter in their arguments.
An opinion has not been issued, but Long said it is eminent.
"Our lake is the heart and soul of our community and our tourism industry," Long said in the release. "It creates the tax base for our high-quality schools and our overall quality of life in Marshall County.
"TVA's abandonment of their program created much more than an unsightly view, it created the potential for contamination of our drinking water and our ability to thrive as a community," he added. "TVA's policy of selectively choosing their course of action, duties and responsibilities for the stewardship of our lake is unacceptable."
Bentley, fresh off the passage of an amendment that will allow the legislature to take $437 million from the Alabama Trust Fund over the next three years to keep Medicaid, prisons and other programs afloat, is now touring the state drumming up support for Amendment 2 on the November ballot. It will allow the state to borrow money for incentives to industry.
He's also been hinting at a new industry recruitment in the near future he said would be bigger than the $600 million project Airbus announced for the Mobile area that will create 3,000 jobs.
Elrod, who's from Arab, said that while there were no announcements Wednesday specific to the county, Bentley's effort would benefit the entire state.
Elrod also recalled that soon after Bentley announced his candidacy for governor more than two years ago, he spoke to the Marshall County Republican Club. At the time, he was one of seven GOP candidates and running last in the polls.
"I reached out to him there and asked if he would be guest speaker at Rotary that day," he said. Bentley agreed.
Wednesday, he asked if Bentley recalled the speaking engagement, which he did.
Elrod jokingly reminded him that after speaking in Arab, he started gaining ground in the polls, "and the next thing you were governor."
While he's not sure that will help Arab's standing in Montgomery, Elrod said at least he didn't have to pay for lunch.
"All I can say," he laughed, " is that I offered."
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