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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORD COUNTY.
AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED THIS AFTERNOON TO BE JOINED BY BILLY KAISER LANE.
YOU KNOW, HIM AS MAYOR BILLY MAYOR KAISER LINK, THE, UH, NOW RETIRED MAYOR OF THE CITY OF BUFORD AND, UM, BILLY, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
IT'S BEEN A LONG JOURNEY FOR YOU UP TO THIS POINT AND, UH, YOU MUST BE BREATHING A SIGH OF RELIEF AND KIND OF REGROUPING AS A ONE PROJECT IS BEHIND YOU.
I AM, BUT, UH, THEY, THEY, THEY SORTA WERE SEAMLESS.
I, I HAVEN'T, UH, BUT IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE I REALLY HAVE, AS I TOLD THE NEW MAYOR AND COUNCIL, I REALLY HAVE LEFT THE CITY BEHIND, CALL ME IF YOU WANT ME, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO WATCH YOUR MEETINGS.
I'M NOT GOING TO GO TO YOUR MEETINGS.
YOU KNOW, THE NEW MAYOR ALWAYS HAS TO FIND A VOICE AS I DID AND OTHERS HAVE SURE.
AND I WANT TO STAY OUT OF THEIR WAY, BUT WE WOULD TALK OCCASIONALLY, BUT TUESDAY COMES ALONG AND I SAY, OH, I DON'T HAVE TO GET READY FOR COUNCIL, MAYBE.
WELL, YOU HAVE VERY DIFFERENT, UH, GOVERNING STYLES, YOU AND MAYOR MURRAY.
UH, SO, UM, IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THAT ALL PLAYS OUT, THAT YOU HAVE A WEALTH OF WISDOM, 12 YEARS AS MAYOR, UH, A NUMBER OF YEARS, UH, PRIOR TO THAT IN THE YEAR 2000, I THINK YOU WERE ON COUNCIL, THEN TWO TERMS AT THE STATE HOUSE, UM, PUBLIC SERVICES OF RUNNING THROUGH YOUR VEINS.
YOU, UH, PRIOR TO ALL THAT YOU WERE ON CAPITOL HILL, UH, SERVING AS A LEGISLATIVE AID FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, YOUR MOTHER OF COURSE, IS A HARRIET KAISER LINK.
SHE WAS THE FIRST, UM, COUNTY COUNCIL WOMAN AT BUFORD, AS WELL AS THE FIRST, UH, UH, UM, REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSE.
KAY, UH, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE I RUN INTO THAT SAY, OH, DR.
YEAH, THAT'S TRUE THAT HE HAD A HEART FOR PEOPLE.
HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY WAS UNABLE TO, HE WAS ACTUALLY AHEAD OF HIS TIME.
HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE NOBODY WOULD BE DENIED MEDICAL CARE.
AND SO, UH, AS YOU INDICATED TO ME EARLIER, UH, HE WAS, UH, RESPONSIBLE FOR HELPING START THE BUFORD JASPER COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH FACILITIES HERE IN THE COUNTY, AS, YOU KNOW, PRE INSURANCE AND MEDICARE AND MEDICAID.
THERE WAS NOTHING FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T HAVE CASH AND HE JUST DIDN'T FEEL THAT WAS RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, HE, HE GREW UP ACTUALLY IN HIS EARLY YEARS ON ST.
HAVE AN ISLAND AS ONE OF TIM WHITE FAMILIES, AMONG 10,000 BLACK FAMILIES.
AND SO HE GREW UP KNOWING THAT THERE WAS A DIVIDE BETWEEN HAVES AND HAVE NOTS.
AND DIDN'T THINK THAT THAT MONEY SHOULD BE THE DEFINER AS TO WHETHER OR NOT SHE GETS TO SEE A DOCTOR.
SO HE SPENT HIS CAREER 50, SOME ODD YEARS, UM, SERVING EVERYBODY, BUT THAT WAS A LARGE PART OF HIS PRACTICE.
I HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE THEY'LL SAY, OH YEAH, IF YOU COULDN'T PAY CASH, DR.
K WOULD TAKE A DOZEN EGGS OR, OR A CHICKEN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
YOU HAD TO TAKE HIS BAD JOKES THE WAY YOU PAID.
YOU HAD TO LISTEN TO HIS JOKES.
