I can only Imagine

   I can only imagine what’s going on in heaven right now. The angels are probably doing last minute tune ups for the Praise and Worship session tomorrow. Abraham, Moses, and many other Prophets are preparing their sermons. All of our beloved dead in Christ are as edgy as if preparing for their first High School football game or Beauty Pageant. All of this is going on in preparation for what must be an event that I can’t even put words too. Tomorrow is the Birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

   Throughout my lifetime I have had many wonderful Christmas days. My parents were never wealthy but somehow they always managed to get me the one thing that I wanted most each year. That sacrifice by them led to much joy for me. My family has always lived in or near Gardendale so we all got together every Christmas. These things plus the warmth, safety, comfort, and love my parents gave to us made Christmas very special. 

   This year for the very first time I will wake up and not ask Katie what she has gotten or be able to see the joy on her face as she opens her presents. I will not have her, Andrew, and Jackson streaming into the room in a line with a present behind their backs for me to open. That is something she made happen each year. I will wake up tomorrow and not see what in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful faces in the world on Christmas day. But that’s okay. 

   You see, many of you have called, E-mailed, or came by to say, “we are praying for you”. My heavenly Father has heard those prayers and let me know that in no uncertain terms that Katie Burkett is experiencing that very thing that was mentioned in the first paragraph of this blog. I am in awe of the fact that she will be celebrating her first Christmas with the King of Kings. She will be hearing music that would make Celine Dion sound bad. She will see beauty that I cannot even imagine. But most importantly she will be shown more love than I could ever show her here. God loves her that much. 

   Last year on Dec. 24^th, I would have never thought that I would be here without her. I learned on July 20^th that God has his time frame and plan and it doesn’t necessarily go along with mine. I also learned that he will not give us anything that we can’t handle. With that being said I would like to offer these words of advice. Please understand that I am not trying to be a know-it-all, just trying to give from my life experience. Love your children like there is no tomorrow. Love their mother. Most importantly, please do all you can to lead them to Christ. That is the only thing that makes it possible for me to be happy, and guys I really am happy about what she is experiencing. Our God is an awesome God and he will never forsake us. God bless each one of you and I hope you have a very merry Christmas 

Yours In Christ

Mike “Buckett” Burkett

Merry Christmas

     I would like to take a moment and say Merry Christmas to each one of you that read this blog from time to time. You guys have been witness to change in a man and his family that was brought on by tragedy and the circumstances around it. While most of my blogs have been centered on my emotions and feelings in the absence of my daughter, this one will be about our whole family. 

   We have grown closer to one another because from the beginning we had to lean on each other to make it day to day. It became clear to us that there were no guarantees of tomorrow for any of one of us personally or as family members. That in a blink of an eye our world could change. That realization has made it where there are fewer arguments over petty things. We are also spending much more time with one another and focusing on the good. We have been very blessed to all live close together. Where before I was somewhat reluctant to do all the running that we had to do to fit everyone in, this year I am looking forward to it. 

  I have often wondered how marriages survive after the death of a child. I am glad to say that Shelley and I are as close now as we have ever been. She was with me at a moment that was as close to a nightmare as one can imagine. She was my Rock and let me know that in no uncertain terms that we were going to get thru it. She has been an angel to me when I have needed love and a drill instructor when I have needed a kick in the pants. She has been doing all of this and at the same time being pregnant with Jamison. 

  Andrew is dealing with the loss of Katie from Day to Day just like I am. Buggs was the one constant in his life because Tynette and I divorced when he was very young. We have a new friend in our life named Jamon Grubbs. He is helping Andrew understand that its ok that he doesn’t understand what happened to KK. He looks forward to spending time with Jamon and according to Andrew, “Schooling him at X-Box”. Jamon, you are an Angel in that big ole 300lb body and I thank God you’re at GFBC. 

   Jackson has the best outlook of all of us. He misses Katie but thinks its good that she is with Jesus in heaven. In his own simple way he knows that it is all of our ultimate goal and he trust God to know that KK is in good hands. It kind of makes me jealous because I know that I should look at it in the same way he does. I am selfish and can’t get past the earthly side of me missing her. 

  All of the Burkett’s say thank you to all of you that have supported us. Please continue to pray for us because the hurt is still there. We will do all we can to remember that Katie Burkett is having her very first Christmas with the King of Kings and what an awesome thing that must be. We also hope all of you have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. 

Mike “Buckett” Burkett

Merry Christmas

  Christmas will have a whole new meaning at the Burkett household this year. The loss of Katie and my 1^st Christmas without her in 18 years will definitely be challenging. There were many things that made Christmas such a very special time of year for the 2 of us. I am left here to continue traditions that have been a piece of our tradition for many years. While I struggle to cope with the selfishness of wishing she was here, I am going to make myself remember what she is enjoying during this very special time. 

  Our whole family would gather in the Living room on Dec. 23 and take the time to watch Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. As the years went on many of our group quit doing it but Katie and I continued the tradition. Last year in an ironic twist of fate Buggs had Katie Mitchell come and spend the night with us and watch it. She took some pictures of our event last year so on the 23^rd this year we are all gonna pile in the living room floor and take out those pictures and carry on our little tradition. 

  Katie was going to get a car this Christmas. We were going to break down and get her a new one to drive back and forth to Alabama. I can almost guarantee you that she would have ask for a Sugar Bowl ticket. She was not only a fan but she knows Alabama tradition as well. She knows how many important games Alabama has played in the Sugar Bowl. We have spent lots of evenings watching the Ala. Vs. Miami 1992 game. 

