In my job as Managing Editor for Gulf Coast Media, I find myself attending more public meetings every month than any sane person should ever be forced to attend.

City councils, county commission meetings, school board, town halls, planning commissions, public forums – you name it, I’ve likely covered it, probably just in the last month.

If I’m completely honest, and I try to be with you dear readers, those meetings can often be incredibly tedious and boring to the point that I want to find a window to fling myself out of just to end the tedium.

However, every once and while, you overhear elected officials talking about things that do pique your interest, nonsensical though it might be.

Some of you might be alarmed to find out that there has been a story we’ve been sitting on here at the office for several months, one that involves elected officials and the county and city levels, the judiciary and, believe it or not, livestock.

It seems that a few months ago before the new Spanish Fort Community Center opened, Baldwin County Commissioner Chris Elliott had a conversation with Spanish Fort Mayor Mike McMillan about the upkeep of some of the center’s amenities, namely a grass-covered island at the center of a man-made water feature.

Elliott questioned how the city planned to cut the grass on the island and was quickly informed that a city worker would put a mower in a rowboat and row out to the island to solve the problem.

Elliott didn’t think much more about it, until an idea formed in his head that he might play a joke on his dear friend McMillan.

Elliott borrowed a goat from the Honorable Judge Scott Taylor and set out in the dead of night to the complex.

After allegedly being caught and stopped by a Spanish Fort police officer, who saw a caged goat and a county commissioner and thought it best to move along, Elliott got in the rowboat and let the goat out on the island.

The next day was Sunday and the weather was due to be fine, so he thought the mayor and city workers would get a pleasant surprise once they got to work the following Monday.

Little did Elliott know that the city had already scheduled to have one of the local TV stations do a walk-through of the grounds for a report on the facility’s completion, and as Mayor McMillan walked them back to the lake, they found the goat, in all its glory.

Quick thinker that he is, McMillan quietly excused himself and placed a phone call directly to Elliott to inform him as to what happened, so the commissioner found himself having to drive back over there and try to force the goat back into a cage it didn’t want to go in and then row back to his car – all under the watchful gaze of a TV news crew.

While the story would be amusing enough if it ended there, we flash forward to a county commission meeting where I couldn’t help but notice Spanish Fort Police Chief David Edgar sitting in the back of the commission chamber for the entire meeting.

Following the conclusion, he stands up and makes a beeline for Elliott, hands him a piece of paper and immediately walks out of the room.

We could see the look of confusion settle over Elliott’s face as he reads the document, followed by an “Is this serious?”

Come to find out, Edgar had served Elliott with a summons to come before the Spanish Fort Municipal Court for his actions that day – a move Elliott had not seen coming.

Through thorough investigation by the part of the county attorney, the document was proved to be an amusing forgery of an actual court summons, but for a few moments there, Elliott was on the hot seat.

And, instead of being helpful and sympathetic, several commission members and yours truly were incapable of doing anything other than laughing.

Never let it be said that politicians aren’t amusing people, and I thank Elliott and McMillan for allowing me to share this particular tale with all of you.

Cliff McCollum is managing editor of Gulf Coast Media. He can be reached at cliff@gulfcoastmedia.com.