AND, UH, PRIOR TO THAT, YOUR GRANDFATHER, AFTER WHOM YOU WERE NAMED WILLIAM KAISER LINK, HE IMMIGRATED FROM RUSSIA AND 1888 AS A TEENAGER.
AND, UH, HOW IN THE WORLD DID HE FIND BUFORD SOUTH CAROLINA? IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE HE REALLY DID COME OUT UNDER THE GUN.
HE LITERALLY HAD TO ESCAPE LITHUANIA, WHICH WAS PART OF RUSSIA BECAUSE HE WAS CAUGHT ORGANIZING AGAINST THE CZAR.
AND SO HE ESCAPED ON THE BOTTOM OF A COVERED WAGON.
I MEAN, IT'S A REAL, ALMOST LIKE A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE.
AND I ENDED UP IN EUROPE AND ENDED UP OF COURSE, COMING INTO NEW YORK TO THE LOWER EAST SIDE WHERE MANY OF THE IMMIGRANTS WERE, WERE FINDING REFUGE, BUT HE WANTED TO BE A FARMER.
AND WHEN HE LOOKED AROUND THE LOWER EAST SIDE OF MANHATTAN, HE SAID THEY NO ROOM TO FARM HERE.
AND AGAIN, HE WAS ONLY 18 YEARS OLD, BUT HE STARTED PEDDLING AS WAY I NOT ON A BICYCLE BY SELLING ANYTHING HE COULD PICK UP AND SELL TO PEOPLE.
AND HE MADE HIS WAY TO, UH, INTERVIEW WHERE HE GOT A JOB WITH, UH, HAD SEVERAL JOBS.
BUT HIS FIRST REAL JOB WAS WORKING FOR A BIG COMPANY CALLED
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AND THEY WERE LARGE FARMING, OPERATION, LARGER GROWERS OF SEA ISLAND COTTON AT THE TIME, THAT WAS THE PRIME COTTON THAT WENT STRAIGHT TO ENGLAND.AND, UM, HE WAS A SMART MAN AND HE GOT ALONG WITH PEOPLE.
WELL, ON THE ONE HAND, HE WAS PART OF THE WHITE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
ON THE OTHER HAND, HE, HE, AND ONE OF HIS PARTNERS WERE THE FIRST BOARD MEMBERS WHO WERE ACTUAL RESIDENTS OF BUFORD COUNTY WHO SERVE ON THE BOARD OF PENN SCHOOL.
BUT, UM, I THINK HIS BIGGEST INNOVATION WAS THAT HE GOT ALL THE FARMERS TOGETHER, BLACK, WHITE, SMALL, LARGE, AND SAID, LOOK, WE'RE GROWING GOLD, THE SEA ISLAND COTTON.
WHY DO WE ALL GO TO MARKET AND COMPETE AGAINST EACH OTHER? WHY DON'T WE COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER? AND SO HE ORGANIZED BUYING AND SELLING COOPERATIVES.
SO THEY WOULD BUY THEIR MATERIALS TOGETHER AND GET A BETTER PRICE.
THEY WOULD PUT THEIR MATERIALS TOGETHER AND HIS ORGANIZATION WOULD TAKE THEM TO MARKET.
SO THEY WAS A BOOMING BUSINESS.
UM, AND AS I SAID, IT WAS, IT WAS, IT WAS, THIS WAS THE END OF RECONSTRUCTION.
UM, AND, UH, PEOPLE WORK TOGETHER PRETTY, PRETTY WELL, AT LEAST IN THAT, BUT WE'VE ALL CAME IN THAT KNOCKED OUT THE SEATTLE AND COTTON, BUT THEY RECOVERED.
AND THEY BECAME THE, UH, THE LARGEST PRODUCERS OF VEGETABLES AND THE TWO CAROLINAS.
AND WHEN I SAY THEY, THEY DIDN'T OWN EVERY FARM.
THERE WERE THE MACLEODS AND, AND, AND THE DIFFERENT GROUPS, UM, A NUMBER OF LARGER AFRICAN AMERICAN FARMERS OVER ON SAINT HELENA.
UM, BUT THEY, WHEN I SAY THEY, IT WAS ALL OF THEM WORKING TOGETHER.
YOU HAD A COUPLE OF FARMS OF HIS OWN AS DID HIS PARTNERS, BUT WHAT BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.