  Our time this Christmas will be getting together and talking about KK a good bit I am sure. However, I am going to spend a lot of time playing with Jack and Andrew and whatever they get this year. I am going to spend time with my Grandparents. I have never mentioned it before but my faith has been directly affected by them. I owe them much. I will also make sure that my parents know how very much I love and appreciate them. When you go thru something like what we have had to endure this year, Knowing that unconditional love that your parents have for you will help get you thru. 

  I can’t bring up the topic of unconditional love without saying one more time how much I know God loves me. My daughter left earth to go to heaven on July 20. I know this because the two of us had many conversations about her faith. Was she perfect? No, but she was a Christian and loves the Lord very much. I know where she is because as I have stated before my heavenly Father spoke to me on that Interstate and told me it was OK to let her come to her Father. He did that for 1 reason, to allow me to get thru this. To let me know that Katie is safe in his kingdom and he wanted to make my pain as easy as possible. You see, he knows of the pain that I have because he watched his son die a horrible death on the cross. He actually sent his son to do that for Katie,  For me, and everyone else that would have him as their Lord and Savior.  If you have not accepted him as your personal Savior, My prayer for you is that you would find someone to explain the Gospel to you or go in the bible and read John Chapter 3. Nobody knows for sure when their July 20^th will be, but I am oh so very thankful that Katie was ready. 

Yours In Christ

Mike “ Buckett” Burkett

What an Incredible witness

I have not had the will or words to Blog in the last few weeks. Facing the holidays as well as finally having to deal with Katie's passing on my own, I have been confused, Down, sad, and just wondering how I can continue with the pain I have in my heart. Satan has attacked me on many fronts and while I know Katie will be spending the most incredible Christmas imaginable in the presence Of our Lord, I miss her more with each passing day. I have found myself crying more times than not. Out of the blue, a message from someone who knows pain that I cant even imagine, comes by E-mail. I thought I would share this with you guys. This is a message from Siran Stacey after I sent him an E-mail saying that I was praying for him on the anniversary of their accident.

Indeed its a brotherhood that no one wants to be a part of, or should have to endure. You know thats what we really do. We endure it, I don't know or limit what God can do, yet I feel I will never be able to get over this. Its something that lives with me on a continual daily basis...I endure and Trust God...On June 5 of this year, (My 2 yr old birthday) I broke, I went to the cemetery where they were buried and just laid there crying and suffering...It was midnight when I got there and I did not leave until 2-3 hours later...I ask God to take away this suffering, I could not endure it any longer, I hated my life, I groaned for death...I kept seeing my 2 yr old baby in that casket... when I left, I went to my mother house, woke her up, yet there was nothing she could do for me, I left her house and eventually made it home where I continue to be in a time-warp state of mind... I finally pass out. I awoke the next day, and just was weak, and a word from The Lord came to me...The Apostle Paul story of him asking God to remove the thorn out of his flesh came to me, God said he would not remove it, yet "My Grace is Suffient for Thee" I got my answer Mike, God was showing me I would always live with this pain, yet His Grace will be more than enough to carry me through the fire.

And That's my walk now,  I know the heart of a man that has lost his daughter through tragedy, yet We cannot let their lives be in vain, We cannot just say " I quit" I have never met your daughter, yet My spirit tells me She loved her dad very much, and was very thankful of his Love...She wants her Dad to continue being Dad, not some Lost man, who have bought into The Sick Lies of Satan...

I Love you my brother, I humbly thank you for your prayers and words of encouragements

To God be all The Glory

Siran Stacy

Our God Is An Awesome God

QUARTERBACKS ARE CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE FOR TEAM


When the whistle blows on the final Brandon High School football game
and the statistics have recorded the efforts of players, there will be
one stat not written in a book. The leadership, ministry and devotion by quarterbacks Joe Barnes and Caleb Jett will instead leave indelible marks in the lives of those

they influenced both on and off the field.

Both Barnes and Jett said they could never have imagined what God did
this year because they began the year as rivals vying for the starting
quarterback position. The two said they believe God did great work when He broke down the
walls between them and forged them together as best friends and
partners in ministry.

Jett had just moved to Brandon in March because his father David was
appointed senior pastor at Crossgates Baptist Church. Barnes and his
family had attended the church for many years. Both men had heard
rumors of the other but neither wanted a friendship. The transformation happened April 30 while attending a Sunday school cookout."God showed up that day and people were being set free from bondages and sin, and I felt God was pulling at me. I finally broke down in
tears and I knew it was time for me to follow God completely," said Barnes.

"I wasn't supposed to be there that day but I got invited. We were
praying for someone else and I kept getting these looks from Thomas,
the leader. It was like God was looking at me through him. God spoke
to me and it was like I let go of everything," said Jett.

Following the prayer time, the two rivals were left alone to talk it out.

"We both knew that God put us together that day and we agreed to
follow whatever God said. That was the day I met my best friend," said
Barnes.

Jett said the two began praying and ministering at church, at school
and in the locker room."When God brings Joe and I together to minister it's like we just
don't even care what happens or what people think, because we just
want people to step up and be warriors for Christ," said Jett.

On the football field, the two friends share the job as quarterback.
Coach Dan Davis said both Barnes and Jett are great competitors who
always put the team first."I am just so impressed with the way they have their priorities lined
up. It has been an honor and privilege to coach them. They have both
talent and character. I believe when you put those traits together
with a strong faith in God, then there is not any obstacle they have
to fear. I love and respect both of them," said Davis.

Fellow player Seth Power admires Barnes and Jett for taking a stand in
a difficult setting like a high school locker room."I think it took a lot of leadership and guts to talk about God in the locker room and at school. It has made a difference in the lives of
several people," said Power. Senior player Kody Johnson noticed the change in Joe's life."It was time for me to change the way I was living. I just neverrealized how many lives we would impact by the way we live," Johnson said.

