Passage may happen soon

Hold your breath just a little longer. By nightfall Tuesday, we should actually be able to relax again.

That's when we should learn about the passage of three legislative bills that are essential to our community's effort to land a major industry.

Don't celebrate just yet because anything can happen in the state Legislature, as we all know. But there is finally some hope after months of living on pins and needles.

It's been impossible to get a good feeling about those bills while the Senate has been making a mockery of state government. State Sen. Bobby Denton, D-Muscle Shoals, was persistent and managed to break through the quagmire in the Senate last week to push the bills through.

For those who don't know, two of the bills would give commissioners in Colbert and Lauderdale counties the authority to increase sales tax by a half-cent. The tax revenue is crucial in providing incentives to a Canadian boxcar company that likes Colbert County as a possible site for a new plant.

The third bill would create a committee to oversee all expenditures from that half-cent sales tax fund, giving many local residents a better feeling about how their money will be spent.

If the bills pass, the Shoals will be in a great position to land the new company, which plans to employ between 1,500 and 1,800 workers. The potential economic impact of that project speaks for itself.

It's scary to think how close the Senate came to killing the deal. While senators have fought over rules, about 1,500 or so good-paying jobs were hanging by a thread.

Some Republicans who have been a part of delay tactics aimed at shutting down the Senate have ridiculed Denton for not having the bills passed earlier. Some of the critics, however, will tell you privately that Denton was not the problem. In fact, he has tried to work with them to pass his legislation and others.

Denton is not the type to stand at the Senate microphone and yell at the other side. He has usually been able to work well with the other side.

Denton admitted Friday that he recognizes that two or three folks in leadership positions on the majority side contributed to the local bills being held hostage.

He added that, hopefully, lessons have been learned. I'm sure he was talking about the lesson of compromise. Politics is all about compromise and it will become even more important as the state evolves into a true two-party system.

Like Denton, I hope the lesson has been learned. I sure don't want to hold my breath for weeks next year when legislators return to work.

Mike Goens is the TimesDaily managing editor. He can be reached at 740-5740 or mike.goens@timesdaily.com.