For the love of Branson: Ralph’s big idea

As soon as I began running for public office in Branson, I realized I would need teammates in the effort to defeat the Branson establishment and turn the city back over to its residents. However, the other candidates that would run alongside myself wouldn’t always be ones that I directly recruited. In most cases, God simply brought some incredible people together with a true heart for this city.

I first met Ralph LeBlanc when I was out Christmas shopping one year and he stopped me in the store. He introduced himself and was so gracious in sharing that he truly appreciated everything I had done in my civic efforts up until that point. It’s hard to remember exactly where I was on my journey at that time but I had probably already run for office three or four times by that point.

Fast forward a couple years later and Ralph was running for office himself. We both felt compelled in 2021 to drop out of the race and endorse candidates that we felt had the best shot to secure a seat once again for our residents! In my case, I removed my name from the ballot and endorsed Mayor Larry Milton and he did so for Alderman Ruth Denham. Needless to say, we became fast friends from the start. A year later we were both running again, this time for aldermen in Ward I and Ward III respectively, and we spent a lot of time putting up signs together and talking about the dreams we had to change the way our city did business.

As I come to the end of my time as an alderman with my announcement that I will not be seeking reelection to focus on my business, it is easy for me to reflect on the successes I’ve had returning focus to our live music shows as the number one driver of our tourist market. But today I wanted to highlight Ralph’s big legacy item that will benefit this community for decades to come.

A few years ago, we were sitting in our executive conference room about to have a study session and the mayor brought our attention to an idea that Ralph presented to him. Alderman LeBlanc had just returned from a trip to his hometown of Houma, Louisiana, and noticed how the region he grew up in had a tendency to repurpose buildings for civic use as opposed to constructing brand new structures. This concept truly resonated with us because we were in the midst of a years-long process of planning the construction of our new police station.

You see, for far too long our police department was literally crammed into the basement of city hall. And I don’t say that facetiously, imagine three to four patrol officers per desk and a similar ratio of limited space for our sergeants. Anyone who had seen these “facilities” for themselves would realize the desperate need for a new police station and it had been long promised to our citizens. But the vision the previous administration had for the new headquarters was lacking an inspired design to say the least. You know that empty parking lot behind Tanger Mall just off the Forsyth Street roundabout? That was the intended location and I can’t tell you how many flaws that proposal had. They proposed a $15 million dollar buildout, however, that was many years ago and I almost chuckle at that number today.

So here comes Ralph’s big idea! Unbeknownst to us before he brought it to the mayor in the proper manner, he had been scouting out the old White House Theatre up on the bluff somewhat close to the proposed location. While he accurately assumed that there would be renovation costs, the building itself could be acquired for only a couple million dollars.

Needless to say, the entire board fell in love with the idea. Now that isn’t to say that we didn’t have logistical questions, but ultimately, we committed to making it happen. Of course, my initial instinct as the Ambassador to the Shows was sadness that another theatre would be converted away from being a music venue. However, I knew that in all reality we could proudly hang a plaque telling the history of how Charley Pride built the theatre in the 1990s and actually it would preserve this historic site for decades to come.

Folks, if you haven’t seen the finished product for yourself, I urge you to do so. Ultimately, we saved the citizens millions of dollars, prepared the facility in a few years, not the originally proposed seven to build a new station, and gave our officers double if not triple the space to keep our community safe. I have firsthand knowledge that officers in surrounding communities are truly jealous of our new facility, and we are so proud to have developed it for our wonderful officers. Furthermore, I want to say that anyone going around town saying that we didn’t come in on budget is either envious that they didn’t come up with the idea or using those false talking points for political aims.

But I can tell you that this community will be served for the next 30 to 50 years by that shining blue station on a hill, and Ralph ought to be incredibly proud of himself. It has truly been an honor to serve beside my friend and while he always leads with the utmost humility, those that know will always remember that this was “Ralph’s Big Idea”!