Barnes and Jett said their friendship has helped weather the losses on
the field. "After we lost a game I wanted to hang my head, but Caleb was there to
encourage me to keep my eyes on Christ and to remember that I have
God's approval and I don't have to have the approval of others," said
Barnes.

The friends lead a Bible study for the football team, but they want to
give words of encouragement to all students."Don't waste your high school years, but get up each day and be ready to do God's will for your life," said Jett. "Being a Christian is about giving up your life to God and then living to seek His will. It is really about dying to self," said Barnes.

God is Good

              Please forgive me if my last post was a little bit sappy and out of place. I was going through a bad moment and heard that it’s sometimes good to write someone you are missing a letter. I tried that and for a little while it worked. I wanted to take a minute and clarify a couple of things that maybe got misunderstood in my letter to Buggs. 

  I am not mad about the situation our family is in with the passing of Katie. I do not understand our Lords plan in all of this but that really doesn’t matter. My issue is that I miss my daughter and if I knew Gods plan it would not make me miss her any less. Everything we go through right now reminds us of her and what she would be doing during her senior year. The things the two of us shared during this time of year like football and holidays were very special to KK and I. 

  Our Heavenly Father is not punishing us for things we have done. He is not taking payment for sin or anything else in her life. From a spiritual standpoint God is rewarding Katie for a job well done here on earth. I know my baby heard “well done my good and faithful servant “on July 20, 2008 sometime around 10:35 am. While her stay here on earth was short in our eyes, comparatively to what God has planned for us, all of our stays on earth are short. She made a lifetime in her short 17 years. She never walked away from a challenge or never met someone she didn’t know. She laughed, cried, walked, ran, won beauty pageants, lost beauty pageants, stripe fished, Hunted, and did many more things. 

  God’s blessings have rained down on this family since that day. We have found new friends, grown closer to old ones, gotten a new perspective on the importance of worldly things and most importantly learned to take every moment God gives us. I am quick to read a book or play a game with Jackson or Andrew when before I might look for reasons not to. My boss is going to hate me but the after hours meetings and giving time to customers after work has ended. They are important to my livelihood but not my family life. 

  I would like to encourage all of you that think we have been let down or how God could let something like this happen to someone like Katie, to read what the Bible says about heaven. Katie was not punished by God. He was not asleep at the wheel. This was not a punishment. It didn’t just happen from Bad luck. God knew before KK took her first breath when she would take her last one. He knew that the vehicle she was riding in was going to flip and land on her side no matter what side of the car she was sitting on. The only thing he didn’t have a hand in was that when she was a teenager she was going to make a choice that Jesus was her Lord and Savior. That she was going to live for him and the Glory of his kingdom. That her ultimate goal was to somehow glorify God. I think she got acknowledgement that she reached that Goal on July 20^th when he said those seven little words to her in heaven. 

  Daddy loves you baby. Congratulations on a job well done.

update

               It has been three months since you left. I find I am missing you more each and every day. People have told me that time would make it easier, but that just hasn’t been true. There have been many things going on since the worst day of my life. Your Rockets are 3-4. Bama is on an incredible tear. Blakely got Homecoming Queen. We are all making it through the day any way we can. 

   You would be so proud of the GHS football team. They have taken the fight to everyone they have played. There has been no evidence of backing down or being intimidated by anyone. Conner has played well and Trey has been amazing. Timothy, Bobby, and Lawson are making plays all over the field. When we won our first game against Oak Mountain, the players and cheerleaders all ran over to the band. They were dancing and singing and they all pointed to the sky for you. Baby, you are not forgotten 

   Saban has gotten the Tide off to a 6-0 start. We beat Clemson in Atlanta  and then tore Georgia up a few weeks later at their place. Right now we are ranked 2^nd in the polls. If we keep winning we will possibly play in the National Championship in Miami. Carli, Katie, Mollie, and Josh have been going to the games with your tickets. Shelley and I have been to a couple but it just don’t feel the same. It seems like all I can think about when they win is how happy you would be. 

  Homecoming 2008 was almost like you picked the Homecoming court. Blakely won and the senior Reps were Katie, Mollie, Carli, and Natalie. They all looked very pretty. Cassie got to crown the winner. We all took pictures before they left and I even got some with Andrew and the girls. 

   Shelley is going to have you a little sister. We found out last week. I know you always said you wanted to be the only girl but I know Buggs, that you would have spoiled a little sister to death. We are going to name her Jamison. I hope she has your spirit and determination. I hope she is not as pretty though because I don’t want to have to worry about the boys….Just kidding. 

   Andrew is doing well in school. He has had a super year in football. He has your competitiveness after all. Seems like every week he has the biggest kid on the other team on him. Jack is learning well and after he got into trouble the first two days things have settled down. He misses you but thinks its really cool that you are in Heaven with Jesus. Giggy and Pop call and come by all the time. They are worried about us and they miss you terribly. You have had an article in the Birmingham news and your marker has been put in. It has all the people you love on it. Josh is down at Montevallo and his room is one big Katie collage. 

   That leaves me. I never knew anything could hurt so bad. I regret every moment of your life that I didn’t spend with you. I wish I could get on you about a shirt or phone bill or coming in late. I think back to every special moment, the ballgames, stripe fishing, beauty pageants, tryouts, and just wish we could have one more. There is not 1 minute in a day that I don’t think about you. You taught me what love was. I never knew until you were born how much a man could love. I am so sorry that I couldn’t help you that day. I will never ever be able to get over that. I always promised I would protect you and in that, I let you down. I promise you this KK, no daddy ever loved a daughter more and one day we will be together again. I love you baby. 

