Down on Dowdy...and Hudson

"Delta Watcher" is Dubious of Dowdy:

There is another side to Ms. Dowdy that many in the city don't know about. While many comment that she would be better than Mayor Hudson, be advised that there is a whole group of people out there who have felt the wrath of Ms. Dowdy because they had the audacity to question her, challenge her or take a position opposite of what she supports.

One could recite her experiences with groups like the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Mississippi Delta Advertising Federation, Washington County Republican Women, the Mississippi Delta Air & Balloon Festival among others where she literally took control and then put in her hand selected group of friends on those boards. And without exception, membership and participation in those groups dropped off while she was president.

The only exception was the Chamber because the Chamber paid $5,000 while she was president to have a lady come in from Texas and run a boiler room operation to get new Chamber members so Ms. Dowdy's looks good while she's president. While president of the Chamber of Commerce, all one had to do was look at the executive board and see who was who and how they got on said executive board. She picked her friends from her Leadership Washington County class like Ross Reily with the DDT, Darren Lehrmann with WXVT, David Bush with Planters Bank (all vice presidents on the executive board and all in the Leadsership Washington County class.)

Oh you could also through in Darrell Annis, formerly with AmSouth Bank whom she had selected as president to succeed her but he took another position in Arkansas with Regions Bank. Well he was in the Leadership Washington County group, too. Now let's not forget that she also had appointed to the Chamber board other Leadership class members like Wendy Nicholson with Lamar Advertising, Ronnie Taylor with MasterFoods USA, Whitney Dinkins now with some Christian group, Philip Doiron with the YMCA and Iris Stacker with DRMC and Jewell Lockhart (token black representation on the Chamber board).

So while some of you say that she will be fair and work with all segments of the community and is color blind, you just don't know the real Ms. Dowdy. She will people her administration with her friends and supporters (almost all white). In fact, a look at her campaign committee led by another friend, former boss at Kings Daughter's Hospital and another Chamber board member Beth McKnight as well as Beverly Ford with Shamoon Advertising.

Now if that isn't enough, she had a direct hand in the departure of Bill Seratt with the Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. When two openings became available on that board, she had the two Chamber positions on the WCCVB given to Benjy Nelken and Brad Hathaway (also a friend of her's with the county Republican Party) who both just happened to dislike Seratt and wanted him out. Those were the two votes the board needed to make life difficult for Seratt who finally said I'm out of here. Now we have Tommy Hart with the Industrial Foundation.


Now Tommy may not be the sharpest guy in town but Ms. Dowdy also wanted him out, too, because he has the audacity to challenge her in several confidential meetings with the Chamber and the Foundation. She told her executive board in a executive board meeting earlier this year that Tommy had to go because he was hurting economic development in the county. Well he's out as the director of the Foundation. Now third on Ms. Dowdy's "hit list" is Betty Lynn Cameron, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce.

Now when Ms. Cameron was off work due to her arthritis condition, Ms. Dowdy and then Chamber president Dick Clark were over heard several times over lunch at the Greenville Country Club and at Sherman's basically plotting to change the Chamber operation to better suit them and what they wanted to do. Before running for mayor, Ms. Dowdy had told her confidential friend Terri Lane with Delta Regional and Lynda Edwards with the American Heart Association and Ms. McKnight that she wanted to be the Chamber director after the merger was completed and a new executive was hired.

She is just as conniving and back-handed as our current mayor. Now all this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ms. Dowdy.Just how the whole Chamber and Foundation merger came about is an even more enlightening story - especially for the black community. You think she is color blind - you ain't heard nothing yet. She's as racist as they come. The black power structure and many black business people have seen through her charade.

One final point with this posting, is that she was told by Mr. Republican Clarke Reed and Planters Bank President Chuck Jordan not to run for mayor. Now I don't agree that someone should try and prevent someone else from running for public office, but when the Republican power structure in the city and county strike a deal with Mayor Hudson that they will not support Ms. Dowdy if the Mayor does a quid pro quo on an airport grant, that should tell everyone something. Ms. Dowdy is also aware that she doesn't have their support.

Both candidates are sad, vindictive, power hungry, media hounds and insecure when it comes to operating without their select group of friends behind them (notice didn't say at her side because few if any will ever be at their side because there is simply not enough room.) And just wait till you hear about Ms. Dowdy's cozy relationship with the DDT like Ross Reily and Publisher John Clark for media coverage and the suppression of negative news while she was Chamber president. That information comes from inside sources at the DDT and the Chamber.

Let's not just blindly think Ms. Dowdy is so cute and hard working that she'll make a good mayor. We will only swap one tyrant for another. Both are fashion horses who buy their clothes and shoes outside of Greenville. Gosh, I thought we were supposed to "Buy Here!" Hmmm!

More on all this later. This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Hold on to your hats - especially Ms. Dowdy supporters. Hillary Clinton would be a choir girl compared to what Ms. Dowdy's been up to but more on that later.

Wow! This reads like a "who's -who?" of Greenville. To characterize this writer's opinion of Mrs. Dowdy is that she is "self-confident, opinionated, net-works effectively with friends and is a strong proponent for change". Are these her worst political traits or perhaps her strongest?

"Delta Watcher" is obviously not a fan of either mayoral candidate, describing them both as vindictive, power-hungry, media-hounds who rely on their friends and supporters for strength. Again, I have to ask... for political candidates, are these traits a "slam" or a "slam-dunk"?

Regardless of who wins the mayor's race in December, Greenville has a very long way to go. With Mayor Hudson's election 4 years ago, we have now effectively demonstrated that age, gender and race are not significant characteristics of political success. We need to get beyond these petty physical traits and focus on the common problems that plague everyone in the Delta... crime, drugs, unemployment and a shrinking tax base.

No one person can turn Greenville around. It will take everyone of all ages, races and socio-economic levels to simply quit accepting "the way it has always been" and collectively unite for positive change.

Forthright

PS... As for both candidates being "fashion horses", I don't believe I will be betting in that race!