Sounds like Anniston Mayor Gene Robinson has issued a guarantee.

Its message: Watch out, Oxford. Here we come.

"Oxford may have overtaken us (population-wise) the last 10 years," Robinson told The Star last week, "but they won't take us in the next 10 years in the census."

In this instance, let's not pile criticism on Anniston's combative mayor. Feisty as he may be, he was defending the city — in his customary bombastic style, nonetheless. No real harm done.

Yet, Robinson's words in last Sunday's story about the population shifts of Oxford and Anniston shouldn't be taken as the preferred attitude about Calhoun County's changing demographics. Civic pride is OK; competition — in business, in high school athletics, in population — can be healthy.

Particularly if you're on the winning side.

But Calhoun County's modern-day towns and communities have a range of needs, and they're bigger than the census results. Some (Anniston) seek healthier business climates. Others (Oxford) need to manage their consistent growth. Some (Wellborn) continue to struggle from the decline of lost industries. The examples are as varied as they are endless.

That's why the vitality of the county as a whole — from Oxford to Pleasant Valley, from Ohatchee to White Plains — must be a key element of this discussion. It's not merely about who has more residents or the county courthouse.

Calhoun County is a better place when all of its communities are prospering, when residents see progress — and not decay — as they gaze around the county. As utopian as that thought is, it should be the goal.

Of course, that doesn't alter the basic premise of Star reporter Patrick McCreless' story last Sunday. The 2010 Census figures out next year are expected to show that Oxford has inched closer to the top of the county's population chart, its sights focused on Anniston's longstanding position. Oxford's ascension is inevitable.

In essence, Calhoun County is an illustration of the ebb-and-flow of recent generations: Residents moving for better schools, for improved housing, for the lure of an enhanced suburban living. Oxford has wisely benefited from Anniston's troubles. So, too, have other communities such as Jacksonville, White Plains and Alexandria.

In some ways, Calhoun Countians have an idea scenario: They can choose to live in any number of places in the county, some incorporated, others not. Business owners can pick from the best of several locations. Public schools broaden those options. McClellan's rebirth will only increase the list of choices.

What's best is for all of the county's communities to thrive. Call this a local-version melting pot, where Calhoun County residents use Anniston hospitals, study at Jacksonville's university, conduct county legal business in downtown Anniston, and shop at Oxford stores. That's hardly a complete list.

Time will show if Anniston follows through on Robinson's odd guarantee. Until then, let's welcome more competition between Calhoun County's communities. Call it a spice of our daily lives.