AND THEY HAD A CLUSTER OF STORES THROUGHOUT NORTHERN BUFORD COUNTY AND COTTON GINS BOATS.
AND SO THEY BROUGHT VALUE TO, TO THE COLLECTIVE WORKING TOGETHER OF PEOPLE.
AND THEN THE DEPRESSION CAME AND I ALWAYS LAUGH AND, UH, OUT THERE NOT WATCHING, BUT THE TRASK BOUGHT ALL OF HIS LAND AT A BARGAIN SALE.
WELL, THAT'S UNFORTUNATE, BUT IT'S A FACT OF LIFE THAT WE HAVE WEEVILS AND DEPRESSIONS AND PANDEMICS.
AND, UH, THEY HAVE GIVEN PEOPLE, UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE THAT ARE ABLE TO, TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE ADVANTAGE AND OTHERS UNFORTUNATELY ARE FALL VICTIM TO IT.
BUT I SEE IT FROM YOUR GRANDFATHER AND FROM YOUR PARENTS, UH, WHERE YOU GET YOUR DRIVE, YOUR DETERMINATION.
AND, UH, AS I WAS, UH, KIND OF, UH, THINKING ABOUT THIS INTERVIEW, UM, I WAS REMINDED OF THAT, THAT THE PBS SHOW, I THINK IT WAS SESAME STREET.
IT SAYS, UH, TODAY'S COASTLINE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTER B, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT, UH, YOU ARE BILLY YOU, UH, I GRADUATED FROM BRANDEIS AND THEN GOT YOUR MASTER'S DEGREE AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY, BU AND, UH, IF ANYTHING WERE TO REALLY DEFINE YOU, IT'S AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS A BRIDGE BUILDER, AN INDIVIDUAL WHO SEEKS TO BRING PEOPLE THAT MIGHT HAVE DESPAIR, UH, DESPAIRING, UH, IDEOLOGIES, OR THOUGHTS, AND FIND COMMON GROUND.
AND, UM, AND ALSO YOU SEEK TO BALANCE, UH, THINGS YOU, UH, ARE EVER COGNIZANT OF THE ECONOMIC NEEDS OF THIS COMMUNITY.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, UH, YOU'RE TRYING TO MAINTAIN, UH, THE PRISTINE BEAUTY OF THE LOW COUNTRY HAD STUDY, YOU KNOW, BEFORE WE MOVED THOUGH, AS A STORY ABOUT MY GRANDFATHER, THAT I NEED TO TELL YOU WHEN I WAS, HE WAS 82, I BELIEVE AT THE YEAR.
AND I THINK IT WAS A NIGHT, IT WAS AROUND 1952.
UM, HE WAS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF ISRAEL AND ISRAEL HAD JUST BECOME A STATE AND HE WAS THE HEAD OF A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION.
AND HE WAS AT THE WALDORF ASTORIA IN NEW YORK, GIVING A SPEECH TO A WORLDWIDE CONVENTION.
AND IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS SPEECH, HE HAD A HEART ATTACK AND DIED CENTER STAGE.
AND HIS LAST WORDS WERE, IT'S NOW TIME FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE TO TAKE OVER AND HE WAS GONE.
AND SO THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING THAT WHEN I HAVE READ ABOUT THAT IN THE OBITUARY AND HEARD MY FAMILY TALK, IT'S HOW WE, WE NEED TO PASS ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION, THE TOOLS TO, TO BUILD ON, ON WHAT THOSE BEFORE US BUILT UPON SOMETIMES TO CORRECT SOME WRONGS, BUT MANY TIMES JUST TO EXTEND THE GOOD.
AND ACTUALLY, WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE, UH, BECAUSE YOUR NEW PROJECT, YOUR, UH, BILLY
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KAY REBORN, IF YOU WILL, IS FOUND IN THIS BOOK CALLED SHARING COMMON GROUND PROMISES, UH, UNFULFILLED, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.AND, UM, UH, PART OF WHAT THAT ALL INCORPORATES IS REALLY UTILIZING THE YOUTH OF AMERICA, EXACT TO, UH, DEAL WITH A TYPE OF RECONSTRUCTION.
