Is Lux Creek Park Set For a Revival?

The primary election results are in, and the numbers out of Lowndes County don’t just tell you who won. They hint at who stayed home, who crossed over, and which political “sure things” might be getting shaky.

We walk through the Mississippi U.S. Senate primaries and what they could mean for November, from Scott Colom’s overwhelming local support to the question hanging over Cindy Hyde-Smith’s challenger vote share. Then we zoom in on Lowndes County turnout as a political signal: is the county still reliably red, drifting purple, or moving faster than local leaders expect?

Next, we shift to Columbus city government and five key positions that are open or turning over, including fire chief, human resources, court administrator, city planner, and public information officer. We talk through why hiring delays can sometimes save money but also create real operational risk, especially when the municipal court keeps showing up in audit findings. 

Finally, we bring in Lowndes County Supervisor Andy Williamson, who is exploring the idea of reviving Lux Creek Park. 

Transcript

Cold Open And Teasers

SPEAKER_02 0:01

I don't know what he has come up with today to talk about. I'm not asking you to hide anything. You know, no, put it out there. Let the people see it.

SPEAKER_04 0:10

I've never not worked in a hospital working department.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

You can't argue with anybody when they're putting facts in your face.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Zach, that's a hard question. I have no answer for it. From the opinion page of the commercial dispatch. This is between the headlines.

SPEAKER_03 0:29

This week on Between the Headlines, the results are in from the primary election, and the people of Lowndes County have spoken. Or did they? I'm not really sure. We'll find out today as we talk about that. Also, five key positions yet to be filled.

SPEAKER_05 0:46

What is it, five months into the city's Yeah, coming up on halfway into the city's fiscal year, you've got five positions that are open.

Primary Results In Lowndes County

SPEAKER_03 0:54

Is Mayor Jones sitting on his hands? We'll talk about that. And I have a bone to pick with somebody who stole the lighting off of the friendly McDonald's greeters on Highway 45. But first. Retirement looks different for everyone, so your plan should be built around you. For over 40 years, Financial Concepts has helped people create retirement strategies that fit their lives. Our team in Columbus takes the time to understand your goals and build a plan that works for you. Wherever you are in your journey, we're ready to help. We plan retirement. Financial Concepts is a registered investment advisor. Benton's Maintenance Mechanical makes easy work out of plumbing, electrical, heating, and air conditioner problems. You can book an appointment by phone or online, and rest assured they will show up at the appointed time. Call Bentons at 662-657-2583 or visit them online at Bentonsinc.com. That is BentonsINC.com. This episode of Between the Headlines is brought to you by Bank First, a bank headquartered right here in Columbus, Mississippi. That means your banking decisions aren't made hundreds of miles away by someone who doesn't know you. They're made here locally by bankers who know your name and care about the community. At Bank First, we're more than bankers. We're your neighbors. Whether we're cheering in the stands, catching up at a local pancake breakfast, or celebrating milestones across our community, we're part of the moments that matter most. Stop by your local Bank First branch or visit BankFirstFS.com to learn more. Bank First is a member FDIC and Equal Housing lender, Bank NMLS454063. You're listening to Between the Headlines with the self-proclaimed Round Earth theorist and managing editor of the dispatch, Mr. Zach Plair. My name is Dave Chisholm. Thank you for joining us today. Top headline is these results that have come in from the circuit clerk's office. And before we jump into them, Zach, I want to just briefly go over them just from an analytical standpoint. Okay. What we had was Democratic United States Senate Scott Cologne taking the win very heavily over Albert Latrell and Priscilla Till. 4,290 total votes cast, and about 4160 of those were Mr. Colombs. Also on the Democratic side of the ticket, first congressional district, you had Cliff Johnson, Kelvin Buck running a contest there, and there were quite a bit of undervotes in that one, meaning a lot of people just left that one blank and came in, I presume, to vote for Mr. Cologne. On the Republican side for United States Senate, you had Cindy Hyde Smith versus a newcomer, Sarah Adlaka, who got 316. Cindy Hyde Smith got 2,413 votes, which means people went to the Democratic table and uh a couple other things to talk about. You had Trent Kelly unopposed. And that's really it.

