Mobile: A City in Transition

I am proud to call Mobile, Alabama my home. I came to live in Mobile in the summer of 1998. Mobile is a beautiful city with so many features that make it a wonderful place to live. Like many other cities in America and around the globe, Mobile is at a crossroad in its long history. In the fall of 2008, a storm surge of economic catastrophe washed up into the port city and revealed the need for both reform and belt tightening. It's very difficult for major changes to be made quickly and they are often resisted by those who stand the most to gain from the status quo. Mobile is a city that depends greatly on sales tax to fund basic services and an economic downturn was sure to cut into the projected budgets.

   In 2010 we had a major debate about what to do as a city. Mayor Sam Jones wanted to increase the sales tax from 9 percent to 10 percent. There was some resistance initially but Gina Gregory and others on the council eventually agreed to a time limited increase to allow for other cuts and changes to city spending and practices. Within days of the tax rolling off the books, our Mayor called for a reinstatement of the sales tax as the only fix to solve the cities fiscal problems. Taxes and spending in government are constantly up for debate depending on your politics. There are completely different visions and beliefs depending on your viewpoint.

 The challenge facing Mobile goes farther than the issue of balancing the budget and a possible increase in the sales tax. At present Mobile is facing serious problems such as an increase in violent crime. We would be foolish to believe that simply gaining more income would solve the root causes of violence much of which is committed by teenagers. We need to pay our bills but we also need to look deeper at the type of society we are becoming.

  How we spend our money shows our priorities and our vision for our lives as individuals, families and as a community.  Over the last few years we have seen that we can do much better in terms of management and decision making over the limited funds we have. Much of the resistance to our Mayor's call for an increase in the sales tax has little to do with the money. The real issues before us are related to accountability, transparency and respect for a population mired in tough times. Instead of communicating empathy and concern for our city, the communication from city hall has instead created unnecessary fear and division. Leadership is about instilling confidence and rapport with the people. On this front our Mayor has failed the people of Mobile.

  Compromise is often considered a 'dirty' word in our culture. We want a firm adherence to rigid principles. When it comes to issues of clearly revealed moral truths, I am in agreement... no compromise to the truth that God has revealed. When it comes to balancing any budget compromise is needed and vital. I would encourage our Mayor and the City Council to come to the table with a willingness to offer significant cuts not absolutely vital to safety. (Police and Fire Departments)  I would also like to call for an outside audit of city finances over the last few years to help our citizens to regain trust and a full understanding or what is indeed happening with the people's money.  If after further significant and agreed upon cuts are made then there should be a willingness to look at other possible revenue streams to balance the difference in the budget.

  Leaders are imperfect people. They make mistakes. Many of the decisions made prior to the recession in hindsight have proved to not be in the best interest of our city at present. We cannot afford to continually point out the failures of the past while not offering reasonable solutions to find a way forward as a community. We need to come to the table with open and humble hearts and make the significant changes Mobile needs to move into the future we all want for ourselves and future generations.


Jim Mather