TALLADEGA — Last month during a joint meeting, the City Council and the Board of Education identified “negative perceptions” of the city’s public institutions as one of the major factors that needs to be addressed to move the city forward.While there is no argument that improving the city’s public image is a good thing, it is also necessary to address where some of those negative images may have come from in the first place.
And it seems there is plenty of blame to go around.
From city leaders:
Sue Horn worked for the city of Talladega for about 20 years, beginning her public service as the first chairwoman of the Civil Service Board in 1987 and retiring as city manager last month.
"We all have heard that perception is reality," Horn said. "The reality is that we are perceived as negative because that is what we advertise and place at the forefront."
Conversely, there is also a danger in the tendency of some political figures to be unduly positive for fear "of backlash for what might be perceived as negative comments. Naturally, we need to be positive and project a positive outlook, but we also need to be realistic,” she said.
“A number of officials and people who are responsible for promoting ‘Talladega’ and its assets do not have their finger on the pulse of the city. Problems have to be identified and solutions outlined. There has to be a care factor. It is important that those in responsible positions know its citizenry and understand the needs and problems facing our city and its citizens.
“… Over the many years I worked with the city, one of the biggest problems I have seen is what I call the ostrich syndrome. We seem to have a tendency to put our heads in the sand and hope problems go away. They don’t. They just get worse. We talk about the problems; we hold meetings and discussions; and then it gets put on the back burner. Then, a year or so later, we discuss the same problems.
“Talladega has a lot of very knowledgeable citizens and we should be picking their brains and listening,” she said.
Council President Horace Patterson is currently the longest serving member of that body, and prior to that he served on the city Board of Education.
“We as a board and as a council have made some decisions in the past that do not seem to be in our best interest,” Patterson said. “Criticism of our schools for lacking academic excellence, for instance, is very unfair. But the system has made mistakes in how it has dealt with the public. We need to find ways to prize the individual. Unfortunately, some people are more concerned with protecting the status quo than with improving the way we are perceived.
“And some people are more concerned with preventing a negative impact on our employees than with actually creating a positive impact on our employees and on our students. But you can’t go forward if you’re constantly looking back and criticizing every new idea. We need to find ways to maintain the best of the past while reaching for the best of the future.”
Mayor Brian York also cited fear of change as a major factor.
“There are many factors, in my opinion, as to why Talladega is sometimes perceived in a negative light,” he said. “I believe our main problem is a negative attitude among the people of Talladega. I hear on a regular basis ‘we can't’ or ‘it won't work’ when talking about new ideas. We need to be more open to new ideas. (We need to) use ideas that have worked in other towns similar to ours and see if they work (here).”
The city’s appearance is also a factor.
“We need to educate people about littering,” York said. “Littering is a sign that people that live here don't care about living here. We need to make sure that our schools are more presentable on the outside. We need to make sure our school and city athletic facilities are up to date. People that want to move here look at these areas. We have a good town with hard working people. We can become a great city again with the help of everyone.”
Heidi Edwards, Greater Talladega Area Chamber of Commerce executive director, said, in her experience, people in Talladega perceive the city much more negatively than those living in other areas.
“The negative image comes more from ourselves than it does from the outside,” she said. “You know, people do tend to be a lot more critical of themselves sometimes. I know of several outside agencies that I work with regularly that are actually jealous of Talladega.
“My area is the northern end of Talladega County, and people are seeing a lot of growth there in the last 10 years. People see the housing starts, they see houses selling better in the north end of the county, which means more people moving here and more people buying things.”
Even when Lincoln and the other areas are factored out, the housing market in the city of Talladega is still healthy, according to Edwards — so is the rest of the economy.
“Look at the subdivision Dan Waites built. I believe all of those houses have sold now,” she said. “And when you look around in the city, you see more business growth, more reinvestment, especially in the last year or so. Existing vacant buildings are being filled, and I can assure you that we are working daily to promote this city in every way possible.
“I thought we had turned a corner in promoting ourselves, trying to take pride and let people know what kind of population we have here. People here really do have that true Southern spirit. I’ve lived here for 40 years, and I love Talladega and the people in this community. I only want to see us grow.”
Schools Superintendent Dr. Joanne Horton said she hadn’t been in Talladega long enough to address the roots of the common negative atmosphere.
“I lived here in the late 1990s, but I was working as an assistant principal and then acting principal in Pell City, so I didn’t have a lot of contact with people in Talladega back then. But since I have been here, I’ve been asking myself the same questions about why people have these negative perceptions.
“In particular, people seem to have the wrong ideas about Zora Ellis Junior High School and Talladega High School. Have they visited these schools, have they spoken with the principals? (Zora Ellis principal) Mr. (Scott) Bailey has invited everyone to come visit the school, and (THS principal) Mr. (Darren) Douthitt holds a freshman orientation for parents and students every year.”
Still, Horton said, “We do need to do more to make people aware of some of the excellent programs we do have. (THS band director) Mr. (Davis) McDaniel has won all kinds of awards, and the ‘Dega Darlings are about to perform at Vanderbilt. So I think if we could publicize some of these positive things a little better, that would probably help turn things around.”
Horton also praised the “wonderful, caring teachers and students both who worked to help seniors pass the graduation exam. We also hosted a really outstanding career fair with about 40 to 50 different people representing their professions. We had everything from an attorney to a meteorologist to a Mary Kay saleswoman. And our counselors recently went through training on the Moving On Connect Education Program, which assists students with the transition from high school to university. We have all kinds of programs like that.”
She added she was puzzled by parents opting to send their children to private school.
“If you’re a parent without any personal knowledge of the system, why are you going to spend your money when your children could have just as good an education for free?” she said. “If there are things you don’t like, work together with us to make it better. Visit our schools, come to our activities, see what we have to offer. My door is always open.
