Council provides glimpse of hope

There is an olive branch. And that olive branch came in the form of Demopolis City Councilman Mitchell Congress moving to place Conrad Murdock on the DCS Board of Education.

An issue that had divided the council for months, consistently drawing a 3-3 vote and even leading to an embarrassing walkout by two council members, has finally been put to bed.

And, thankfully, it seems that all four council members at Rooster Hall Thursday evening had a sense of optimism.

Congress said he wants to see the new administration start fresh and that he doesn’t want the legacy of the outgoing council to be one of discord, gridlock or contentiousness.

The citizens of Demopolis want to see their leaders work for the best interest of the community as a whole, not get caught up in petty disputes that amount to little more than political posturing.

The move by Congress came as a surprise after he had voted in favor of Freddie Armstead Jr. for the BOE seat for the last several months. But, it is nice to see the council provide the city with a good surprise for once.

Now, maybe we can all move forward. Maybe we can have a city council that does not spend months on the small stuff and can work together to tackle the big stuff and navigate Demopolis through the rough waters of economic difficulty and industrial change into a better, more prosperous state.

And for a city that has long been consumed with trying to progress without forgetting its roots, it is nice to see the proverbial olive branch of political progress extended in the heart of the Vine and Olive community.