ORANGE BEACH — Council chambers in Orange Beach were filled to overflowing last Friday with local residents and media, waiting for an update from city officials regarding the oil spill that continues to threaten businesses along the Gulf Coast.

Mayor Tony Kennon spent a few minutes taking questions from attendees and expressing his displeasure with BP before being called away to a meeting with Gov. Bob Riley in Mobile.

“We are looking to do anything and everything we can to keep it from moving into the back Bay,” Kennon said. “I feel very good that things are going to get done and we are going to do the very best that we possibly can do given the situation.”

Kennon was not shy in calling out BP regarding issues with claims.

“BP has taken the national stage and said, ‘We are going to make you whole.’ When I get into this claims process, my image of whole is different from theirs.”

According to Kennon, BP has already placed parameters and limitations around how they are going to reimburse, saying everyone would have to document every dime from 2008 and 2009.

“Those were not exactly banner years,” said Kennon. “Let’s go back to 2006 if you want to give everyone a fair shake.”

Kennon said that he was very frustrated because the city was in line to have a very good summer, but that BP had not explained how they were going to take into consideration the potential increases that the Gulf Coast was expected to see.

“Also, how are you going to figure claims for a business that just opened in November?  They don’t have any records from just a year ago. I am tired of them being in the national spotlight talking about how good of guys they were going to be and what they were going to do, but not have anything on paper or in writing so we would know that we could count on them being there.”

The mayor told locals that if the city did not take a stand now, when the issue falls off of the national spotlight, he is afraid that BP will be gone.

“In my opinion, we are going to have to scratch and claw for every penny. They are not my friends, they are not my business partners and they are not my colleagues. I don’t want them to be an adversary, but I want it in writing and I want a plan.”

Kennon has also suggested that BP put into place an economic assistance task force, just like the clean up and environment task force, to come and help with the issues.

“From what I understand, BP has about 700 staff lawyers world wide, so I think they could find some folks to send down here to help us figure this out. We didn’t make the mess. They made the mess.”

Attendees responded favorably when Kennon suggested that BP put together an account immediately for a multi-year, multi-media campaign that would help restore the image of the Gulf Coast that has been seriously damaged.

“All over the country, all folks see is black gooey beaches with poor little critters covered in oil, and that’s not us. We know that’s not us. But I hear rumor after rumor that there is oil all over the beach and that the Gulf has been closed to fishing. The local media has been good about helping us get the message out, but the national media is the problem.”

Local officials have been emailing national media outlets to try to get the word out about the present condition of the beaches along the Gulf Coast, and are hoping that citizens will do the same.

“Go to the websites of the national media and tell them to come down here and take the little guy’s side. We are in a battle and we need help.”

Kennon said he would feel better once there was money in the bank and once he saw a written plan outlining what BP is specifically planning to do for those in the affected area.