Daddy

Finally Over

  It’s finally over. 337 to 363 were the final numbers in the Ward 2 runoff. What does all this mean? Where do I go from here? Guys, as I am now 1 day out from the end of the election, I think I have a good answer for both questions. 

  Gary Morris beating me in the election tells me that this was Gods plan all along. Gary really is the better choice for this position. The times that are coming up are critical to our city and his knowledge and experience will be needed. Someone will soon be made council President and he would be a safe choice for that position. He did many things in our campaign that were very respectful of my family and our situation and to him I will always be grateful for that. I believe we will see the best possible Gary Morris in the four years to come and I believe this campaign has assured that. Congratulations Gary and Gardendale for making the right choice. 

  My future now is much clearer. I believe my heavenly Father put me in this election to keep my mind of Katie as much as possible. Her friends and their families were very important in my campaign efforts and this gave us time to be together to grieve and focus our energies to something positive. I still sit at home or in my truck and cry three to four times a day but now, 10 weeks later, I know I will get through this because I can not because I have to. I am going to continue to go to council meetings. I am going to be a cheerleader as opposed to a problem maker. I encourage everyone to do the same in the comings months. There will be hard decisions that have to be made so lets trust the people we have elected to make the right ones. They are very capable and gifted people. 

  There are so many people I need to thank: Greg Maxwell, Jeff Powell, Janet Mitchell, Dianne Ragland, Cindy Mars, The 2009 Cheerleaders especially the Super6, Erika England, Jeff Dennis, McGruder, Oscar Mann, Othell Phillips, Dennis Gamble, Jerome Cantrell, Tammy Sutton. That’s just the tip of the Iceberg, and please if I left someone out its not because I am not appreciative. These people did not necessarily support me against my opponent, they were just supportive of me in a very trying time in my life. Last but not least my dear family who took every step with me. 

Mike “Buckett” Burkett

Thanks Gardendale

  It is now less than a week until the 2008 runoff elections. I have no idea how things will turn out but I do know that I have learned many things about Gardendale and the people that live here. Many of you now know me on a more personnel level. Many topics that have been on our minds and in our hearts have been brought out and discussed. Last but not least there will be change in our city government for the first time in many years. 

  The people that live in our little paradise are mostly wonderful people. Gardendale still has a “Mayberry” feel to it. When things go wrong for people our neighbors rally for each other in a remarkable way. There is a comradarie between people here. We are loyal to our friends through thick and thin. Many people rally to the defense of their friends with a passion and go after the other guy with the same zeal. It seems we have that I can talk about my friend but you better leave him alone attitude that has made the south great for many years. 

  Our family has become very transparent due to the accident and my bid for council. We have developed new friendships and renewed many old ones. The way you guys have loved on us and prayed for us has been remarkable through a time of great sadness. I will forever appreciate the way you guys have rallied to our needs. I know now why Katie always had that smile on her face. She loved hard and received that same love in return. 

  For the first time in a long time, we actually have an election. Normally it has been whichever good ole boy got picked to follow whichever good ole boy was leaving. A select few picked a select few. This year we have many different people from many backgrounds running for office. This will bring diversity to the council and will also let the councilman know they can no longer get by on their names alone. The city is in a state of crisis financially and it will take a tremendous amount of teamwork to pull us out of our dilemma. 

  I ask each one of you to do as I am going to do after Tuesday’s election. I am going to back the elected winners and offer them my services whenever needed. I will not sit behind a computer and bad mouth any of them because frankly, I am not any better than any of them. I am going to respect the electorial process and give these guys an opportunity to do the jobs we have elected them to do. Most of all I am going to be thankful that I live in such a great place with so many wonderful people. 

  I would like to thank Gary Morris, Tim Clayton, and Joe Jones for the way our election has gone. They have been very respectful to me and my family and have all stepped up to help us in our grief. They campaigned with class and dignity. I am lucky to now have Tim and Gary as friends. I feel like Gardendale is getting a winner whether I win or lose and I thank Gary for all he has done for our city. 

  I am going to say one more time folks, Thank you so very much for the love and prayers through the last weeks. You will never know how much you have meant to me and my family. I pray none of you ever go through what we have went through, but if you do feel free to call and I will do anything I can. Please continue to remember us this week with it being homecoming. It will be tough but with the help of the lord and prayers we will make it through it 

God Bless You, 

Mike Burkett

My Incredible Journey

  The last 3 months have been an incredible Journey. The time I spent with my family making decisions about whether to run or not and how best to do it. The fateful vacation that ended before it even started. Deciding how best to handle Katie’s passing, and whether or not to run for council. The Election Day and the preparation for the runoff. Most importantly realizing how very blessed I have been. 

  I have mentioned on my blog that my main reason for running has been my children. I grew up in Gardendale. I frequently refer to it as the south end of the rainbow. I had a wonderful childhood, and the main reasons were the love of my parents and the wonderful community in which I lived. I want my children to feel the same way when they get my age. Katie began the process for our family by continuing to make me believe I could help make Gardendale a better place. That is one reason I stayed in the race after the wreck. 