AND WE'RE GOING TO GET ON THAT, BUT I DON'T WANT TO GET AHEAD OF MYSELF BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT YOUR LIFE HERE AND WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN YOUR, YOUR FIRST ITERATION, IF YOU WILL, UM, JUST QUICKLY, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT IMMEDIATELY COME TO MY MIND, I FIRST BECAME FAMILIAR WITH YOU WHEN I MOVED BACK HERE MY SECOND TIME TO THE LOW COUNTRY, AND YOU WERE VERY ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE SAVE OUR BASES, UH, COMMITTEE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE BASE REALIGNMENT ENCLOSURE COMMISSIONS WERE SET UP FROM TIME TO TIME TO, UM, REVISIT WHETHER BASES REALLY NEEDED TO BE IN PLACE.
AND SO MANY TIMES WE LOOK LIKE WE WERE ON THE BRINK AND YOU, ALONG WITH GUYS LIKE PETE COVINGTON AND OTHERS CAME TOGETHER AND WERE ABLE TO MAKE AN ARGUMENT FOR WHY BUFORD WAS A VIABLE MILITARY TOWN.
NOW WE FIND OURSELVES AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THE ELECTIONS, AND THEN IT CAN EVERYTHING.
THE NEWS STORY CAME UP FOR A BLIP, AND THEN IT'S KIND OF BEEN FORGOTTEN.
BUT THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS HAS TALKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SHUTTING DOWN PARRIS ISLAND AS A MARINE CORPS RETREAT TRAINING FACILITY.
UM, WHAT CAN WE DO TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING? AND IS THAT STILL A DANGER, BUT THE GROUP THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT FIRST GROUP WAS YOUR HERITAGE, AS YOU SAID, SKEET AND PETE COVINGTON.
AND I GREW UP OF US, UM, AND THEN IT DECIDED IT SHOULD KEEP A PERMANENT PRESENCE TO, TO KEEP AN EYE OUT, TO LOOK SO THAT THERE'S NO SURPRISE.
AND, UM, IT'S CALLED THE MILITARY ENHANCEMENT COMMITTEE AND THEY'RE WORKING NOW.
IN FACT, I JUST SPOKE TO A BOARD MEMBER, UM, THE OTHER DAY ABOUT, ABOUT WHERE WE GO, MY PERSONAL VIEW.
UM, I WATCHED THE COMMANDANT'S INTERVIEW.
I THINK IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT IT BECAME A CAMPAIGN ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S TOO COMPLICATED.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT COULD HAPPEN OVERNIGHT BECAUSE TO BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ONE BASE FOR THE COUNTRY, RATHER THAN TO, TO HAVE THE SAME GENDER, UH, TRAINING WOULD TAKE QUITE A WHILE.
UM, BUT, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THE QUESTION OF, OF SEA LEVEL RISE.
AND, UM, THAT IS TO ME AS MUCH OF A NEED IMMEDIATE THREAT TO POWER SILENT.
UM, AND I THINK WE AS A COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S WHAT MY, WHAT MY CONVERSATION WAS ABOUT WITH THIS MEMBER IS THAT WE NEED TO BE AT THE COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER, TO DO THE STUDIES, TO LOOK AT THE VULNERABILITY AND TO SEE HOW AS A COMMUNITY, WE CAN WORK WITH THE MILITARY TO, TO, TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OF SEA LEVEL RISE, BECAUSE WE WOULD HATE TO LOSE PARRIS ISLAND.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S PART OF OUR HISTORY, ROBERT.
SO I HATE TO JUMP BACK AND FORTH, BUT IT SHOWS YOU HOW HISTORY IS ROBERT SMALLS.
AS A MEMBER OF CONGRESS ACTUALLY BROUGHT PARIS ISLAND TO BUFORD, BUT IT WASN'T PARIS ISLAND.
AND IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE GEOGRAPHY OF PARIS ISLAND, AS YOU LOOK ACROSS FROM PORT ROYAL, YOU CAN SEE WHAT IS LEFT OF A DRY SLIP.
UM, AND THAT'S WHEN IT WAS THE NAVAL BASE, UM, THAT ROBERT CONGRESSMAN'S FALLS WAS ABLE TO BRING IN.
THEN WE ENDED UP BEERS LATER WITH MENDEL DAVIS, WHO WASN'T GONNA LET ANYBODY MESS WITH ANY OF THE MILITARY IN THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CHAIRMAN OF THE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE.