SPEAKER_05 4:24

Well, I want to talk about the uh I want to talk about the the statewide side because the um in the Senate race specifically because uh there's no surprise that uh you know Cologne that he won. I mean There was no surprise that he won these counties. It's no surprise that he won statewide, but it's no surprise that he took over 90% of the vote in the judicial district where he's the district attorney. He's a popular district attorney. He won his home counties. Uh uh obviously he did uh pretty well statewide. Uh I want to look at the Republican side on the Senate race, looking at the full picture. You've got uh Cindy Hyde Smith, 126,000 votes statewide, more than more than 126,000 votes, to uh Miss Adlocka's 30,000 and change. Um 80% of the vote, excuse the phrase, but I was surprised to Helen Back that Adlocka didn't perform better than that. You know, I think that Scott Cologne did what he was supposed to do in that race. I guess Cindy Hyde Smith as the incumbent did what she was supposed to do in her primary as well. But I would have guessed that one of two things was true that obviously weren't, or maybe both of these things to a certain extent. I would have guessed that there might have been some fatigue or dissatisfaction on the repo from Republicans with Cindy Hyde Smith. There are a whole lot of reasons to be tired of her and not like her very much. I certainly uh w w wouldn't blame somebody for feeling that way. Ad Locker wasn't gonna win, but I would have imagined either the fatigue, the dissatisfaction with Cindy Hyde Smith as maybe an indictment against her, that you would have had some more Republicans maybe vote for her. And the other thing that I thought would happen more was Democrats crossing over to the Republican table because Scott has his under control. Like he was he was he was gonna uh he he was he was gonna walk in that one, in that primary, in that Democratic primary. So I would have thought that more Democrats would have crossed over and voted for Sarah Adlaka just as a you know thumbed nose to Cindy Hyde Smith. And if I'm Scott Cologne right now, I'm concerned. He's gonna have to now court these Adlaka voters and and hope he can get a significant number of them. He's gonna have to keep the Till and uh the Lattell voters from going to tie Pinkins. He's gonna have to do all of those things. And then uh Pinkins is not gonna take votes away from Cindy Hyde. She's he's not siphoning off from Cindy Hyde Smith. His presence in the race siphons off from Scott in a race where he's already the underdog.

SPEAKER_03 7:11

Well, the numbers are tough. He knew that they were tough from the very, very beginning. But actually, if I'm Scott Cologne, I'm feeling quite good today. And I and I'll tell you why. Um just just look at these four counties. He absolutely wiped the floor. Okay. Nobody came to vote for those other two cats that were running against him. I mean, a hundred votes total. But Democrats outperformed Republicans in actually going to that table by almost two to one. In Lowndes County. There are 81 more counties in the state. There are, but but I want to talk about Lowndes County. Scott Colomb knew knew that the numbers were against him for the very beginning. Okay. I don't really know that that's changed. But what I can tell you is that in Lowndes County in particular, and I know he's from here, I know he's supposed to win Lowndes County.

SPEAKER_05 8:12

And I think he'll win Lowndes County in November.

SPEAKER_03 8:15

Well, there's no question about it. But the Democratic turnout in Louds County was almost two to one over Republicans in Lowndes County.

SPEAKER_04 8:27

Right.

SPEAKER_03 8:27

I want to get to that. Hang that thought up, we'll come back to that. The thing I want to look at right here, Sarah Adlaka. Uh you say she didn't do so well, but nobody knows who that is. And and she's from Illinois. I don't know much about her, and I tried to find out, and and I just I just couldn't really come up with anything other than she's just kind of the no-name challenger out there. And I think the 20% that she got is not looking good for Cindy Hyde Smith.

SPEAKER_05 8:59

You think?

SPEAKER_03 8:59

I I do think that, and and here's the deal with Cindy Hyde Smith. There are two camps of people that don't want to vote for Cindy Hyde. They're the ones that um that think she is just a kisser of the orange man's ring and does Syncopant is the word.

SPEAKER_05 9:17

There you go.

SPEAKER_03 9:17

I'm in that camp. Just just does his bidding, yeah, okay, and does not have original thoughts. Right. And and the other other that just um just wants fresh air, okay, just wants to be a naysayer. I don't think anybody really voted for Sarah so much as they just were voting against Cindy Hyde Smith, who they just do not feel is a sexy candidate.

SPEAKER_05 9:42

You talked about in Lowndes County the Democrats outvoting the Republicans two to one. Well, statewide, the Republicans, I mean, with unofficial totals right now that aren't entirely complete, I mean, they they showed up looks like ten thousand more Republicans showed up than Democrats in that primary.

SPEAKER_03 10:02

I believe there's a lot of people out there that are in favor of a trunk sink of fant um polling.

SPEAKER_05 10:08

I yeah, and I think that that's what I mean if I'm if I'm being really honest, I think that's what this says statewide for sure. Is that they're fine with that.

SPEAKER_03 10:16

Now, to what we we've to this thought that we've we've hung on the hanger, Republicans in Lyons County are in danger. If you are a a die-hard Republican or if you're someone who is of the persuasion that Republican leadership at the local level is a good thing, um I can say pretty much officially, just looking at these numbers in from the circuit clerk's office, that Louds County is no longer red. I don't even think Louds County I'm telling you, not even purple. We are turning blue, and if that doesn't say it, I don't know what does.

SPEAKER_05 10:58

I mean uh uh uh Trump dog walked Kamala Harris here in 2024. Like, right?

SPEAKER_03 11:05

Yeah, well Trump's not gonna be on the ballot when we are voting for circuit clerk, when we are voting for the sheriff.

SPEAKER_05 11:13

A U.S. senator that may as well be on the moon versus somebody that they see every day. Like, come on, man. This is like it's like the Duke basketball team playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium. You know they're gonna win.

