Jason Aldean’s song and video for “Try That in a Small Town” have been polarizing, but one Alabama mayor finds it perfectly compatible with his own small city’s values.

On Tuesday, Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon posted an image with the caption “The key to the city of Orange Beach.” In the painting, the key to the city adorns the cylinder of a Colt .45 revolver with the logo “Granddad’s Gun” on the grip and the motto “Try That in a Small Town” on a United States flag background. Kennon credited the work to city employee Mark Bryant.

Kennon said Wednesday that he has some hope of presenting the original work, a wooden plaque, to Aldean when he performs in his city this weekend. He isn’t sure the opportunity will arise, but he has a backup plan. “If it works out that would be wonderful, I think it would be great for the city of Orange Beach,” he said. “But if it doesn’t that will be okay. He will eventually see it through social media some way, somehow, and know that we appreciate him. … If he doesn’t [get it] we’re going to hang it in City Hall.”

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The song’s lyrics suggest that outsiders who try to commit violent crime or unpatriotic acts, e.g. flag-burning, in a small town will be met with an outpouring of spontaneous communal violence from “good ol’ boys, raised up right.” It’s a sentiment that has played well among those who feel small town culture exemplifies patriotism and self-reliance, and that bad things mainly come from the outside world.

To others, this usage of “small town” seemed like a thinly-veiled euphemism for “sundown town.” Or a not-veiled-at-all euphemism, considering that the video, as initially released, featured scenes shot at a Southern county courthouse that was the site of an actual lynching and used footage of violence during Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

CMT dropped the video, which was later edited; producers said the courthouse in question was an innocuous use of a popular filming location. Aldean vehemently denied any overt or hidden racial message in the song, which he didn’t write.

The song’s aggressive message was tailor-made for Kennon, who’s shown a fondness for tough talk as Orange Beach’s mayor. It’s more or less an annual ritual for him to issue a warning before spring break: “If you come here, you better behave, or you’re going to jail. It’s that simple,” he said in 2016. “For those who are looking for a party town this spring break, Orange Beach is not it,” he said in 2018, promising a zero-tolerance approach to infractions. “There will be no warnings, no mulligans or do-overs.”

Kennon said that when it came to Aldean, he was motivated in large part by the backlash that developed against the performer after the song’s video was released. He said he came up with the idea and described what he wanted, and Bryant produced the resulting work. “I’ve got an unbelievably talented group of employees,” Kennon said. “They can do anything.”

“You know me, I don’t really care what people think,” Kennon said. “I did it because it was sort of a tribute to Jason Aldean and his wife speaking their mind, standing up for their values, and having no fear. Nothing I despise worse than cowardly mobs, and cowardly mobs that try to cancel somebody for, ‘how dare they have an opinion.’ So it was just out of appreciation, appreciation of the city of Orange Beach, because most people here do appreciate him, the song and their stance. And this was our way of showing it.”

After posting the image on Tuesday, Kennon predictably drew comments that ranged from enthusiastically supportive to critical. When it came to the latter, he stuck to his gun.

“Wow! That’s not encouraging for tourism. What a bad message to send as mayor of a lovely tourist destination,” said one commenter.

“I agree. You should move back and run for mayor,” replied Kennon. “That is what elections are for. Throw the ‘bums’ out.”

“Very disappointed in this graphic Sir,” said another. “Thank you,” replied Kennon.

Aldean is scheduled to play Sunday at an Orange Beach venue, the Wharf Amphitheater. One commenter asked if Kennon planned to present the “key” to the performer.

“Wish I could but that is out of my hands,” said Kennon. “Some folks were trying to set it up but I have heard nothing of it. Thank you for asking.”

Kennon said Wednesday that he didn’t have any more definite information.

“Having been here so long as mayor, I know that the groups come in, they’re on tight schedules, they really don’t like to deviate from their schedules,” he said. “And I understand that, I do, completely.”