A DANGER OF SEA LEVEL RISE IN JUST A MINUTE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK AND THEN WE'LL BE BACK WITH BILLY KAISER LING, UM, FORMER MAYOR OF BUFORD, AND, UH, SOON TO BE, UH, ACTIVISTS FOR WHAT WE'RE CALLING RECONSTRUCTION, STAY WITH US.
AND OUR GUEST IS BILLY KAISER LINK, FORMER MAYOR OF BUFORD.
AND WE'VE JUST BEEN HAVING A GREAT TIME TALKING ABOUT HISTORY.
AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, I HAD MENTIONED
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EARLY ON IN OUR INTERVIEW WAS THAT IF ANYTHING WAS TO TRULY DEFINE YOU, IT WAS THAT YOU ARE A BRIDGE BUILDER.AND AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT, UH, WE, WE GOT ONTO THE DISCUSSION OF THE FACT THAT, UM, THERE IS A DISTINCTION BETWEEN BEING A CITY COUNCIL PERSON AND THE MAYOR.
DO YOU FIND IT CHALLENGING FOR YOU TO STEP IN TO THE POSITION OF MAYOR AND NO LONGER BE OUT SUCH A, YOU KNOW, PUSHER AND AN ADVOCATE FOR WHATEVER YOUR, YOU FELT YOUR AGENDA NEEDED TO BE.
AND YET THEY'D BE MORE OF A PERSON WHO MAKES, I THINK, AS YOU DESCRIBED IT, MAKE FEEL, MAKE EVERYBODY FEEL LIKE THEY'VE WON SOMETHING WELL, UH, IT WAS, UH, AN AWAKENING.
UM, I HAD TELL YOU, I CAN TELL YOU THE MOMENT IT HAPPENED, THAT I REALIZED THE DIFFERENCE A MAYOR HAS TO HAVE A VOICE, HAS TO HAVE A PRESENCE OF PERSONALITY.
I THINK IT'S A LAID BACK ONE RATHER THAN AN AGGRESSIVE ONE, BUT IN AN EARLY KIND OF A CITY COUNCIL MEETING, SOMEONE CAME UP TO THE LECTERN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND STARTED SCREAMING AND YELLING.
AND I LOOKED OVER MY SHOULDER AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, WHO THEY TALKING TO? AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, I SAID, THEY'RE TALKING TO ME, I'M THE MAYOR.
AND I'VE GOT TO FIND THAT VOICE.
AND I FORGOT TO FIND A WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THAT PERSON, WHETHER WE AGREE OR WE DON'T AGREE, WE HAVE TO KEEP IT CIVIL AND WE HAVE TO MAKE IT PRODUCTIVE.
AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER DECISION IS MADE, IT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY, NOT MY POINT OF VIEW OR THAT PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW.
AND SO I QUICKLY LEARNED, AND WE DO WORKSHOPS WORK SESSIONS THAT ARE RATHER UNIQUE BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE EXTENSIVE, THEY'RE INFORMAL, UM, WHERE FIVE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, THEN THE CITY MANAGER, UH, AS THE MAYOR CHAIRED THEM, BUT THEY WERE REALLY ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS.
AND WE HAD WHAT WE CALLED BILLY'S RULES, NOT ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER BECAUSE THE QUORUM MATTER CONGRESS, A HEALTHY CONVERSATION MATTERED.
SO THE FIRST ONE WAS THAT IF, IF, IF THE CONVERSATION WITH THE COUNCIL OR THE PUBLIC WHO WERE INVITED INTO THE ROOM BECAME LESS THAN CIVIL, THE MEETING WAS OVER.
NUMBER TWO, IS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THE WHAT AND NEVER THE WHO, SO IT NEVER GOT PERSONAL.
IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE IDEA, A LOTS OF NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU.
AND THE THIRD WAS THAT WE'VE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS.
WE CAN'T KICK THINGS DOWN THE ROAD THAT ARE DECISIONS THAT ARE NEEDED BY THE ADMINISTRATION.
THAT'S PART OF RESPONSIBILITY.
SO, SO WE HAVE TO MOVE THINGS AND I FELT THAT THIS ROUND TABLE CONSENSUS BUILDING PROJECT.
SO MY GOAL, INSTEAD OF TALKING, WHEN I LOVE TO TALK, AS YOU KNOW, AND MOST PEOPLE WATCHING WOULD KNOW IF THEY KNOW ME.