SPEAKER_03 11:26

No, I don't know that. I don't know that at all because I think people sat at home. They did, and and and they sat at home with the assumption that you know Republicans have this in the bag. I think the danger siren is sounding right now. I do.

Turnout Clues And Party Drift

SPEAKER_05 11:45

Let's talk about Lowndes County then. Lownds County is a really good microcosm of maybe some of the truth in this matter. Um Cindy Hyde Smith, through her advertising and statewide, has worked very hard and obviously pretty effectively to paint Scott Colomb as this, you know, leftist liberal. Well, Lowndes County, in their voting, knowing Scott, I mean, he's a he's a moderate candidate. He's uh got a good reputation in the DA's office, if you ask most people, fair and just minded. I certainly wouldn't want him prosecuting me if if I had done it, or uh if I didn't and it look and it still looks bad, I wouldn't want him prosecuting me. And well and and and I mean and he's been pretty honest, and the people here who know him haven't bought Cindy's BS about who he is. So now you see Lowndes County is the model of how does he replicate that 82 times. And I think that he's gonna have a very easy time with people who've known him for any length of time, when, like I said, Cindy Hyde Smith may as well be on the moon to a lot of these guys. But in these counties that are outside of the 16th circuit, Cindy Hyde Smith's messaging is working, and I can see that in these results.

SPEAKER_03 13:08

Well, there are a lot of people here locally that like Scott Colomb. I like Scott. I like Scott. He is a lot of respect the hell out of him. Um to push back on what you said earlier. There are a lot of people that think that he is loosey-goosey and does not adjudicate. They are out there, and and I hear of a lot of them. There, there is that out there. But he's got four counties in the bag. I predict that he's going to sweep Lowndes, Clay, Octivy Hawk, Noxaby, hands down. Yep. And he may sweep them so heavily that it could make people nervous on election night. I'm I'm not saying he's gonna win. I'm not making that statement, but what I am saying is that he is a bellwether for what is happening here in Lowndes County. And and I'll say it again, we're turning purple into light blue at this point.

SPEAKER_05 14:02

Maybe. Uh but I I just don't I just don't see that if if the Senate candidate, if the Democratic Senate candidate isn't from across the street. I don't think that he I don't think that he runs up these numbers.

Five City Jobs Still Open

SPEAKER_03 14:17

We'll be following that as well as all of our local races, and and we thank all of you for listening to us here in the studio as we talk about all things politics here in the Golden Triangle area. Next up, there are five key positions that have yet to be filled. And let me go through those positions.

SPEAKER_05 14:38

Okay, well, now five five positions that have yet to be, there's three positions that have yet to be filled and two that are turning over.

SPEAKER_03 14:44

Because of retirement, right? Uh and those five positions that are going to have to be refilled respectively are human resource director, fire chief, court administrator, city planner, and public information officer. Right.

SPEAKER_05 15:00

And a little background on that. So let's start with the public information officer, because to say that that is an that that role is empty is not exactly true. Um they hired a contractor to come in before they approved the budget. The understanding at that time was she was going to become the full-time, paid a full-time salary, come October 1st. Well, that didn't happen. And now she's saying she doesn't want that job. So she's still working on that contract for$2,000 a month instead of the$50,000 to$55,000 a year for the full-time gig. They still have that job on the budget as a full-time job and may or may not ever fill it with anything but a contractor. I don't know. But I I'm I'm told that they're going to revisit that maybe next budget cycle. Um the two retirements, you've got the fire chief and the human resources officer. Fire chief uh Dwayne's leaving April 16th, and I think that uh uh Pat Mitchell, or she's worked for the city 40 plus years, she's been in this position for uh a good bit of that. She's leaving in June. Those are two big holes, and uh obviously that's almost here. Yeah. And those are priorities that they're uh that they're looking at right now, uh trying to get those filled first. Also, the court administrator has been a vacancy for a while. They've got an interim working in that spot. Um very important position because the the city court has been a frequent flyer on the city's audit report for findings of not doing stuff correctly for years upon years upon years. It's a priority for Stephen Jones, the mayor, to fix that and get the right person in there. So there's that. And then this year for the first time, they've had a full-time actual city planner to be put on the budget. They've taken applications for it, they haven't hired for that position yet. So lots of new faces coming if they can ever get the the people hired. Is Mayor Jones sitting on his hands? Um, well, all right, so let's start with the fire chief. Where the fire chief is concerned, absolutely not. Um they're doing interviews for that right now. There's a lot of scuttle butt uh about uh the former Startville fire chief coming over here and being the uh fire chief here and being one of the finalists for those interviews. I think they've got several more, but they did one yesterday, they're gonna do several more with finalists, and then we should know something pretty soon on that. I would imagine they're gonna have that hire made before Dwayne goes home. Now, about that hire though, they better do that one right because um that is, in my opinion, and in the opinion of a whole lot of people that I talk to, uh the fire department is it stands out as one of the most, if not the most functional and well-led departments in the city. He's done a really good he's done a really good job there. He takes that seriously, he's a good leader over in that department, and that department is m more or less stable. Every department has problems, little personnel things here and there, but um with very limited exceptions, uh, the reviews on Dwayne have been magnificent, and the reviews on that uh fire department have been that is a stable, well-run department.

