Author: howell

We can certainly all agree that Fairhope’s Domestic Poultry Ordinance is a great thing. So, imagine my excitement when I found out that there is also a Mobile Bay Area Backyard Chicken Club (MBABYCC), with almost four thousand members. Seeking the club’s endorsement, I called the founder of the club, Ed Williamson. Alas, they do not endorse political candidates. We had an enjoyable conversation nonetheless, in which I learned the history of the club, and of the issues most pressing to the club’s members. While it’s true that my platform lacks a Rooster plank, I promise to always do what’s best for the fowl of Fairhope. MBABYCC will have a friend in me on the Council, and I will fight tooth and nail to defend our poultry ordinance from any threat.

(full disclosure) There are no chickens in our backyard, which I suppose does make me a backyard chicken wannabe. When we moved back to this house a few years ago, a proposal to build a backyard chicken coop was put before the family for a vote. I voted yes, the dog and cat voted enthusiastically yes, but sadly our side lost 3 to 1. (We use a weighted voting system in our family).

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Morale at the library feels pretty low. The librarian and staff are dedicated public servants. None of them are getting rich. Being in the spotlight and insecurity about funding is without a doubt taking its toll. Be sure to thank them the next time you’re in there, and if you’ve never been, go. It’s a great hangout.

I don’t want to see inappropriate or even controversial books in our Public Library. I’ve been called a prude before and I can accept that. But it shouldn’t be up to me or the City Council to decide which books the library holds, we have a library board and a librarian for that. The way that the system is supposed to work is that the good citizens of Fairhope elect a City Council and a Mayor whose philosophy and outlook line up more or less with that of the town, and then those officials choose a library board, whose philosophy and outlook lines up more or less with that of the town, and then the library board chooses a librarian, whose philosophy and outlook lines up more or less with that of the town, and then the librarian runs the library as he or she sees fit. And the good citizens of Fairhope can go about their business, safe in the knowledge that the wishes of most of the people are being respected most of the time… mostly.

We are where we are because that system broke down. No citizen should have to go to Montgomery to seek redress for such a local issue. The library board and the Council should not be so tone deaf that a hundred people need to crowd the chambers and yell at each other.

Which brings me to the bigger issue.

I DO NOT WANT TO SEE FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA IN THE NATIONAL NEWS.

It’s clear that some of the crusaders in this battle would be thrilled to go on Tucker Carlson or Rachel Maddow.

I wish they would just go sit in the car and let us settle our differences respectfully and quietly.

More to come…

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Working at the machine shop here was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done. It was dirty and noisy, boiling hot in summer and freezing cold in winter, but there are few jobs I’ve ever loved more. When I started I told Mark, the owner, “I can’t believe this job exists. I thought that all of these jobs had gone to China, or were being done by robots, or were being done by robots in China.” Small manufacturers should not be a dying breed, they should be an integral part of our identity as well as our economy. My Aunt Brenda in Thibodaux still talks about driving all the way to Fairhope with my Uncle Dick to pick out a grandfather clock.

All of our businesses need our support, from the Professional Buildings to the really great breakfast places. For my part, I plan to look out for those that make things, and teach young people the joy and satisfaction that comes at the end of a hard day’s work.

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This is my corner, and I remember it looking pretty much the same my whole life. But now it has changed, the trees are all gone, and they have stayed gone since before I ran for Council last time. This was what made me get up the nerve to run for Council last time.

Shame on the people that came here from another state just to do this. Shame on the real estate agent that didn’t steer them towards some nice, well-drained farmland and turn them away from an old, established leafy neighborhood. Shame on the architects and contractors who have never said “No” to a client.

But “Thank you Sir, and God bless you” to the guy with the chainsaw on the boom truck who told my wife, “I tried to talk them out of cutting down that big live oak”. While the stripping of this lot was going on, Fred Jordan, my 94 year old neighbor, said to me, “Howell, tell those people that I shed a tear for every branch that is being cut on each one of those live oaks”.

We have a Tree Committee, what do they do? If you want to see the picture of how it used to look, click here. If you don’t want this to happen in your neighborhood, vote for me.

(By the way, Fred had a bad fall on Monday. Please, please pray for his recovery and then pray a little more. Fred is the best, and we all love him)

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I like her. She called me a couple of weeks ago and said that she was offering a meeting and an introduction to each of the City Council candidates. Our sit down was cordial and brief, and she came across as someone with good common sense, someone who would be easy to work with. If I am fortunate enough to win the voters’ trust next month, I have confidence that Sherry would listen to their thoughts and concerns, and do her best to act on them. Speaking of winning, I was running some numbers this morning and I’m really not that much of a long shot. If I recall correctly, I got about 38% of the vote last time. I had never run for anything, not even dogcatcher, before then. That election in 2020 had a huge turnout, almost entirely because of the Mayor’s race, which people had very strong feelings about. This time the Mayor is unopposed. So, if the turnout drops back down to the average, and if I can hang on every vote I got last time, plus pick up a few more, I’ll win. It’s not going to be easy, and I’ll take all the help I can get, but I’ll keep slugging.

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The big spherical sundial behind the library is pointing the wrong way. It points West instead of North. We are in the middle of a heated controversy about some books inside the library that are believed to be pointing the wrong way, but the sundial bothers me more. I will have plenty to say about the inappropriate book brouhaha soon, in the meantime we need to recognize a perfect metaphor when we see it.The sundial looks very scientific and cool. It certainly must have cost a lot, but it doesn’t even work. It honestly doesn’t know what time it is. Libraries have always been trusted to be centers of knowledge and learning, science and wisdom. That’s exactly the kind of place we deserve and what I want ours to be. We can start by fixing the sundial.

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Five years ago I ran for City Council because I didn’t like the rate of change in our town. My slogan then was “Let’s Slow Down”. Today the problem is the same and so is my slogan. There are plenty of families like mine in Fairhope who live in modest 800 or 1200 square foot houses. These citizens need a voice. There are also quite a few people here who don’t like having to live in one of the fastest growing cities in Alabama, and who believe that “If you’re not growing, you’re dying” is nothing but a worn-out phrase made famous by Tony Robbins. That cliché has no relevance for a small town with a rich history, character and charm. Some say that slowing our growth is hard, and that pushing back against powerful, well funded interests will take enormous will and determination. Our little town is worth such effort.

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My name is Howell Gibbens and I am running for Fairhope City Council Place 4. I was born in New Orleans in 1965; my parents met at LSU. We moved to Fairhope in 1978, and into our current house in the Fruit and Nut in 1980. Since then, I’ve had a long and successful career as a motion picture sound designer; I rode an R1200GS motorcycle solo from Tokyo to London via Rome; and I spent the last few years working as a manual machinist at Marine Exhaust Systems of Alabama on Nichols. As of May 2024, I’ve been a stay-at-home dad. My wife, Olga, works in Mobile doing IT. We attend St. Lawrence Catholic Church.

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