By Bob Stickley

Most of us know that our city has its share of problems at this time.

The nation’s struggling economy has hit our local companies hard, as it has everywhere else.

Russellville Mayor Troy Oliver and the city council are working hard to find answers to the problems at hand and hope to find some kind of solution that will improve our great city’s economic status.

Gen. James T. Hill, who visited our city a few weeks ago, is a friend and former commanding officer of our mayor.

He is from El Paso, Texas, and was commissioned into the infantry following his graduation from Trinity University in 1968. He served as the commander of the United States Southern Command from 2002-2004.

Gen. Hill is now retired after serving 37 years in the military. He has strong ties and contacts throughout the world having worked with policy makers in all branches of the government and in 61 different countries.

He currently sits on the board of Franhofer USA, Bio Technologies. He has led large diverse organizations through periods of notable growth and change.

He understands the workings o four government and the relationship between industry, the military and Congress. He is an innovator and an agent for change.

Gen. Hill is the founder of J.D. Hill Consulting firm based in Coral Gables, Fla. He is also an advisor to a Texas group that deals with security.

We are currently at one of the highest unemployment ratings ever here in Russellville. We have two new industrial parks, but the only growth in them so far has been the weeds.

Gen. Hill held interesting meetings with local community and business leaders about things we can do here to become more successful and how to improve our situation.

There has been a great deal of money spent to make improvements, but it seems that after the money is spent, the improvements are gone.

Our street project is nearing completion of the second phase and although there have been some gripes, one should take a drive to our neighbors to the north. I think a trip through downtown Tuscumbia will change your mind about our project here.

As Gen. Hill says, always look to the positive side and not the negative.

He has since come and gone and left our leaders with some positive ideas and agreed to help in any way that he can.

We should all work together with our mayor and council to make Russellville a better place and to see things on a positive side.