SPEAKER_03 18:42

You know, Zach, I read this story, and I th the first thing that was hit me was was, I mean, just Mayor Jones is sitting on his hands, he's not doing anything. We're paying him uh$120,000 or whatever it is a year, thanks to Joe Mickins. Thanks for six, something like that. Yeah. Oh goodness. Uh, and he's not even made these very, very, very important hires. But the more I read into it, the more I looked at it, you know, he is saving the city money by not quite filling them yet. I mean, there's that there's that one upside, but also you do need the right uh people in these positions, especially court administrator. If that thing gets backlogged, you're looking at anarchy. Well, you're looking at people that think they don't have to pay their fines because they called up there and it hadn't made it to the computer yet. Well, those type things.

SPEAKER_05 19:33

Well, the systems that that they're trying to put in place there and that they need a uh a solid court administrator to get in there and put in place, what they're getting tagged on their audit for is not having separation of duties between the uh people taking payments and the people posting payments. They, you know, often don't know who gave what to who or where it is. And I mean, and that has been something that has gone on for a minute, and it's something that uh Mayor Jones, to his credit, has zeroed in on and said, this has got to stop. Now, he's not hiring fast for that position, and I think that that is something that is going I I hope serves him and the city well long term because you've got nine applicants for that position. None of them have court experience. So the quiet part out loud that they've said is they're gonna go try to find somebody, frank frankly, steal somebody from another court somewhere. They're talking about visiting courts and re and and learning about those courts and recruiting people who work in those courts and maybe uh uh sub-leadership positions and see if they can get one of them to come over here. And I think that's a good idea. However, I mean, get on the stick because that your interim is only contracted through the end of this month. They were supposed to have a new court administrator by April 1. Um I'm not I'm not sure they do.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

City planner, what about? I mean, let me ask you this, and I'm genuinely curious. We've got Kevin Stafford and his firm doing their thing, and we've also got several other um different committees, whether they be actual arms of the city and organizations. Why do we need a city planner?

SPEAKER_05 21:25

For comprehensive planning and for future planning of what this city is going to look like, where this city is going to grow. Um that's something that a city planner does. Startville has a an in-house engineering department where they have uh a city engineer and I think at least one other, if not two other people in that department who are also engineers, and they have a city planner. And they need them both. Startville needs them both, and they those departments work together very, very well in creating a vision and then executing. Executing that vision. Well, they're doing that. The vision creation needs to come from a city planner. Right now, as you probably read in that story, the city has an interim city planner by name. It's George. George is a lovely person. He's a brilliant person. He cares about this city, but he would be the first person to tell you that he's not a city planner and that the city actually needs one. With Stephen saying that he thinks that he can get that hire made by the end of September, I hope he's right about that because that's gonna be that's gonna that's gonna prove to be one of the most critical positions, in my opinion, that they hire for in his term if they can actually get somebody in place. And they do have applicants.

SPEAKER_03 23:10

I think all departments should be able to speak to the press, period, point blank end of discussion. And you know what? The dispatch is smart enough to weed things out and say, okay, I've heard this from this person, this from the other person. What's the overall picture? If Columbus, Mississippi were in a position to say, you know what, we have a corrupt paper or we have a lousy paper, or we only have one paper, then then the city might be in the position to, I don't know, maybe try to protect itself from the media or this and that. But you don't have that.

SPEAKER_05 23:48

I don't think that public officials should be in the business of trying to protect themselves from the media. They should not. There are certain types of issues that I understand why you would want a seasoned public information officer maybe helping craft the messaging. The police department is is one of those. Like there's some very sensitive information that they see. I and and I can see why the police department would want to because when we're dealing with uh a uh public information officer, almost always we're dealing either with a school district that has kids in there or we're dealing with a police department. The mayor does a good job speaking for himself. There's a chief operations officer over there uh in Jamie Garrett that does a great job speaking for herself. Um, you know, Jim Brigham, the CFO, knows the numbers. Jeff Turnage has been here forever and he knows the law, so I don't really understand why you would need uh a go-between for them other than maybe coordinating interviews uh when they arise, but I mean again, you you we're not in Washington, D.C. This is Columbus, Mississippi. So does the city as a whole need a public information officer? No. Does the police department need a liaison that can work with the media effectively without compromising investigations? Yes.

SPEAKER_03 25:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 25:20

So that's my answer to your question.

