George Swales reportedly has resigned his position from the board of the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.
Swales, who was succeeded as board chairman July 16 by DeWitt Hicks, resigned his position, effective Aug. 15.
Efforts to reach Swales on Thursday were unsuccessful.
CVB board member Whirllie Byrd said she learned of the resignation from a “citizen” and called CVB Executive Director Nancy Carpenter to confirm.
“Of course, I was disappointed to learn about it,” Byrd said, this morning. “I wish our director, Nancy Carpenter, could have notified the board about his resignation. I had not been notified and from what I understand, at least two board members had not been notified.
“I will say George has been a valued asset to the board and I feel fortunate to have served with him on this board,” she added. “It’s just disappointing he’s leaving at this time. We’ve got a lot going on.”
Byrd was not the only Board member caught by surprise by Swales’ resignation.
“In all honesty, I was not aware he was officially resigning,” said Board member Mark Castleberry, who called Swales a “true gentleman.”
“He’s a great guy and I hate to see him go. George is a very good chairman and we greatly appreciated him. George never had a political agenda. I have a great deal of respect for him for that.”
Carpenter could not be reached for comment Thursday morning.
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