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Our Opinions There has been much talk in recent years about the disparities between rural Alabama and urban Alabama and the fact that rural Alabama could use a little help in boosting its development and well-being. Gov. Riley last week created the new Rural Alabama Action Commission to tackle those issues but his choice for its director leads one to think that this is just another busy-body commission, formed to look good and appease people who say one is needed. Former State Sen. Gerald Dial, a Democrat from Lineville, in Gov. Riley's home county of Clay, was tapped for the $84,500 a year job. We're not sure what kind of creidentials Mr. Dial has to lead a rural development organization other than that he supported Gov. Riley, a Republican, in last year's gubernatorial contest. (He had already lost his senate seat to a fellow Democrat in the June primary.) Last year then-Sen. Dial also worked to help kill a Democratfavored bill to create the Center for Rural Alabama as an agency to work on the very issues that this new commission is supposed to address. Gov. Riley said he opposed that bill because he didn't think an expensive agency was needed to do the work. State Sen. Lowell Barron, DFyffe, who had advocated the above program called Dial's appointment "the epitome of cronyism." Gov. Riley said this commission can work with volunteers and a small budget to do what needs to be done.
We hope so but we also know that you don't use a garden hose to put out a house fire.
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