Sometimes you just have to keep.going.
As Elisa mentioned, Birmingham had our Mayoral runoff election yesterday. She and I (and most if not all of our friends) supported the ever charming, well educated, free from past political baggage, hope for our small neck of the woods candidate Patrick Cooper. He represented change – turning away from the corruption and mediocrity that Birmingham has been so bogged down in for god knows how long. I met Mr. Cooper and his daughter one night at Bottletree; we spoke about Bici and I believed that, if Cooper was elected, at least we would begin a conversation about improving alternative transportation option. There was so much to believe in.
But alas, the majority of voters decided that they preferred more of the same rather than progress. William Bell, who’s been on and off the City Council since 1979, who has been continually involved in legal battles and investigations of corruption, and who was one of many who watched Larry Langford ruin our city while doing nothing, is our new mayor. Ho hum. To emphasize the general despondancy felt by my cohort, here’s some tweets from last night:
Welcome to Hell
This town is like a woman in an abusive relationship. wait….
I’m moving
Oh well. Time for another drink I guess
Eesh
At least it will be easy to change magic to tragic on all the signs
And a large amount of expletives better left to your imagination.
OK ENOUGH BEING ANGRY! Sometimes you just gotta get that stuff out, ya know? To relieve my depressed spirits, I rode by Forest Perk this morning on my way to work to grab a comforting cup o’ joe and shoot the shit with Elisa.
She was pretty happy to see me, I guess
Freddie and Whitey commiserated and encouraged each other
Riding makes everything better
Obviously, Elisa and I care about our city and truly believe that Birmingham has potential to be great. It’s just discouraging when one is regularly reminded that you cannot depend on those who are charged with protecting your city and fostering growth. As Elisa said, I intend to make my voice heard on issues pertaining to pedestrians and cyclists, regardless of who won. My methods might just end up being more…guerilla…than I originally hoped.
Time for another drink I guess. and chocolate. and kitty cuddles.
Thanks Sylvia!
Boo. But just think – in 4 years the country went from voting for W. to voting for Obama. There is hope.
Yes, we must ride through it all and not give up! Hope springs eternal!!
From those of us who have been trying to promote bikes and riding for several decades, you’ve got it right – there will always be setbacks and roadblocks, and the best thing to do is to ride on. Don’t forget to smile!
Sheesh.