CORRECTION- 2-26-20 at 7 p.m.
In the article “Colony welcomes Kitchens, Marchman; citizens encouraged to vote in local races,” published Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, it was reported, “According to Town Clerk Patricia Ponder, all four Cullman County Commission chairman candidates were invited, along with several elected officials, but only candidate Wiley Kitchens and County Commissioner Garry Marchman came and took part in the event.” Ponder clarified later Wednesday, saying the council was under the impression Cullman County resident Ron Stone had extended an invitation to all four chairman candidates. Candidate Philip Widner said he did not receive an invitation, and said he would have definitely been present if he had.
COLONY, Ala. – Colony held a town hall meeting Tuesday night before its regular town council meeting. Cullman County Commission Chairman candidate Wiley Kitchens and Cullman County Commissioner Garry Marchman came and took part in the event.
Mayor Donnis Leeth, a registered Democrat, opened by encouraging the audience to give serious consideration to the Republican candidates for local offices, noting the lack of candidates from his own party.
“They’re going to help you; they ain’t like they’re going to turn their backs on you. They’re human, like everybody else is,” he said. “It’s our job to help them out, get the right people in office. We’ve been too long (with) the wrong people in office. It’s going to take our help to get the right person in there.”
Both Leeth and Ron Stone, who came to introduce Kitchens, encouraged the residents of Colony to get out and vote, even though the largely Democratic community will see no local candidates on that party’s ballot. To do so, they admitted, would require residents to vote on the Republican ballot in the March 3 primary. Such a vote is allowable in the primary, but those voters would not be allowed to vote for a Democratic Party presidential candidate in the primary or participate in a Democratic party runoff. Voters’ ability to choose between parties in November’s general election is not affected by choice of ballot in the primary.
Leeth admitted the Democrats have little voice on the local level, saying, “We’re in Cullman County. Everyone’s Republican.”
He encouraged the audience not to refuse to participate, though, just because of the dominance of the Republican party, saying, “We get our help from them . . . You’ve got to go where your help comes from.”
In an open floor discussion, voters were encouraged to decide for themselves whether the national or local campaigns would be their priority in next week’s primary and to choose their ballots accordingly. Whatever the priority, residents were encouraged to get out and vote.
Stone pointed out that Colony has 454 registered voters, but only had 14% voter turnout in the last election. In the same election, he said, 64% of Holly Pond’s voters turned out.
“When these politicians get up there and look and see something, they’re going to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to Holly Pond,’” Stone remarked. “Get your town involved, pick you out a candidate or two candidates- whatever you want- but get involved in it.”
Stone assured the audience that voter turnout like that of Holly Pond would draw the attention of politicians to Colony and benefit the town in many ways.
When his turn came, Kitchens told the crowd that he would work with churches and other community entities to make rehabilitation available to people with addictions and mental health issues, and then moved on to the issue of county roads.
Said Kitchens, “If we don’t maintain our roads- our roads are in the worst shape that I have ever known of them being in, and again I’m not throwing stones at any one person- but if the chairman is not able to work with the two commissioners that are in there, you’re not going to get anything done.”
Kitchens promised that, if he is elected to chair of the commission, he will come to Colony to work with local officials to deal with issues in the community, both to improve roads and to stimulate the local economy and increase municipal revenues.
Kitchens concluded, “My promise to the county is this: when I get back in there, I will deal with two commissioners- and I don’t think that either one of them would oppose me on this- but we will sit down together and we will go over our road budget, we will go over the roads, and what expertise that I have in the road department- because I have 32 years of my own private business, building roads, clearing land; I’ve done all kinds of excavating work- but I will promise you one thing: that I will sit down with two commissioners and go over this, and I will get out and ride the roads with them, and we will look at these things. We’re going to put some money into the road department.”
The Colony Town Council meets for a work session at 5 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month in Colony Town Hall, with regular council meeting following. The public is invited to attend.
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