“Sure, we have some problems, but all schools do. This is a good system.”
While there is no argument that improving the city’s public image is a good thing, it is also necessary to address where some of those negative images may have come from in the first place.
And it seems there is plenty of blame to go around.
From city leaders:
Sue Horn worked for the city of Talladega for about 20 years, beginning her public service as the first chairwoman of the Civil Service Board in 1987 and retiring as city manager last month.
"We all have heard that perception is reality," Horn said. "The reality is that we are perceived as negative because that is what we advertise and place at the forefront."
Conversely, there is also a danger in the tendency of some political figures to be unduly positive for fear "of backlash for what might be perceived as negative comments. Naturally, we need to be positive and project a positive outlook, but we also need to be realistic,” she said.
“A number of officials and people who are responsible for promoting ‘Talladega’ and its assets do not have their finger on the pulse of the city. Problems have to be identified and solutions outlined. There has to be a care factor. It is important that those in responsible positions know its citizenry and understand the needs and problems facing our city and its citizens.
“… Over the many years I worked with the city, one of the biggest problems I have seen is what I call the ostrich syndrome. We seem to have a tendency to put our heads in the sand and hope problems go away. They don’t. They just get worse. We talk about the problems; we hold meetings and discussions; and then it gets put on the back burner. Then, a year or so later, we discuss the same problems.
“Talladega has a lot of very knowledgeable citizens and we should be picking their brains and listening,” she said.
Council President Horace Patterson is currently the longest serving member of that body, and prior to that he served on the city Board of Education.
“We as a board and as a council have made some decisions in the past that do not seem to be in our best interest,” Patterson said. “Criticism of our schools for lacking academic excellence, for instance, is very unfair. But the system has made mistakes in how it has dealt with the public. We need to find ways to prize the individual. Unfortunately, some people are more concerned with protecting the status quo than with improving the way we are perceived.
“And some people are more concerned with preventing a negative impact on our employees than with actually creating a positive impact on our employees and on our students. But you can’t go forward if you’re constantly looking back and criticizing every new idea. We need to find ways to maintain the best of the past while reaching for the best of the future.”
Mayor Brian York also cited fear of change as a major factor.
“There are many factors, in my opinion, as to why Talladega is sometimes perceived in a negative light,” he said. “I believe our main problem is a negative attitude among the people of Talladega. I hear on a regular basis ‘we can't’ or ‘it won't work’ when talking about new ideas. We need to be more open to new ideas. (We need to) use ideas that have worked in other towns similar to ours and see if they work (here).”
The city’s appearance is also a factor.
“We need to educate people about littering,” York said. “Littering is a sign that people that live here don't care about living here. We need to make sure that our schools are more presentable on the outside. We need to make sure our school and city athletic facilities are up to date. People that want to move here look at these areas. We have a good town with hard working people. We can become a great city again with the help of everyone.”
Heidi Edwards, Greater Talladega Area Chamber of Commerce executive director, said, in her experience, people in Talladega perceive the city much more negatively than those living in other areas.
“The negative image comes more from ourselves than it does from the outside,” she said. “You know, people do tend to be a lot more critical of themselves sometimes. I know of several outside agencies that I work with regularly that are actually jealous of Talladega.
“My area is the northern end of Talladega County, and people are seeing a lot of growth there in the last 10 years. People see the housing starts, they see houses selling better in the north end of the county, which means more people moving here and more people buying things.”
Even when Lincoln and the other areas are factored out, the housing market in the city of Talladega is still healthy, according to Edwards — so is the rest of the economy.
“Look at the subdivision Dan Waites built. I believe all of those houses have sold now,” she said. “And when you look around in the city, you see more business growth, more reinvestment, especially in the last year or so. Existing vacant buildings are being filled, and I can assure you that we are working daily to promote this city in every way possible.
“I thought we had turned a corner in promoting ourselves, trying to take pride and let people know what kind of population we have here. People here really do have that true Southern spirit. I’ve lived here for 40 years, and I love Talladega and the people in this community. I only want to see us grow.”
Schools Superintendent Dr. Joanne Horton said she hadn’t been in Talladega long enough to address the roots of the common negative atmosphere.
“I lived here in the late 1990s, but I was working as an assistant principal and then acting principal in Pell City, so I didn’t have a lot of contact with people in Talladega back then. But since I have been here, I’ve been asking myself the same questions about why people have these negative perceptions.
“In particular, people seem to have the wrong ideas about Zora Ellis Junior High School and Talladega High School. Have they visited these schools, have they spoken with the principals? (Zora Ellis principal) Mr. (Scott) Bailey has invited everyone to come visit the school, and (THS principal) Mr. (Darren) Douthitt holds a freshman orientation for parents and students every year.”
Still, Horton said, “We do need to do more to make people aware of some of the excellent programs we do have. (THS band director) Mr. (Davis) McDaniel has won all kinds of awards, and the ‘Dega Darlings are about to perform at Vanderbilt. So I think if we could publicize some of these positive things a little better, that would probably help turn things around.”
Horton also praised the “wonderful, caring teachers and students both who worked to help seniors pass the graduation exam. We also hosted a really outstanding career fair with about 40 to 50 different people representing their professions. We had everything from an attorney to a meteorologist to a Mary Kay saleswoman. And our counselors recently went through training on the Moving On Connect Education Program, which assists students with the transition from high school to university. We have all kinds of programs like that.”
She added she was puzzled by parents opting to send their children to private school.
“If you’re a parent without any personal knowledge of the system, why are you going to spend your money when your children could have just as good an education for free?” she said. “If there are things you don’t like, work together with us to make it better. Visit our schools, come to our activities, see what we have to offer. My door is always open.
“Sure, we have some problems, but all schools do. This is a good system.”