Skeleton Greeter And Stolen Lights

SPEAKER_03 25:23

Fantastic stuff. After the break, we'll come back and we'll talk about the skeleton over there at the Highway 45 McDonald's, and we'll also have Andy Williamson here in the studio. All right. But first. Since 1935, Lowndes Farm Supply has supported the Greater Columbus Trade Area with products and knowledge for the farm, ranch, and garden markets, along with lawn, hunting supplies, outdoor clothing, and boots. Go check them out at 69 Co-op Road in Columbus. So, Zach, about three months ago I was getting kind of hungry and and feeling kind of lousy, fast foodish. So I went into MacDonald's as I do on occasion, and I wasn't sure what to order. And I looked straight ahead to see this thing off in the distance sitting in a chair aiming toward me a certain gesture. I'm like, oh, okay. A number one combo it is. So I got the Big Mac. And and not shortly after that, I saw on Facebook where this skeleton sitting in someone's yard has apparently been greeting people at the McDonald's drive-thru for quite some time now. And um the recent development about this skeleton has been somewhat disheartening in that. I saw that. Someone, I suppose, went out there and stole some lighting. Uh but a little bit of backstory. First, it was just a skeleton sitting in a chair, and then it looks like according to photos, there were multiple skeletons, and they were having maybe a picnic, looked like a blanket was on the ground, and there was lighting involved. The lighting is what got stolen. So maybe the resident got a little bit out of hand with this.

SPEAKER_05 27:19

I don't know. Um if it if it doesn't violate code and it's on somebody's property, leave people's stuff alone. That's what I've got to say about that.

Andy Williamson On County Leadership

SPEAKER_03 27:29

Well, I'm sitting here wondering who would steal that stuff. I mean, it either had to be just some some kids that had nothing better to do, or some boomer that has zero sense of humor. And as a deacon at their Baptist church or something like that. Well, I wasn't gonna go there, but yeah, a deacon at a Baptist church said, we're not gonna have this. And so they went out there and took the lights. Bring the lights back to the girl for shame, for shame, for shame. Uh and I'm with you. Look, I'm not in favor of a home rule. And I'm I know it's in the city and all this kind of stuff. I'm not really in favor of certain zonings. I think that gets out of hand because it's these individual acts of art that create color where we live. We've got the skeleton there. Uh, we have old boy down 45, just as you go down the hill. He's got like a dog and a mannequin sitting in a house, and it's the creepiest thing. In West Point. Have you been to the Halloween house at West Point? I have not. They've got caskets, they've got uh they get the biggest Halloween thing you've ever seen. I take a picture of it every year. It's absolute riot. Hey, look, you've got people that make these nice, pretty, pristine yards that have these beautiful flowers and and trees and ornate things. And then you've got the people that may not be able to afford that, but they can reach into the right side of their brain and come up with some stuff. And I just gotta tell you, I tip my hat to those people. More of that, please, in the friendly city. I agree. We're pleased to have a special guest today, someone who is no stranger to the Golden Triangle and particularly to the New Hope area, our Lowndes County District 3 supervisor, Mr. Andy Williamson. Thank you for being agreeable to come on the show today amidst your busy schedule. How are you, sir? I I'm good. David and Zach, thank you all very much.

SPEAKER_05 29:30

Yeah, thanks for coming.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_05 29:32

I know y'all are getting toward the middle end of the uh or the second half of the of this term on the supervisors board, but you and Matt Fernari are still kind of the new kids on the block there a little bit. So how's that been for you, uh, adjusting to being on that board of supervisors?

SPEAKER_02 29:48

Um I I'm gonna be honest with you. I I have felt very comfortable from day one in that environment. Um you know, it is a learning curve. I don't know everything, but it but um I I I feel really good about where we are. I feel good about where I am in year two, starting year three. Um I've been able to accomplish some of my goals and um and and still got some more to that I want to do. Um, but so far as um, I mean, I I'm really enjoying it. I I love you know working with the public, doing what I can for them. You know, every call, you can't make everybody happy. But but we try, and if we can, we do.

SPEAKER_03 30:28

I think it's been refreshing to those who've been paying attention. I think it's been refreshing to um business potential investors for the area. Um how has that gone? I mean, uh you you mentioned a contrast between then and now, you felt comfortable from day one.

SPEAKER_02 30:47

Well, I I think you we have a good mix of age, a good mix of uh experience. We all have a skill set and and it all meshes really good together. Um don't don't get me wrong, I tell people this all the time. We do have our disagreements, but we do it a lot of times we do it one-on-one in private, we work through issues, and we we agree to if when we when we can't when we can't not disagree, we agree to disagree as gentlemen.

SPEAKER_03 31:17

Yeah.

Road Funding And Rising Costs

SPEAKER_05 31:18

What are some of the challenges that are coming up maybe next budget year, uh whether it be in your district or countywide, that y'all are gonna have to really grapple with this time around?

SPEAKER_02 31:28

Um my my biggest thing, my biggest thing from what I hear from my people are people really want to see their roads maintained.

SPEAKER_05 31:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:38

People really want to see their roads maintained. And uh and we're doing all we can do now with the budget we have. Um now these are rounded numbers. My first year in office, we had, I think I had$370,000 to do uh overlay with road maintenance. Repaving old old asphalt.