UM, IT BECAME A JOB OF THE YEARS TO LISTEN TO THE FOUR OF MY FOUR COLLEAGUES AND THE EXPERTISE.
SO THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, UH, CITY COUNTY, THE CITY MANAGER AND, AND THE PUBLIC, AND TRY TO SORT OUT WHERE EVERYBODY WAS COMING FROM.
WE, WE KNEW THE DIRECTION WE NEEDED TO GO, BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW REALLY HOW WE WERE GOING TO GET THERE.
AND SO I ALWAYS FELT THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE THAT TABLE WHERE WE DIDN'T VOTE, BUT LEAVE THAT TABLE WHERE EVERYBODY FELT, THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD, WHERE EVERYBODY COULD TAKE OWNERSHIP IN THE FINAL DECISION WHERE NOBODY WAS GOING TO WIN EVERYTHING AND NOBODY WAS GOING TO LOSE EVERYTHING.
AND THAT, THAT TO ME WAS WHAT GOVERNING WAS ABOUT IS HOW DO YOU TAKE DIVERSE PEOPLE, DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS, DIVERSE IDEOLOGIES, DIVERSE.
WE RUN NONPARTISAN, BUT DIVERSE PARTIES.
AND HOW DO YOU SAY THAT WE GOT TO SET ASIDE SOME OF THAT.
LET'S, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WHAT AND WHAT IS BEST FOR THE CITY OF BUFORD.
SO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE LEAVE OFFICE THINKING, WELL, I COMPLETED BOUNDARY STREET OR I WAS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, WHEN I SAID, WHAT IS BILLY KAISER LING'S LEGACY? OH, MAN, IT WAS THE GATEWAY TO YOU HAVE FOUR OR THE DAY DOC, WHICH WAS A 28 YEAR STRUGGLE, OR FIND ME DEALING WITH STORMWATER.
BUT, BUT THOSE ARE THINGS THAT COUNCIL DID.
UM, AND PARTICULARLY IN MY KIND OF LEADERSHIP, THEY WERE ALL IN ON THOSE.
AND THAT'S WHY THEY WENT MORE SMOOTHLY THAN THEY OTHERWISE MIGHT HAVE.
UM, BUT, UH, I THINK AND HOPE THAT IF PEOPLE REMEMBER ME, IT WILL BE THE FACT THAT I USED MY YEARS, THAT I WAS FAIR, BUT THAT I WAS GOING TO MOVE THINGS ALONG.
UM, BUT I DIDN'T WANT ANYONE LEFT OUT, LEFT OUT AND I DIDN'T WANT ANYONE TO LEAVE
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THE CONVERSATION FEELING THEY WERE LOSER OR THAT THEY WERE A BIG WINNER.BECAUSE IT'S THE PEOPLE IT'S NOT, IT'S TOO BAD THAT YOU'RE CHOOSING TO GET OUT OF POLITICS BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF BODIES THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM THAT TYPE OF, YOU KNOW, ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION, THE ABILITY TO LISTEN, UH, BE IT FROM THE LOCAL LEVEL, ALL THE WAY TO THE FEDERAL, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, 20 YEARS BETWEEN ALL THE DIFFERENT OFFICES, UH, AND KNOWING THAT THERE WERE TWO GOOD CANDIDATES, MIKE SUTTON AND STEPHEN MURRAY RUNNING FOR MAYOR.
UM, AND MY PASSION FOCUSING ON THE MORE, SOME OF THE MORE GLOBAL ISSUES THAT IT WAS BASICALLY THE SAME STYLE AND THE SAME METHOD IS MORPHING ITSELF INTO, TO SOMETHING THAT'S JUST A LITTLE, A LITTLE MORE GLOBAL ON THAT IS THE QUESTION OF HOW DO WE, AS HUMANITY GET ALONG WITH EACH OTHER, RESPECT EACH OTHER, UM, HAVE A GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF A CONSTITUTION.
AND THIS IS WHAT HAS BORN THIS BOOK SHARING COMMON GROUND.
WHEN I LOOKED AT PROMISES UNFULFILLED, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, WHICH IS THE SUBTITLE I THOUGHT, OH, WELL, THIS IS THE THINGS THAT BILLY KAY WISHED HE HAD DONE, WHICH HE PROMISED HE WOULD DO, BUT THIS IS NOT BILLY.
