The dynamics of the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors could change a lot — or not at all — depending on how Columbus councilmen vote on two vacant board seats Tuesday.
The council, which meets 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Columbus Municipal Complex, will have four candidates to choose among: incumbents Whirllie Byrd and Nadia Dale and additional applicants Fred Kinder and George Lowe Sr.
Byrd is a long-time member of the board and has served as its president in the past, She also ran against Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin for that post during municipal elections last year.
Dale has served as Columbus Municipal School District’s outreach coordinator and recently became the regional director for Boys and Girls’ Club after having served as director of the Columbus Boys and Girls Club.
Kinder completed the remainder of Leon Speck’s term on the Columbus Municipal Election Commission when Speck resigned in 2012. Kinder also applied for the county-appointed CVB board position which went to Lester King when supervisors voted Feb. 4.
Lowe, who recently returned to Columbus after working in the music business in Atlanta, said in a recent comment on The Dispatch website that he has tried to call councilmen and explain why he should be considered for the position but said he has been met with statements from some that “they’ve already committed their support elsewhere.”
“The only thing I question is how can one make a final decision without having all of the information of all the potential candidates?” Lowe stated in the comment. “A lot of the above mentioned reasons are the reasons we often lag behind when it comes to growth and development as a community.”
The two appointees will serve four-year terms.
As previously reported in The Dispatch, there are also seven candidates for a vacancy on the Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees. They are: incumbent Aubra Turner, Greg Lewis, Willie Petty Sr., Clifford Reynolds, James Samuel, David Gatewood and Sylvester Marks.
Petty and Reynolds also applied for the county-appointed board position on the CVB board.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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