SPEAKER_03 32:00

And that doesn't go very far when it comes to that type of work.

SPEAKER_02 32:03

Not since 2019. Everything started in 2020, started going through the roof. Yes. And cost have doubled and tripled, and that may be, that may be, you know, I may be, could be could be quadruple. Uh I'm just telling you that it's gone up, and you can't pave, repave as far as you used to could for a dollar.

SPEAKER_03 32:27

I tell you, if someone gets belligerent, not telling you how to do your job, but if they get belligerent with you, tell them to get on a motorcycle and go over to Clay County and just travel in the back roads there, and if they survive the trip, they will come back and apologize to you.

SPEAKER_02 32:44

And listen, I can agree with that. You know, um every everybody thinks that their road is the worst road in the county. The worst road in the county is the one in front of their yard. But the truth is there's only one road in the county that's the worst. Okay. So but which road is that? We don't come on. But but um it, you know, it's a joint effort. I networked with Tyrone Cunningham, the road manager, um Zach Foster, our county engineer with Neil Schaefer, uh, on which roads are the worst and which roads need what. Um we we really it's not just a throw-a-dart type deal. We really try to be strategic with what we do. Um, but the main thing is the budget. I knew right off the bat, I said this ain't gonna work. So I started immediately talking to my fellow supervisors one-on-one. Hey, look, this paving budget, this this maintenance budget is not gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna get behind. We'll never catch up. And so, so this past it was$370,000 for me in year one, year two, I think it was like four, four thirty, four forty. And then uh this this year coming up, the third year, I'm right at$500,000 in my in our normal road plan budget. And and so my goal is to work with the other supervisors, stay creative, and try to figure out ways to to pave and and and and maintain and overlay more roads. Because I believe that's where the people see it, see it the most. And when people pay taxes, I'm a firm believer that when people pay property taxes, that they don't really mind as much as long as they see a return on that investment. And I'm trying to give the people that. Zach brought up, you know, us raising the millage. Um in the past, you know, sometimes the tax assessor ch changes the assessment and things go wrong. But now that happens. Right. But um but as far as the board raising the millage, now that hadn't happened a lot. And in in my opinion, that's where we got kind of lagging behind, is cost of goods have gone up, cost of service have gone up, and uh you got to get the money from somewhere to take care of the people. And and so, but it anyway.

SPEAKER_05 34:58

Well, one thing that I've always found that since we're reopening that, one thing I cover the city uh and I cover the county.

SPEAKER_04 35:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 35:05

During that reassessment year where everything went up 20% and everybody came down a little bit on their taxes, the city came down more than than any other entity. Uh that's the schools and and everybody else. Um and even with them going down as much as they did on the millage, it was still gonna be more taxes that they were gonna collect. And you would have thought that they'd asked for everybody in Columbus's firstborn. Those uh those public hearings were madhouses of people just it was just they were they were just making a trail to the microphones. Don't do this, don't do this, it's crazy. I won't, you know, I won't stand for it. Well, I don't agree with this. Y'all went up the most, or y'all went down the least, I guess I should say, on the on your mill rate. Y'all took the most of the 20% of any other entity. Nobody came to say anything. Why?

SPEAKER_02 36:06

Uh I believe people see that that they're gonna get a return on their investment. I mean that we're working hard and and for and Lanas County's blessed, and I do believe it will return.

SPEAKER_05 36:16

How do you feel about where y'all are on Cinco and how do you feel about the new link guy? Have you uh met him?

SPEAKER_02 36:23

I I feel I feel like um I feel pretty good about Cinco. Um it like I said, it was already it was already in the works before I ever even ran for office. Um it was already the the previous board pretty much are it was already a done deal, which I I'm for economic development. I ran on that on that platform, and I still stand on it. I told the people, hey, I'm I'm gonna be uh gas pedaled down on economic development. That's just what I believe. I believe it, I believe everything hinges on that. And and even though you talked about the the the debt service is gonna come back. We're gonna we're we're in the end when down the road from now this uh this is all be history and and Lyons County is gonna be blowing and going, I promise you.

SPEAKER_05 37:04

So to the second part of that question, how uh uh how do you like that link hire?

SPEAKER_02 37:08

Okay. Um I am fine with it. I don't know the guy, um, and I have not met him yet.

SPEAKER_05 37:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 37:15

But now I have been told that he intends to meet with all the supervisors and and get to and kind of make get a formal meeting where he can get to know us, we can get to know him. I have not met him. Um I'm I've trust I trust our our uh our board, our link board to to make the right call. And um and I get but I guess the proof of the proof of being the pudding, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 37:38

Well relating to that. There's a few out there, actually a good number, who say, you know, this is probably enough, right? That simply put, we've got the mega site we currently have, we have Cinco that's under development, but seeking tenants. But after that, some people are like, you know, maybe we just need to kick back and focus on retail and maybe not try to turn into a big metropolis that we're not meant to be for various reasons. Do you sympathize with that thought?

