A rose to International Paper, the newest member of our industrial community. IP completed the purchase of seven facilities owned by Weyerhaeuser Thursday. The purchase includes the cellulose fiber mill and modified fiber mill, both located in Lowndes County. In its 40-plus years of operation here, Weyerhaeuser has earned a reputation for being a good corporate citizen and every indication is that IP, based in Memphis, Tennessee, will continue and build upon that relationship. No lay-offs are planned, which means all of our Weyerhaeuser friends and neighbors will remain. We welcome IP to our community and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.
A rose to the Golden Triangle Boys and Girls Club, who hosted national Boys and Girls Club president Jim Clark in town this week. The Columbus and Starkville facilities enrich the lives of 211 children after school on a daily basis. Perhaps more important than the number is the experience those children are having. Clark reported at a dinner Thursday night the percentage of children having “great” experiences at our local programs far outpaced the national average. Local director Nadia Colom, her staff, the board and volunteers should be commended for making our Boys and Girls Club a model program.
A thorn to Lisa Wynn for her exercise in pointless self-aggrandizement in the manner in which she announced she will not run for the mayor’s office next year, but instead seek reelection as Starkville’s Ward 2 alderman.
Wynn “requested” city department heads assemble at city hall on Thursday. Because department heads report to the board of alderman, the request carried the weight of an order, which meant department heads were required to adjust their schedules to comply with her request.
Vice mayor Roy A. Perkins said Wynn had no authority to summon city leaders to meet. Beyond that, Wynn’s actions demonstrate an inflated sense of self-importance. Other officials are content to make announcements about their political plans without such grandstanding. Wynn should be no different in that regard.
A rose of appreciation to Dave Bassinger, who will be retiring at the end of the month after more than 25 years as the Chief Financial Officer for Lowndes County. Bassinger’s calm demeanor, accommodating nature and almost encyclopedic knowledge of county government and finance will be hard to replace. His successor, Golden Triangle Regional Waste Management Assistant Director Lloyd Price, certainly has some large shoes to fill. We thank Bassinger for his service to our community and wish him every success in his well-earned retirement.
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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