Roses to those who helped to carry out the democratic process on Tuesday, the day of statewide and county primaries. It”s a brave move to run for local office, and the area seemed to have a bevy of qualified candidates to choose from. Roses also go to voters who exercised their right to choose; poll workers, who dedicated their entire day plus hours of training to man the voter precincts and help voters cast their ballots; and circuit-clerk office workers, who worked into the night to get results counted.
Staying on the election note, Clay voters deserve roses for showing up to the polls in force. More than half of the county cast ballots in the primaries. Other Golden Triangle counties” voter turnouts were slim by comparison. About a third of voters cast ballots in each Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties.
A thorn to candidates whose races are over and who”ve left their campaign signs cluttering the sides of roadways.
Bill Brigham was out past 11 Tuesday night, picking up his “litter,” as he called it, just after finding out he had won the Republican primary (and so the race) for Lowndes County District 2 supervisor. Other candidates, both outright winners and losers, should follow suit and gather their signage, which is now just an eyesore.
Roses to the near 1,500 community members who participated in Columbus” Night out Against Crime, Tuesday. The Columbus Police Department hosted the event at five locations — the East Columbus Gym, Sim Scott Park, Charles Brown Gym, Sandfield Community Center and Avenue A and B on Southside — in an effort to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the community.
Through the event, the community members get to know officers and each other.
“That was the big goal was to work on that rapport with the community and the police department,” said Columbus Police Department Community Affairs Officer Rhonda Sanders, who coordinated the event.
The mayor and City Council made themselves available at each site, Tuesday night, after the City Council meeting, to meet and greet.
A rose to the Mississippi State University Extension Center for donating computers to students in Smithville, as the town struggles to recover from April tornadoes that swept the area.
The main school campus remains under repair, and construction will last through the school year. Classes will be housed in temporary modular classrooms until the campus is rebuilt.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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