  As many of you well know, July 20, 2008 will be a day I will never forget. I kissed my baby for the last time here on this earth. Everything about me changed in that moment. I became humbled, broken, confused, sick, scared, tired, tormented, guilty, and dirty all at the same time. I stood up, walked back a few steps, and began praying. I prayed to my Father that he would take Kate, hold her, love her, protect her, and do all the things that I wasn’t able to do. I thanked Him for the times we had together and for the special relationship we had developed over our 17 years. The very next moment I had the most incredible thing happen to me. God told me that it was okay to let Katie come to her Father. The fear, chaos, and confusion all left me. I knew that Kate was okay and that she was in the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

  It may seem like I am going through the worst possible time in my life. While I cry everyday because I miss my Buggs, I realize how lucky I am to have the many blessings I do have. This community, our friends and family, my dear wife, my sons… all have become so very special to me each and every moment. The appreciation of every minute that I always took for granted. Knowing that so many people genuinely care about our family and our well being has really blown me away. Last but not least, the promise of how very much God loves each one of us has become so evident to me. Every time I get kicked to the ground and feel as though I can’t get up again, He sends someone or something to pick me up. He does this because He promises to never give me anything I can’t handle. Why I am not sure why  any of this happened, I know my Katie is as happy as ever. That knowledge is what gives me the strength to get out of bed every morning 

  I have constantly used this blog to express my council Ideas. Today however, I am going to say something that makes any council talk pale by comparison. I have been given an incredible blessing. I now know how much God loves me. He sent his only son to die a terrible death on the cross for me. He did this so I and each one of you may be washed clean of all of our sins and have an eternity with him in heaven. I no longer have to wonder about the pain God had that day at Calvary. The Bible says the sky grew dark and God wept for three hours. He wept  because Jesus paid the ultimate price for all of us. Having learned about the pain he went through for me makes me more aware of what I owe him. I have always been a rather convenient Christian. I would help people that asked or witness when convenient. That day has come to an end. While I cannot be perfect, I am going to do all I can to show everyone how much God loves us. I am going to praise him through this storm and know that not only will he walk with me but he will carry me when I can’t go any farther. I know this because his word promises that and he has been faithful to me. I will always be available to discuss my heavenly father with anyone that would like. If you do not know what would happen to you if you passed away tonight, there is an answer. All you have to do is reach out to God and ask Jesus to come into your life. Life will not always be easy once you do this but trust me, you will never be alone again.

 

Yours in Christ,

Mike “Buckett” Burkett

238-1272

Preparing for the Run-off....

My worst election nightmare has come true. The thing I dreaded most was a runoff with Gary Morris. Let me start by saying that I think he is a very good person and has been a tremendous benefit for our city the last twelve years. He handles himself with class, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and his family. Now let the bashing begin. I am only kidding folks, but I am going to point out a few differences between him and myself.

   I believe the key to making our city thrive again is continued improvements in quality and quantity of services and entertainment in our city. I believe we must have a proactive (I hate that word) approach toward business recruitment in our city, but at the same time we must be fiscally responsible. I believe your councilman must be open to your ideas and available to hear them. Last but not least, I believe we must be passionate about the job of being YOUR councilman.

   We must be able to bring in new businesses to make up for the ones that have left and the lack of revenue we are currently bringing in. I stated six weeks ago that the key to this is hiring a city recruiter/planner that gets paid by the job he does. We currently have a part time person doing this and we have lost 13 % of our businesses in the last 18 months. Businesses are not going to knock our door down to come here. We have the reputation of not being a friendly city to work with. The Inspection department is considered to be the wicked witch of the south. These things cannot be fixed overnight, but at the same time we cant wait four years to fix them either

   Fiscally responsible. Think about this for a moment. What would happen to Gardendale if Wal-mart left tomorrow? How would we survive? Would the stores that are now in that area survive without it? Could we find someone to replace it? I will not try to answer this for you, but this is the position we as a city are in right now. My worry is that we would have to use all of our reserves just to maintain current services with a growing population. We have not been successful in recent months in recruitment of businesses so there is no reason to think this will change. That would bring us to the dreaded tax that we all despise.

   We have hampered ourselves by having a horrible attitude within the Inspections Department. The city is following trucks around to see where they are going, trying to stop teenagers from cutting grass, badgering builders with every kind of permit known to man to pick up $35.00. The question that I have is this: how many small businesses have we run off by doing this? How many companies turn a deaf ear to the city because of our reputation of being hard to work with? This began under our current councilman and it must stop. I will do everything in my power to help the inspection department start improving our reputation in the city and beyond.

   In my opinion, the biggest weakness that Mr. Morris has is that he has made decisions without getting input from the people he represents. I saw him several times during the last election and not once since. I called him on the phone and told him about a situation with the sewage overflowing at the baseball field and was put off to the mayor. This will not be the case if I am elected. I will handle all I can, explain what I cannot and be available to you at all times.

   I have repeatedly talked about passion in my blog posts and during campaigning. This is one of the reasons I believe term limits are good. A new candidate is going to hit the ground running and work hard to make things work, especially if he has a vested interest. I am a type-A personality and I cannot stand the thought of failure. I will give Gardendale my all for at most two terms and then step aside and let someone else carry the fire. Mr. Morris would be starting his fourth term as a councilman and in my opinion some of that fire has dwindled. That would be only natural after 12 years.

   This race will decide if we are going to have a majority of new faces or if the old regime stays intact. I ask you, the residents of ward 2, to give me the opportunity to work with the new council to return our city to its past glory. Teamwork is going to be very important. New ideas and the fire to accomplish goals will be my priority. Thank you very much for your support in the election

 Mike “Buckett” Burkett

   

To clarify....

      I have had several people make the statement that I did some complaining about the current shape of Gardendale and the current Mayor and Council. I wanted to take a moment to clarify the points that I made at the Town Hall meeting Monday night.

    The 1^st thing I want to be totally clear about is that I have the utmost respect for Kenny Clemmons, Gary Morris, Peggy Tumlin, Oscar Mann, and Billy Flippo, and Wendell Phillips. I think they have given an enormous amount of their time to make this city a better place. I have known most of these people all my life, and I appreciate the things that they have done. They all have been very dedicated and their wisdom has been paramount to the success of Gardendale as a community.