THIS IS ACTUALLY AMERICA, RIGHT? IT WAS AMERICA.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS IDEA OF RECONSTRUCTION.
UH, NOT ONLY FROM THE 19TH CENTURY, BUT RECONSTRUCTION NOW AND THE 21ST CENTURY, BY THE WAY, SPEAKING, BEFORE I GET TO THAT ABOUT THIS BRIDGE BUILDING, WHICH I THINK LEADS INTO THIS.
UM, ONE OF THE WAYS MOST RECENTLY THAT YOU WERE A BRIDGE BUILDER WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE, THE GEORGE, UM, FLOYD CRISIS WHERE LOCAL GROUPS, UH, TOOK TO THE STREETS AND WERE EXPRESSING DISSATISFACTION WITH THE QUOTE UNQUOTE SYSTEM.
YOU WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH THESE GROUPS AND THE POLICE, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY, AND FIND COMMON GROUND, RIGHT? SO THAT EXPERTISE, THAT DESIRE IS NOW PROPELLING YOU INTO YOUR REALLY YOUR, YOUR HEART'S DESIRE, YOUR PASSION, WHICH IS, UM, WHAT, WELL, IT IS CIVILITY, RESPECT, OPPORTUNITY, JUSTICE EQUALITY.
YOU KNOW, WHEN A CHILD IS BORN, THAT CHILD DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE BORN.
THAT WAS GOD'S CHILD THROUGH, THROUGH THE PARENTS, THE PARENTS MADE THE DECISION AND THAT CHILD WAS NOT BORN AS DISCRIMINATING.
THAT CHILD WAS NOT BORN STUPID.
THAT CHILD, IN MOST CASES, ARE THERE SOME UNFORTUNATE CASES WITH THAT WITH A HANDICAP AND THEN CHILDREN ARE SPONGES.
AND, UM, FOR TOO LONG THERE'S PARTS OF HISTORY THAT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN EXPOSED TO.
AND SO, AS THEY'RE SPONGES, THEY LEARN BAD HABITS, UM, BAD HABITS THAT CAN GO BACK, I'M SURE INTO BIBLICAL DAYS.
BUT, UH, MY, MY BEING FROM BUFORD AND BUFORD BEING SUCH AN INCREMENTAL EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE S WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, UM, DROVE ME TO LOOK AT THE QUESTION OF, YOU KNOW, THE RECONSTRUCTION THOUGH, PEOPLE CALL IT AS A DISASTER, SOME CALL IT A DISASTER, BROUGHT THE 13TH AMENDMENT, THE RIGHT TO BE FREE, THE 14TH AMENDMENT, THE RIGHT TO BE A CITIZEN AND THE 15TH AMENDMENT, THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
AND THOSE ARE REALLY THE PROMISES OF EQUALITY AND JUSTICE AND A, UM, THAT WERE ACHIEVED.
AND THEY WERE NOT ACHIEVED BY Y PEOPLE THEY'VE BEEN NOT ACHIEVED BY BLACK PEOPLE OR BROWN PEOPLE.
THEY WERE ACHIEVED BY A GOVERNMENT THAT INCLUDED OF, LET'S SAY UP TO TWO TO 2000, AFRICAN-AMERICANS FORMERLY ENSLAVED PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN ELECTED TO OFFICE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
AND WE CAME TOGETHER, WE CREATED THE FREEDOM AMENDMENTS, BUT IN MY VIEW, IT WAS WORKING TOO WELL, TOO WELL, TOO WELL.
AND PEOPLE FOR THE, FOR THE, FOR THE POWER STRUCTURE TO MAINTAIN THE POWER, THEY HAD TO KEEP PEOPLE DIVIDED AND AN EASY WAY TO DO IT.
UH, AT THAT TIME WAS SIMPLY THE COLOR OF ONE'S SKIN.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE ALL CAME FROM THE SAME PLACE.
WE WERE RAISED DIFFERENTLY, BUT WE HAVE BEEN INTENTIONALLY DIVIDED OVER THE YEARS.
AND, AND THAT'S WHY IT RINGS SO TRUE TO WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE SEEING TODAY.
TELL ME ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE DOING AND THIS RECONSTRUCTION EFFORT.
AND I SAID THAT YOU WERE INVOLVING YOUTH.