SPEAKER_02 38:10

I do a I do a little. I mean, I I would say at some point enough's enough. I would say that that that you know at some point we could have what all we need or all we that we can handle. I mean, you gotta have a workforce to to to for those places to operate. Uh but now I'm I'm I'm sitting here making a promise to that. No, but I am kind of keeping my I'm kind of keeping my um you know, testing the winds on that as we move forward. Um I I I what you say could very well be true. Also, land.

SPEAKER_05 38:41

Before Mr. Higgins left the lane, one of the things he was talking about was, you know, Lowndes County's r uh running out of industrial land.

SPEAKER_02 38:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 38:50

I mean, is that something that do you agree with that or do you think I know I do agree with that?

SPEAKER_02 38:55

I mean, land is not making any more land.

SPEAKER_05 38:58

Right.

SPEAKER_02 38:59

And and th those kind of sites are gonna be few and far between.

SPEAKER_05 39:03

So Cinco's got to be what, coming up on the last mega site that Lowndes County's gonna have? Could could be. Could very well.

SPEAKER_03 39:09

Well, you either have to kill cotton or chop down trees at a certain point.

SPEAKER_02 39:14

So I but listen, I really think I wrote you know, by the time we land land a project, and then that project develops, and then all of the spinoff comes in around it, we're gonna be 10, 15 years down the road. And we'll we'll we'll revisit. You'll be in your what, fourth term on the supervisor? If I'm blessed enough to to because it listen, while we're on the microphone and you brought that up, I will say, I will go ahead and publicly say this that I am going to run again. I'm going to re-qualify this coming January and then run for a second term.

SPEAKER_03 39:49

All right. And you heard that right here.

SPEAKER_05 39:53

Kind of switching gears a little bit to something that uh uh David and I kind of saw that you might be um playing with some advocacy for. Uh this uh Lux Creek Park and and seeing that maybe come back to life. I don't I I know that may not be necessarily in your in your county direct purview, but I I know that that's something that's on a lot of people's minds.

SPEAKER_02 40:16

Yeah, it it is, and I've had I've had quite a few phone calls about it. Um I had I had a c I had a phone conversation with Chuck Younger about it last week. Um let you know, I think that's something that me and maybe Chuck and maybe Jeff Smith and maybe I've talked to Andy Boyd about it, a representative. Well, that's something we may start digging into uh real hard come into spring, first of summer, to start trying to to probe that and navigate through that and start some discussions with the core.

SPEAKER_03 40:47

Well, it's a very emotional thing because a lot of people have this nostalgic kind of um vibe when they think about it. Oh, back in the day we used to go out there and picnic and and and throw some bait in the water, see what we could pull out of there. But the reality is, and I'm just hearing word off the street, is that the roads are crap, everything's grown up, uh, you got a little bit of crime maybe going on out there, and I've even heard, I don't know if it's true or not, but like the electrical grid is just shot out there. What's the condition of that place?

SPEAKER_02 41:25

This is what I do know talking to the core guy, the core reps, is is that the city had it, I'm gonna back up here. The city had it from had a little had a 25-year lease on it from from 2000 or 2001. One and it was gonna go through 2026. But the city got out of that early.

SPEAKER_05 41:44

Twenty three twenty-two or twenty-three.

SPEAKER_02 41:46

The core kept it open for another year or two and saw that it was just a uh, you know, just a uh endless battle. They didn't have the resources to maintain it, they didn't have the resources to police it. So for safety and health reasons, they shut it down. Health. That's what they that's that's what they said. Okay. For safety and health reasons. I want to say that they might even had a tent colony living out there at one time, down in old, down in an old picnic area. And that's how the uh electrical get electrical grid got got damaged was is they people vandalized it and scrapped it for for metal, scrap metal.

SPEAKER_05 42:24

Well, there seems to be a lot of interest. There's a Facebook group trying to revive the park, it's got something like 200 and some odd followers last time I looked at maybe more than that.

SPEAKER_02 42:32

Probably in my district, and some are in Jail Smith's district. Look, I'm gonna I'm gonna give listen, I'm gonna throw this out there. Um the Lux Blata Creek Park is in District 4.

SPEAKER_05 42:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 42:44

Well, no, just I'm kidding. I so the it is in District 4.

SPEAKER_05 42:48

Right.

SPEAKER_02 42:48

But but a lot, but a lot of people in my district are in interested in it in it maybe one day being functional.

SPEAKER_05 42:55

Well, I mean, do you see the county as uh an entity that can come and say, okay, if the city doesn't want to run it as a city park, will the core let the county run it as a county park and and y'all invest in it that way?

SPEAKER_02 43:08

That is the road Zach, that's the road we're gonna go down. And just explore it. Look, I am not making any promises. I learned well, I didn't learn, I knew better. I don't don't make promises. Just tell people you're gonna look into it, you're gonna work hard on it, and that's that's what I guarantee that we're gonna do. We're gonna look into it, we're gonna dig into it. I I had I told I told uh uh David on the side the other day, I actually have had some talks with a private individual about a lot on uh uh some acreage on the river that maybe the county could buy and build a park, build a uh boat ramp for the community that would be easy to maintain, easy to patrol, and not have all the issues that you have with the luxe, but that deals just um I'm not gonna say the any names. I'm just gonna say that that that conversation has gone cold.