   With that being said, I want to discuss my comments at the Town Hall meeting and the context in which these comments were made. I made four statements that some thought were offensive: 1) that the current council and Mayor had nothing to do with the new High School being built. 2) that we are operating in the red for the 1^st time in many years 3) the parks that the children play in are obsolete and 4) that we are losing businesses in Gardendale at an alarming rate. Below, I will discuss these four statements and my reasons for mentioning them.

   The new High School is one of the 1^st things that the current administration boasts about in their campaign mail-outs. This is a crowning achievement for the city, but for anyone in the local government to take credit for this is somewhat misleading. Our new school and the time of its building came about by the new county tax that we all pay. Building this school was totally decided on by the Jefferson County Board of Education.

   The city’s budget for 2008 is in the “red” for the 1^st time in many years. All of the incumbents have stated that they have been good stewards of our money, and for the most part this is true. The reason we are in the red is because our revenues are down, and this goes back to the fourth statement about Gardendale losing businesses at an alarming rate. Part of being a good steward is being able to foresee budget problems and work around them. If we were picking up new business, this would not be a problem. I have stated on more than one occasion (even before other candidates jumped on the bandwagon) that we should hire a top notch business recruiter and pay him by the job that he does.

   The other statement that I made had to do with the Baseball and Football complexes where our children currently play. My opponent lists this as another victory for our city. Stan Hogeland and his guys do a great job maintaining these fields. However, these are the same fields that I played on 35 years ago. We have added no fields or parking. The kids don’t have a place to practice once the season begins. There are no fields for kids above the age of 12 to even play on. We are one of the few communities in Jefferson County that cannot accommodate boys and girls at the same place. In my mind, this is unacceptable.

   I love this community. Let me say that once again: I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY. There is no way I could have made it through the last month without my friends and neighbors. I have stated that I wouldn’t live anywhere else, and that is as true as ever. I do believe that we have issues that must be faced NOW as opposed to later. We have quality people running for Mayor and Council in each ward. The decisions you guys make next week will decide Gardendale’s future. We need to pick a good TEAM to work for Gardendale. I ask that you give me your vote and allow me to be a part of that team.

 Mike “Buckett” Burkett

 

Hello Gardendale.

   I was sitting here looking over my blog trying to figure out what I haven’t discussed. The song “My Town” was playing in the background and I started comparing the song to our little peace of heaven here. It is very similar to the town the artist was referring to.

   Gardendale is unique because we are very fortunate to be able to worship in whatever way we feel led. We have Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Church of Christ, Independent, Mormon, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Church of God churches in our city limits. I am not saying all forms of worship are right or wrong (I am a Christian, raised in a Baptist Church), but I am saying that we have options. Many men and women have died in the last 250 years so we have that right. Each denomination seems to be thriving, and every where you look, churches are moving into bigger buildings or adding on. That is something that we can be proud of.

     We are also unique in that there are many places to eat and shop. We have franchises like Chic-filet, Dairy Queen, Wal-mart, Autozone, and Milos. We also have the individually owned places like Our Place, Main Street Café, Bento, and Foodland. But, Gardendale has fewer businesses right now than it did 2 years ago. There are more “for lease” signs in our city than ever before. Our budget for 2008 is operating $300,000 in the red. Something must change.

   I look at the current councilmen’s fliers and doorhangers, and they all talk about the things that have been accomplished in the last 4 years. They mention the new High School (the council and Mayor had NOTHING to do with this). They mention the splash pad and tennis court improvements (the first major Improvement in Park and Rec. in 3 years). Is there any coincidence it was an election year? Last but not least, they bring up the fact that we have $9,000,000 in reserve and this makes them “fiscally responsible.” But, if they had spent 2,000,000 of that stockpile on new businesses and opportunities, our reserves would be MUCH greater than the 9 million that they boast about.

   Right now Gardendale still has many attributes that are positive. We are still a great place to live. The problem is that we are beginning to slip. We are beginning to lose retail and food outlets to other cities. Our tax base is dwindling and so is the amount of money coming in. This election is critical to the future of our city and I believe we need some energetic, aggressive people to change the tide and get Gardendale going back in the right direction. I ask that you give me your vote on August 26, 2008. I will passionately go about getting "MY TOWN" headed in the right direction again. 

 

    

Representing....

When I had the discussion with my wife about running for city council, the two of us listed the things that we thought were needed to do a good job. Being able to vote the wishes of the people in my ward, even when I might not agree, was one of our main concerns. Being available from 8:00 A.M until 10:00 P.M. was another. Working well with the city employees, other Council members, and the Mayor was next. Last but not least was being able to have a passion for the city and its people so I can give 100 percent each and every day of my term.

  I had a major concern about having the strength as your councilman to be able to vote the Ward’s wishes as opposed to mine when they were different. I am very human, and one of my personal weaknesses has been pride. I have liked the fact that I have always been opinionated and not been afraid to speak my mind. However, in recent years the Lord has been working on me in many ways to open my eyes and soften my stances in many situations. I think some of you may call that getting wiser with age and realizing that I don’t know everything. I know that in recent years we have had a voice on the council, but to the best of my knowledge it has not been a voice of the ward as much as it has been that of one man or a group of men. I have decided that on every topic I will give you an opportunity to give me your thoughts, and I WILL vote what the majority of our ward wants.

   My job requires that I have a cell phone on 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. I have published that cell phone number and my E-mail address on many occasions. I will always be willing to help you from 8:00 AM. until 10:00 PM, and even afterwards in the case of an emergency. I live right across from the Vista Circle sign and have two boys that are in public school, so much of my time I am in Gardendale. I will also have supper every last Tuesday of the month at Hamburger Heaven, and I encourage you to bring your concerns there to have supper and discuss issues you would like me to take to the next council meeting.

