Dear Editor:

Selma is a beautiful, historical landmark that has a lot of potential. Without the support of businesses and local residents, what do you think is going to happen to Selma? I can tell you, everything that we all have worked so hard for and all the beautiful sites are going to be gone. There will be no reason for tourists to come to our city because there will not be one.

As a citizen of Selma, and a local business owner, I am very concerned at what I am seeing. Every day if you will get out and ride around, you will see what I see. Out of town companies are here doing work that any local business could be performing. Do you really think people from Prattville, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, etc. are going to come here and shop? I don’t think so. It saddens me to sit back and watch this happen. All residents and business owners are paying taxes to help another city come here and take what belongs to us and leave us with nothing. They are taking our money back to their cities and building more businesses, better roads and better schools for their children.

Everyone needs to stop and think – if an out-of-town company can come here and beat local prices, there is a serious problem somewhere. Questions you need to ask are “Is this company licensed and insured?” “Is this a reputable company?” “Is this company coming back when I have a problem?” “Is this company using no. 1 materials or seconds?”

I can tell you from experience, one of the above questions will have the answer “No!” So stop and think; are you really saving enough money and jeopardizing what belongs to you by hiring this company?

Selma and Dallas County citizens – please stop and think what is happening to us. If we do not pull together, we will not be citizens of Selma and Dallas County because it is not going to be on the map. All of our pride, heritage and everything we believe in will be gone. I do not think there are any of you that want this to happen. I am begging each and every one of you to please think really hard when considering any decisions regarding any work and if planning to purchase any items to please do so in Selma because the people of Selma will be there for you when you need them.

Melinda Fancher

Selma