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IS TO PLANT THE SEEDS OF CHANGE IN YOUNG PEOPLE, THOSE SPONGES, BEFORE THEY'VE BEEN POLLUTED OR TAUGHT WRONG SO THAT THEY CAN LEARN ABOUT THEIR ANCESTORS.THEY CAN LEARN HOW WE BECAME WHO WE ARE, WHO WE ARE TODAY AND WHAT WE CAN BE.
AND THEN THE STORIES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN TOLD THERE'S SOME INCREDIBLE ROLE MODELS.
THERE ARE SOME INCREDIBLE, UH, INNOVATION THAT WAS THERE.
ORGANIC FARMING CAME FROM FORMER SLAVES.
IT DIDN'T COME FROM, YOU KNOW, TREE HUGGERS TODAY, AND I'M A TREE HUGGER.
BUT, BUT IF WE LOOK AT THAT HISTORY OF, IF KIDS CAN LEARN THAT, AND I THINK 11 TO 15 YEAR OLDS, SO WE'RE TEACHING, WE'RE BUILDING A NETWORK OF TEACHERS WHO WILL WORK WITH 11 TO 15 YEAR OLDS, TYPICALLY MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS TO LEARN THEIR HISTORY, AND THEN TO TELL IT IN THEIR OWN VERNACULAR, THROUGH MAKING SHORT VIDEOS, THROUGH VISUAL ARTS, THROUGH SONG, THROUGH THE WRITTEN WORD, THROUGH ACTING, UM, AND THEN IT'S AN A, THEN THEY TAKE IT HOME TO THEIR FAMILIES, TO THEIR SIBLINGS, UM, AND THEIR COMMUNITIES.
AND WE BEGIN TO PEEL BACK THAT HUNDRED AND 50 YEARS OF MISTAUGHT OR INCOMPLETE OTHER SAY HISTORY.
WELL, WE COULD DUCK ABOUT ANOTHER, ANOTHER HOUR ABOUT ALL OF THIS, AND OUR TIME IS COMPLETELY GONE.
BUT IF PEOPLE WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION, OR IF THEY'D LIKE TO GET A, A COPY OF YOUR BOOK, SHARING COMMON GROUND, UH, PROMISES UNFULFILLED, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, OR MAYBE EVEN BECOME INVOLVED IN THIS RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM, UH, WHERE DID THEY CONTACT YOU? THEY CAN CONTACT ME DIRECTLY, BILLY KAY, AT THE ISL C.NET OR 8 4 3 5 9 2 0 400, OR THEY CAN GO TO WWW DOT SHARING, COMMON GROUND.COM, SHARING COMMON GROUND.COM.
RIGHT? AND YOU ARE A BRAVE SOUL GIVING YOUR PHONE NUMBER.
WELL, I I'VE, IT'S BEEN OUT FOR YEARS.
I HAD PEOPLE AS MAYOR FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTY, ALL OVER THE LONG COUNTRY.
YOU'RE THE ONLY GUY AS A LISTED PHONE NUMBER.
I WILL HELP IT HAPPEN, BUT I WILL NOT BE HERE LONG ENOUGH BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HEALING, A SOUL, NOT JUST COVERING A WOUND WITH BLAND AIDS.
AND THAT'S WHY THOSE, THOSE, THE PENDULUM HISTORY, AS YOU TALKED, WE MAKE SOME PROGRESS.
THAT'S BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN USING BAND-AIDS AND WE REALLY HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.
AND THAT IS HOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MANIPULATED TO BE DIVIDED AGAINST EACH OTHER, RATHER THAN UNITED TOGETHER, NOT THE TYPE TO SIT AROUND AND DO NOTHING WITH FREE TIME ON THEIR HANDS.
AND YOU'RE CARRYING ON THAT TRADITION.
UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, BILLY, FOR YOUR SERVICE AND THE PAST AND ANTICIPATED SERVICE IN THE FUTURE.
OUR GUEST HAS BEEN BILLY KAISER LING, FORMER MAYOR OF BUFORD, AS WELL AS SO MANY OTHER ROLES THAT HE'S HAD.
REALTOR BUSINESSMEN, YOU NAME IT, AND NOW RECONSTRUCTIONISTS.
AND I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER, A BETTER PERSON TO HANDLE, UH, FINDING COMMON GROUND AND TODAY'S CULTURE.
WE THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND WE HOPE YOU'LL BE HERE AGAIN NEXT MONTH.