SPEAKER_05 43:56

Do y'all have any kind of idea of what it would take? Uh

SPEAKER_02 44:00

uh from a cost standpoint we do we we do not back in the in the eighties when i was a teenager and and i i lived a mile from there i grew up at the Lux Plata Creek Park. I mean all of my adult life up until I would say up until about maybe maybe 2000, 2010 or 12 in that range, I had a boat, I had a I had a boat most of my adult life. Either either a fishing boat or a ski boat. From 1990 all the way to to 2010, you know, I was on the river and we used that that landing most of the time. Sometimes we would go down south to Nashville Ferry. It was still open at the time. But um so but yeah so I I got some uh sentimental uh you know uh ties to it as well I grew up there using it and um but you know I like I said I I don't want to make any promises uh but I I do think we need to go down that road and and see what that looks like and um and we'll go from there but you're right the Corps of Engineers is a is a branch of the United States Army and they are led by a four-star general I mean you just don't tell them what to do. Right you work you just don't tell them what to do but then when it when it is open or when it was open back in the day you had to have you had to have the local law enforcement to patrol it the local game and fish people had to be involved and have a presence down there. I mean you and of course you're working with the core yeah I mean so it was a lot of moving parts and it takes a lot of people and a lot of departments to really make it work. It's just not something you can snap your fingers and say okay we're gonna do it. I I'm just throwing things out there but uh we'll know more when we dig into it.

SPEAKER_05 45:44

Okay well I certainly look forward to seeing how that goes I know there's a lot of interest in it and uh parts are always a good thing if you can have them.

SPEAKER_02 45:51

Yeah I agree. I do um I mean listen we're gonna we're gonna I I want to I want to uh pursue all options I want to turn over every leaf on this deal let's see what we can figure out.

SPEAKER_03 46:02

One of the goals of between the headlines here is we just put things out there to help people understand the complex nature of what happens in leadership, county government, city government and on that note, just thanks for coming here today and giving us an explainer about the Lux Creek Park which may or may not ever happen but if it doesn't there's reasons for it and I believe the good Lord has things in store for the friendly city and the county of Lows. So Mr. Andy Williamson District 3 supervisor here on Between the headlines thanks for coming in today. Yes sir well Zach it's always a pleasure to have our local elected officials in here I'm glad that they are uh at least transparent enough to make these interviews and um and make a good show for us.

Three Headlines To Know

SPEAKER_05 46:58

I enjoyed talking to Andy today. Well what are three things I need to know all right three things to know number one PACR cut the ribbon Wednesday on expansion and improvements across its Lowndes County campus 209 million investment includes a 50,000 square foot engine remanufacturing plant and will add a hundred jobs.

SPEAKER_03 47:19

That that sounds quite promising um they had to do some layoffs a while back you think they'll get some folks back on board? I don't know.

Share The Show And Sign Off

SPEAKER_05 47:29

Okay interesting food for thought what's number two number two Columbus Municipal School District is moving forward with the building a five point four million dollar gym at Stokesbeard Elementary. That's nearly double the$2.8 million in bond money the district originally planned for the facility. However, that plan did not meet the city's storm shelter specifications as we've discussed in a previous episode so the updated plan will create a gym that can shelter almost a thousand people in a major storm including some members of the public at first come, first served bases. Pray tell where they got that idea, Zach Number three please number three, the city's landfill on Armstrong Road may close permanently as part of an effort to get Columbus out of the landfill business altogether. The facility for rubbish and construction waste is reaching its capacity with MDEQ estimating it has about two years of useful life left. The council will decide Tuesday whether to only allow public works to use it moving forward, which would expand that useful life or extend that useful life while the city plans its transition to using the regional landfill in West Point for those services in the future.

SPEAKER_03 48:40

All right well thank you Zach and thank all of you for listening to us here for today. Find that one friend of yours that needs to know what's happening here locally so they can listen in together we can make our hometown a better place. Tips at cdispatch.com keeping it real here in Catfish Alley Studio in historic downtown Columbus.

SPEAKER_00 49:00

Your host has been Zach Plair I'm Dave Chisholm y'all stay friendly I'm just a simple old country boy but um I think that makes sense I've stepped out and I've said what I had to say you've been listening to Between the headlines with Zach and David.

SPEAKER_04 49:16

That's what old people do that it is Peter Imes, publisher of The Dispatch.

SPEAKER_00 49:26

One of our hosts of Between the headlines is the managing editor of our newsroom typically we try to keep news and opinions separate but reporters have a unique insight into the workings of local government and their analysis can be helpful for readers and listeners. The Dispatch remains committed to journalistic integrity and our reporting will always reflect that.