Replies

I'l like to make a promise to post that opinion. However, this is the second time the county has promised this "simple" explanation. The county has a two year track record of making statements and refusing to put anything in writting.

The two families involved belive that one of the reasons they haven't been able to build upon their land is the Land Trust of North Alabama and Huntsville. There is reason to belive that one of the attorneys advising the county on this matter is a member of the board of this land trust. The first property listed for "preservation" is Hale Mountain where this property is located. So you have an attorney for the county advising the county commissioners not to allow development on a piece of property the Land Trust on which he is a board member wants to aquire. One might think this is a conflict of interest.

This land trust has taken the mission of "preserving land in it's natural state" and combating "sprawl". I've attached a link to their "greenprint for growth". You'll find it's filled with the usual environmentalist call to limit property rights and growth. Here's the link:

http://www.landtrust-hsv.org/greenprint_for_growth.htm

I wouldn't be posting this on FreeRepublic were it a simple matter of a dispute over house numbers. This is nothing more than an attempt by a group of environmentalists to limit property rights in the interest of protecting the environment.

There is reason to belive that one of the attorneys advising the county on this matter is a member of the board of this land trust.

If he has disclosed the conflict to both the Trust and to the County, and they have granted waivers, he is probably in the clear on the ethics issues.

I saw on a response to someone else you indicated that the names matched. If you haven't done so, you can check here
http://www.alabar.org/directory/dirSearch.cfm
to see if there are other lawyers by that name in the state.

One final point - have they tried to get a Tennessee address? I know of one case of a man living near a state line who had his address in one state, but actually resided in an adjacent state. It caused minor legal complications, but nothing that couldn't be dealt with.