Harvey Myrick is the final name filling out the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau board roster.
Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Harry Sanders made the selection last Thursday after he and Columbus Mayor Robert Smith came to a compromise.
“The mayor gave me a list of 12 people, and we agreed on Harvey Myrick,” Sanders said, noting Myrick will be sworn in before today’s CVB board meeting at 4 p.m.
“He’ll be sworn in prior to the meeting start, so he’ll be an official member.”
Myrick started the Grilling on the River event, an annual barbecue cooking competition involving teams from around the country, and his experience with festivals and work on various boards is valuable to the organization.
“He’s had experience on running festivals, which gives him some experience as a board member,” Sanders said.
Myrick also has worked for the post office for 25 years.
“He’s a lifelong resident of Columbus and knows the city very well. He knows what’s going on,” Sanders said.
Sanders and Smith previously disagreed about who should be the ninth board member.
Smith initially recommended local Democratic activist Claude Simpson in August, but Sanders objected because he felt Simpson would bring party politics to the CVB.
Sanders recommended Eat With Us Group CEO John Bean, Mississippi University for Women Interim President Allegra Brigham and Cadence Bank Vice President John Davis. However, none of the suggestions were approved by Smith.
The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and Columbus City Council passed an ordinance in February creating a six-member board, which is in compliance with state code, but the ordinance includes a petition to the state Legislature for an interlocal agreement which would expand the board to nine members.
“State law says a CVB board is six members,” Sanders said, “but we wanted to expand it from six members to nine members. So, in order to do that, we had to get special legislature and have the legislature approve it, and they did that at the latest regular legislative session.”
The city and county each appoint four members and a ninth member is jointly appointed by the mayor and Board of Supervisors president. Both entities appoint two at-large members and two industry-specific members.
Mayor Smith was not available for comment regarding the selection, and Myrick did not want to make an official statement.
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