Editor’s Note: The Newton County Appeal is sharing these remarks that Chancery Judge and longtime Newton city attorney Robert Logan had during the Newton Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting last week.
I want to thank y’all for the opportunity to come up here and speak to you. It’s been more than four years since I met with the board. It’s nice to be back here. I’m sure some people have speculated, “Well, Robert Logan doesn’t care anything about the city anymore.” That’s not true. I cannot come up and get involved in issues that might come up in my court, and I hope I don’t do that tonight. But that’s why I haven’t attended some of the meetings, and the bond issue is a good example of that.
You know, if there was any litigation that came out of the bond issue, it would’ve ended up before me. And this is really the first thing I want to say to you, is that I am thankful that the bond issue is over for debate in this community.
I think that both sides had reasonable, heartfelt arguments, logical arguments to make. I don’t think there’s any good excuse for the personal attacks and the ridicule that took place. I think right now we’re faced with, with people who have hurt feelings. I think some damage has been done to the city. And quite frankly, if all I knew about the school district and the city of Newton is what I saw on Facebook about the bond issue, I wouldn’t come near the city.
So I think in some respects, we’ve shot ourselves in the foot in the debate. At the same time, we might as well be living in the Middle East because we’re being subjected to the terrorism of these little gangs that want to go around and shoot up the town, and they think they run the town. But it’s time for us to get over hurt feelings, get over the debate about the bond issue and get on to the future.
It’s time to reset, restart and rebuild. And it starts right here. But now, if y’all come to your board meeting and your focus at the board meeting is the pothole in my ward and the streetlight that I didn’t get in my ward, and God forbid, another speed bump that we need in our ward, then you’re part of the problem and not part of the solution because what we need is a vision for the future. We’re told in Proverbs that where there is no vision, the people perish. And that’s what we don’t want to happen in our community. Y’all are going to be faced with how do we raise money to do the things that we need to do? And you’re going to be looking for new taxes and so forth. Don’t forget that one of the best sources of tax that you have is the sales tax.
And the sales tax can grow if the city grows, but it’s not going to grow unless the city is clean, safe and welcoming. And y’all need to be thinking about what we can do to make those things true. Don’t overlook your business and industry. They are run by people. They’re corporations. But people run those businesses.
People want attention. People want to be wanted. They want to know that you appreciate them spending their money and time in this community. So please don’t overlook letting those businesses and industry know how much they’re appreciated. We have an old hospital building out there — well not so old — but it’s one that’s needs a lot of work. It’s a very great opportunity. and that development needs to be pursued. We need to promote the city at every opportunity. You can look at the empty buildings around here can say, “well, that’s a liability.” Let’s don’t call it a liability. Let’s call it an asset that we have space for people to come in and open their new businesses. People need to know that the city of Newton is open for business.
And finally, if the community is not safe, none of this matters. Nothing is going to work for the city of Newton if it’s not a safe place. So, I implore you spend whatever funds you have to spend, borrow what you have to borrow, ask for whatever help you have to ask for. Make whatever personnel decisions you have to make to make the city safe. It’s not somebody else’s job. It’s your job.
And finally, don’t underestimate the power of love. It’s great. Love your children. Love your neighbors. Love your city. Thank you.
