SEMINOLE, Ala. — Responding to reports that there is dangerous traffic and drug activity in their community, four residents of Seminole spoke out saying that their community, like any other in the area, has problems but is basically a good place to live.

“We’re here and if someone in the community is sick, we have a benefit,” said Julia Ping. Ping, like much of her family, is active with the Seminole Volunteer Fire Department.

“This town lives together, plays together, and loves one another,” she said. “There’s hardly ever trouble.”

William A. Malone was born in Seminole 77 years ago in the back of his father’s store, Malone Grocery. He recalls a time when there was plenty of timber, the turpentine industry was booming, and his father’s store (he eventually took over the business) could keep dynamite out for people to remove stumps.

“We only closed the door to keep the chickens out,” he said.

Malone says the quiet community nestled along the Blackwater, Styx and Perdidio Rivers, has changed with the times, but the essentials have not changed.

Malone said, “We had electricity back in the 20s. There were batteries all around, and when they ran low, there was a big motor you powered up to charge them.”

Even more telling, is that Malone can remember receiving, “$10,000 to $15,000 in checks, and people didn’t give a bad check.”

While electricity comes through power lines now, Malone says he still keeps a portable generator that he lends out to friends in need.

A report in this paper about the “Seminole Initiative” and their activities raised Malone’s ire.

“We have little crime here,” said Malone. “There are speeding citations, but I don’t know of anyone arrested for drugs, nor robberies and rapes. There’s nothing major here.”

Robert Baker, ran an auto repair shop and moved to Seminole “around 1980.” Doll Helton used to live in Elsanor, but moved to Seminole about 15 years ago. Baker is quick to point out that he was active with the initiative but dropped out when as he said, “ … didn’t like the direction the group was going. It was obvious that the group was turning in a direction that was not helpful to Seminole.”

Chief among Baker’s complaints is that the ACT-II (the group sponsoring the Seminole Initiative) organization’s organizers “picked and chose” the questions that would be asked during a meeting. He says that the original aims of the group were positive, but he added that the group seemed to be focusing on the negative rather than the positive in the community.

“All our meetings are always open,” said Dan Hanson in a telephone interview. Hanson is a consultant for ACT-II.

As far as picking and choosing the questions, Michelle Kurtz, an organizer for ACT-II, said that several meetings were held to determine questions.

“The public meeting was in process for three months,” said Kurtz in a telephone interview. “We asked for input. We always wanted the door open.”

Another complaint is the scheduling of some meetings for early afternoon.

“Why don’t they schedule meetings when working people can come,“ asked Baker.

Kurtz said that that the scheduling of meetings happened by consensus that “at first no one (who attended the meetings) worked during the day,” and said that issue would be examined.

“All our meetings are open to all who share the values of the community,” Kurtz left in a note on an envelope that contained several agendas for meetings. The agendas showed the meetings for March 13, March 27, May 1, July 8, Aug. 26, and Sept. 16 took place at 7 p.m.

“They have been working away for about a year,” said Hanson. “We jut speak for ourselves. We never pretend to speak for the community.”

“Now it (the Initiative) is into everyone’s personal business,” said Helton. She blames the group for roiling tensions in the community.

“This was a nice and quiet area,” said Helton.

Ping still thinks the community has great spirit.

“I have been a (school) bus driver for 30 years,” said Ping. “There hardly ever trouble with the kids. Everybody here gave money to buy blocks for the fire department. This is a great little community.”