  I have had many dealings with different city employees over the years. I feel like the city of Gardendale has been fortunate to hire the quality people that we have that work for the city. I also feel like they should be compensated as well as possible for the jobs they do. I have a good relationship with 4 out of 5 of the Mayoral candidates and look forward to the possibility of working with them to improve our city. I do not personally know Jonathon Dunagan, but I doubt we would have trouble working together. I feel as though each and every Council candidate has many qualities that would benefit Gardendale.

  My biggest strength is the fact that I LOVE GARDENDALE, and there is no other place I would call home. I have 2 boys and a baby on the way. I want these guys to grow up here and have the quality of life that I had when I was growing up here. The things that make quality of life good are feeling safe, being able to shop and eat close by, to be able to worship, and have good things to do. I will passionately work to bring in these kinds of businesses and opportunities to our city. Gardendale is still the best place in Jefferson County to raise a family, and I want with all my heart to make it better.

  We are a few short weeks away from you deciding who will represent you for the next four years. I hope you will give me a look. I am not perfect, but I will keep every promise that I make to you. I will be in Brentwood and the apartments this week. I am available on my cell at 238-1272 and E-mail at mburkett@charter.com for anyone that would like to speak to me. Thank you for your consideration, and have a very blessed day

Mike “Buckett” Burkett

Back to the issues...

My last blog post mentioned that I have decided to stay in the race for city council. And really, it didn’t take me very long to come to this decision. I received numerous calls and e-mails from family and friends reminding me that my children wanted me to run (especially Katie, our daughter who passed away in an automobile wreck on July 20^th). She was proud of me for wanting to try to make things better. Needless to say, I am going to stay in the race and try to convince you to let me serve you. With that being said, lets move on to the issues:

   There have been many thoughts surrounding the Caufield Square issue. This topic has been on the minds of Gardendale citizens since the last election. The current Council and Mayor made a big deal about getting this huge shopping complex deal done, conveniently releasing the so-called plans the week of the election. And as we all have witnessed, they abandoned those plans once re-elected, and the whole deal fell through. The fact that the Caufield Square issue was handled in this fashion was a key reason for me deciding to run for council in my ward. I can’t say I will never make a mistake, but I will be bold enough to stand behind the decisions I make and the words that I say.

   The city was counting on the revenue the shopping center would bring in. The tax dollars would have gone a long way toward making significant improvements in services and opportunities in our city. I believe, however, that a big time mall is not necessarily what we need. I believe we need to fill the many vacant commercial spaces, now posting “for lease” signs in their windows, with legitimate businesses and “open for business” signs. How do we go about doing this? My belief is that we need two things to make this happen:

    First, we need to hire a full-time, top-notch business recruiter - someone that goes out and shares the many attributes our great city has to offer them. Businesses today are not going to just show up and bring in tax dollars. We must convince them to come to our city without having to give away the kitchen sink in order to get them. Gardendale has many reasons for businesses to locate here, and we must make that apparent.

    Secondly, we must contract the services of a real city planner or engineer. Gardendale must not bring in too much too fast. The services and traffic flow of the city must be able to accommodate the businesses we bring in. A planner would keep us from having traffic jams around the schools every weekday morning and make it where you can get from church to the restaurants on Sunday afternoons. Uncontrolled growth could be just as devastating as losing tax dollars.

  Please do not hold the fact that I considered not running after last weekend against me. I wanted to step back and re-evaluate everything about my life, not just my council run. I will give you all that I have, I will never vote my ideals over your wishes, I will always be available to you, and I will not stay in office more than 2 terms.

 Thank You for Your Consideration,

Mike “Buckett” Burkett

Game On....

After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to remain in the race for City Council Ward 2. I’ll be out and about, continuing my campaign in the coming weeks, and I look forward to seeing my Ward 2 neighbors and meeting those who I haven’t already met. Again, thank you for all of your well wishes, prayers, and kind words these past few days – I hope to be able to thank all of you in person one day. Look for me at your front doorstep soon.

Thank you,
Mike “Buckett” Burkett

Wow....

You’re in a better place, I’ve heard a thousand times. And at least a thousand times, I’ve rejoiced for you. But the reason why I’m broken, the reason why I cry, is how long must I wait to be with you.

What an amazing week we have been through. The incredible sadness of that moment, Sunday, when my beautiful Katie left us to go to her glory. The incredible demonstration of love by the 100 or so people who stopped what they were doing to meet us at the hospital. The amazing support and tenderness from my entire family. The compassionate mercy and love my heavenly Father has displayed during this entire ordeal.

This community has been incredible. That’s the only word I can find to come close to describing it. I was lifted up by phone calls during the trip to the hospital. I have been carried on the backs of so many during the visitation and funeral. We are blown away by the love and tenderness of people coming by and cutting my grass, cooking food, cleaning the house, screening my calls, and just being here during the many times that I have totally lost it to pray, pat me on the back and just say “we love you”.

FAMILY. What a word. The true meaning came to light in my eyes this week. My parents were so worried about me when their hearts were shattered into a million pieces. My wonderful wife has absolutely been an angel. Our aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws have all been here to just say,“what can I do.”

The most important thing in all of this was the fact that I learned what it truly means to be loved by God the father. I am not going to go into specific accounts of this now, but I will with anyone who wants to call or come by. Guys, my heavenly father has been so merciful. Knowing the details, I am sure you would feel the same way.

I do not understand why this had to happen. I am not sure I could understand if someone told me or if it would even matter, because Katie would not be back. I do know this: she can not come to me, but I will one day be able to go to her. Knowing that Katie is already in heaven makes me face my future and my own death with a little less fear and dread. Also, I know that this whole experience is making me better. Now, I’m not saying that I’m better off. But, I am better. I’m a better father to my two sons. I’m a better husband, a better son, a better friend, a better man. And for that, I am grateful.

