The city council appointed three people, including first-time board member Nadia Dale, to the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau Tuesday.
Dale, the Columbus Municipal School District outreach coordinator, is now an at-large member, along with Whirlie Byrd, while attorney DeWitt Hicks Jr. fills the Historic Homes seat.
The city appointees join those of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors: industrial representative Bart Wise, hotel representative Mark Castleberry and at-large member George Swales.
The appointments follow a lengthy and public argument between the two governing boards about the CVB ordinance. In a compromise earlier this month, the boards agreed to expand the CVB board to nine members after gaining approval from the Legislature. Meanwhile, the board will be composed of six members to comply with state law.
Rep. Gary Chism is planning to bring a bill to that effect “very soon,” said Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin, who moderated the meeting Tuesday while Mayor Robert Smith was in Washington, D.C., for a meeting with local congressmen.
“We”re hoping very soon — any day now — to see that bill introduced,” Gavin said. “And we don”t see any reason for legislators not to (approve it).”
If the Legislature approves the change, the council and supervisors are expected to each appoint another member, and jointly appoint the ninth.
But without that measure in place, the council had to make a “tough” decision Tuesday about who to appoint out of a list of 12 candidates, said Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens.
In choosing Dale, Hicks and Byrd, the council rejected the applications of former CVB members John Bean, Dixie Butler, John Davis, Glenn Lautzenhiser and David L. Sanders.
“Whichever way you went, someone was going to be left out,” Mickens said.
Speaking of Dale”s appointment, Mickens said the council decided to “go young this time.”
“I don”t have a problem with that,” he added. “You see things with young eyes that others sometimes don”t see. I strongly believe we should bring the youth into play.”
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