Op-Ed Columns

Two days ago, I joined a few others for lunch and a chat. The topic wasn't particularly sexy: homelessness and substandard housing in Alabama. The sandwiches were fine, the company was pleasant, but discussing the heartrending reality of people who have so little and need so much could have turned our lunch date into a real downer.

Instead, I was shocked.

I heard people being positive about Anniston.

Over-the-top positive.

And sincere.

And convincing.

About Anniston.

When's the last time you heard that?

To live here, or work here, or simply see it from afar, is to experience the daily drip of pessimism and can't-do spirit that permeates so many who call Anniston — and Calhoun County, really — home. It's not Anniston's fault; say what you will about the Wikipedia version of Anniston — population loss, the evacuation of businesses to Oxford, the slow redevelopment of McClellan, concerns about Anniston City Schools — but the city has potential. Problem is, you gotta do more than simply believe; you have to dream it, do it, and act on it.

Many will disagree with that. No, most will.

Nevertheless, I sat there two days ago and listened to two gentlemen talk about Anniston's underbelly and not wring their hands in either disgust or despair. One man was Clarence Williams, the city's Community Development Block Grant director. The other was Maj. Darrell Kingsbury of The Salvation Army. One wore a tie. The other wore a uniform.

Neither grew up here. Both have spent less than two years in Calhoun County. Both have worked in cities across America, most that are larger than this one.

And together, though not on cue, they said things about Anniston — and the county, as well — that could make you believe the Model City ideal that dissipated with past generations could be renewed and reinvigorated, with a little sweat, a little ingenuity, and more than a little effort.

The people here are helpful, they said.

Those with oversight and power — mayors, councilmen, agency heads — are usually attentive and responsive, they said.

The community cares — more so than any other community in which they've worked, they said.

And they're huge fans of the place, they said.

Again, when's the last time you heard that?

Two things: People can say what they want — you spin it one way, I'll spin it another. And the opinions of two well-intentioned men may carry weight in certain circles, but that's no scientific study. You know what they say about opinions.

Yet, hearing such optimism and can-do spirit from people who aren't running for office and didn't have an ax to grind was compelling stuff. These men weren't gullible newcomers; trust me, they're realists who seem to understand the difficulties of accomplishing anything constructive in a county made up of six cities and a large list of unincorporated communities, some of which are beset with good-ol' boy, Southern politics.

The stirring part wasn't what they said; it was the potential of attitudes like theirs, the refreshing sound of leaders who didn't endlessly bemoan our problems — they're numerous, yes — but instead talked of the greatness of the people, the potential of our future, the reasons why you should want to live here instead of breaking land-speed records to move away.

I'll be the first to admit that it's too easy, and wholly unfair, to use a broad brush and paint all in Anniston as pessimists; that's certainly not the case. Some, if not many, try their best and believe this town can join Alabama's other mid-sized cities — the Dothans and Decaturs and Tuscaloosas and Florences — to become an unmitigated success story of business, of culture, of social opportunity.

Problem is, there aren't enough of those who feel that way, and those who exist aren't loud enough. Complainers and critics get all the publicity.

What would be truly shocking would be if the optimism and confidence of Williams and Kingsbury became the norm, not only in Anniston, but throughout Calhoun County. That might not change any reality — optimism alone won't complete the Eastern Parkway — but it would brighten what's seen when we gaze into our civic mirror each morning.

Imagine that. Annistonians who are positive, who are can-doers.

Shocking, indeed. Welcomed, too.