As for City Council, I do not know what I am going to do. I have been told to not make any major decisions for a couple of weeks. My main motivation for seeking public office was my three children: I wanted to help make this a better community for them. And I still have a strong desire to serve this city. When you have a week like we have had you realize how special Gardendale is and why I am so glad I live here.

So, to all of you who have called, sent cards and food, donated to the memorial fund, prayed, or simply “been there” for us, I say THANK YOU. And to the Ward 2 voters, please give me some time to decide what my next move will be. I want to make the RIGHT decision for YOU, for ME, and for Gardendale.

Please continue to pray for us – you have no idea how you have carried us this week, and we’ll need you even more in the coming days. Again, a million thank you’s……

Addressing the Issues....

My last letter stated that I intended to do all I can to make Gardendale the best community in Jefferson County. How can a councilman do that? My opinion is this: BELIEVE in what you are doing and have great passion toward your belief.

The first thing that makes a community great is for people to feel safe while living there. Second, have the opportunities for recreation, arts, and civic events. Third, be able to dine and shop for the necessities nearby.

Police protection is a huge factor in making people feel secure. We have a very low crime rate in Gardendale. The crimes that do occur are usually crimes against property and not people. We can thank our law enforcement guys for that. With that being said, the next administration must be ready to stay ahead of the ball and understand that as Gardendale grows and becomes more diverse, the chances of increased crime will grow as well. We must be willing to continue to train and add officers to the force as the Chief sees fit.

Fire protection is very important as well. The last administration funded a new Fire Station on 31 Hwy and added full time fire fighters. We must continue this trend by putting enough men and materials in place to continue cover our city. The Chief has stated that he needs a firehouse on the west side of town if he is going to be able to keep response time down. For the safety of our citizens, we need to fund these things as well.

Our recreation facilities are top notch at first glance. If we look deeper, we see that our children are using the same baseball and football fields that I played on when I was a child. That was 35 years ago. The baseball teams do not have fields to practice on, and we don’t have a field for kids over 12 years old. The football teams are practicing on the baseball fields. Many nights you can’t find a place to park. If you have a boy and a girl that play, you have to go to two parks on opposite sides of town. As our population has increased over the last 35 years, and the number of children playing sports in this area has also increased, we have not adequately increased our facilities to accommodate them. These problems need to be addressed. Because our kids and the sports they play are so very important to me, I will seek out a place to centralize and expand our football and baseball facilities. I will encourage the council and mayor to seek funding for this expansion.

As a city, we are very reliant on the high school as a place to have plays and pageants. The High school has worked with the city in this area, but a full-time facility would be so beneficial to our city. While a state of the art facility could have been put in with the civic center, this was not deemed a necessity at the time of construction. I recognize the importance of Fine Arts in a successful community, and our residents have so much to offer in this arena. We should consider building a facility that would greatly increase our options for Gardendale’s Fine Arts programs. I would love to see this happen.

Finally, we should address our options for dining and shopping. I will address this issue in a separate post, because the addition of new business is probably the most important issue we as candidates face. This topic needs individual discussion. Stay tuned for that…

I am not griping about our great city. I am merely pointing out some issues that are at the forefront of the lunch-table discussions around town. We have merely “gotten by” in these areas for far too long, and we need to get back to excelling in these areas. If I am given the opportunity, I will address these things with the passion I talked about earlier. I do NOT believe a tax is needed for the funding of these projects. If we bring in more revenue through viable businesses, we will have the resources to make some of these dreams a reality.

Thank You,
Mike “Buckett” Burkett

I am Mike Burkett and I am running for City Council ward 2 in Gardendale. I am 43 years old. I have been married to Shelley Edwards for 10 years. We have three children: Katie, Andrew, and Jackson. We have all lived in Gardendale Most of our lives and can’t imagine ever calling any other place home.

The reasons that have led me to run for this council position are as follows: 1) To be the voice of the people in Ward 2 when it comes to citywide decisions.2) To once again make Gardendale the best place in Jefferson County to live. 3) To assure that we as citizens are able to continue to live in a safe and thriving environment.

The ways that I intend to be your voice are as follows: 1) I will have my cell phone number and E-mail address accessible to all of the people in my ward. 2) I will eat supper with my family the last Tuesday of each month at Hamburger Heaven so I can meet with anyone that has issues or suggestions I can carry to Council the next Monday 3) I will always vote YOUR will and not MY ideals in Council Meetings.

To regain our Title as “The Best Kept Secret in Jefferson County”. My goal is to do the following: 1) Make a concerted effort to bring in businesses that the young people of Gardendale will want to visit. 2) Update our ballparks and give the older kids places to play and practice. 3) Work with the police dept. to increase patrols in our neighborhoods. 4) Find a way to build a Fire station on the west and South side of town. 5) Try to increase the amount of funding each year given to the four schools in our area. 6) Figure out a way to give the city employees a raise.

If we are to improve our way of life we must get more revenue coming in to the city. We must grow the number of legitimate businesses and maintain the ones that we have. Every candidate says that, but how do you actually go about getting it done? There are 3 main types of businesses: retail, food and service, and industry - each one having different opportunities in our City, but having them nonetheless. We have to go out and recruit these businesses and give them a reason to come to our city. I believe we should have committees that are responsible for each one and their recruitment.

I am not a lawyer or a Real Estate agent. I am just an average guy that loves his city and neighborhood. I ask you for an opportunity to serve you for 1 or possibly 2 terms as your voice in city hall. I will work diligently and openly for you. I will not give in to pressure from the outside. And last but not least, I will always welcome your calls and E-mails to give me your opinions and problems.

Thank you,
Mike “Buckett” Burkett