Dissapointing Day For Northwest Alabama.....But Many Reasons To Be Excited

As you may have read by now or will be reading soon, our region has been released from the large economic development project that we've been pursuing over the last two years. Automotive manufacturer, Magna International has expressed interest in building a manufacturing facility in North America and Guin's site on I-22 has been a leader in the site selection process from the very beginning. Unfortunately, the current economic conditions facing the automotive market has forced Magna to look elsewhere. With increased fuel prices, it's imperative that manufacturers remain relatively close to their suppliers and customers to efficiently produce their product. While we don't know who these suppliers and customers are, it is assumed that their locations are in the northern part of the country essentially eliminating us from consideration if fuel prices and economic conditions remain as they are now. There is always a possibility that conditions change and we, again, become a leader in the site selection process, but, in the mean time, we can and will actively market our city and our sites to potential industry.

It, of course, has been a disappointing day and one none of us wanted to see, but there are so many reasons to be excited about Guin's future and our potential to bring high paying jobs to our area. With the exposure we've gained through competing for the Magna project, we've opened our area up to many economic development projects we may not have competed for just a few years ago. Our state leaders, including Governor Bob Riley, have applauded our efforts to come together as a region in pursuit of this Magna facility. There were 25+ entities, including municipalities, county commissions, educational institutions, and corporate partners, who pledged their political and financial support for this effort. That was something that had never been done in this region. We firmly believe that without that support, this area would have never been considered for such a large project. If that kind of cooperation remains in place, Guin and our region are well positioned to succeed in bringing large industry to our area. And with the need to develop Tier I and Tier II suppliers close to their facility in Tupelo, Mississippi, Toyota will be looking to Guin and Northwest Alabama for sites which could possibly suit their needs.

One more note before I close. There are many people who worked very hard to put us in a position to land this project. Those included Governor Bob Riley, the Alabama Development Office and it's director Neal Wade, Alabama Power, many of our region's council members, county commissioners, mayors, and community leaders. There is one person, though, I want to especially recognize and that's Mayor Phil Segraves. This man loves Guin and there's no one who wants for this area to prosper and grow like he does. He poured his heart and soul into this project. He put thousands of hours into this pursuit and traveled all over the world trying to persuade those decision makers that Guin was the place they needed to be. Considering today's disappointing news, it would be understandable for him to give up and take some time to rest, but it's not in his nature. Phil Segraves will be out tomorrow working to bring industry to our community. There were many stakeholders in this project, but Mayor Segraves drove this project and would never let it die. That's the kind of commitment Guin needs as we move forward. We have two choices as a community - we can be happy with the status quo or we can be progressive in our efforts to grow our community and guarantee a future for our families. I choose to follow the example our mayor has given us and will do everything in my power to move us forward.

Welcome To My Blog

Welcome to my blog! As you might gather from the title, my name is Bobby Bellew and I have served on Guin, Alabama's city council for the last four years. It's again election time and I'll be seeking re-election to another four year post in the same position. These are exciting times in Northwest Alabama as Corridor X becomes I-22 and Guin has positioned itself as a leader among communities seeking to prosper from the economic development we'll see over these next four years. I truly believe we've laid a solid foundation for success and it's important to me to see us, as a community, do everything within our power to allow us to prosper and grow. I believe we can do all of this while retaining the quality of life we all enjoy now. It is my goal to raise a family here and retire here. It's also my goal to see all our children and grandchildren have an opportunity to live and succeed in this community. So, to do this, it's very important that we all form educated opinions about the issues of our city and elect those leaders who are forward thinkers and those who will bring accolades to our community rather than reproach. I feel that I've proven myself to be a progressive thinker and one who cares about the future of our city. I'm asking those in our community to vote for progress in August and again elect me to the position you entrusted me to four years ago.

I've created this site for many reasons, but it's my hope that I can use this as a way of informing our community of those issues facing our city today and those we might face in the coming years. I also want to use it as a way of allowing you to pass on to me your opinions on the issues you feel are important as we move forward. It's important that we all remain informed so that we elect those who truly want to see Guin prosper and, as elected officials, we do the will of those who have elected us. Feel free to pass on your opinions or issues through the comments section below each post. I'll be reading them on a daily basis and will try to reply as soon as possible.