Saturday, November 10, 2007

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!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's disturbing that this forum is being used to slam various individuals by name, by people who don't have the courage to sign their OWN names. --- Melanie Tucker

Anonymous said...

It's so hard to take seriously any attacks such as this, without sufficient (or in this case, any) sourcing. This seems extraordinarily personal in nature which, I assume, is why it has been posted here as opposed to a newspaper or any other media that would require substantiation on the writer's part. Personal attacks are easy, particularly now that we have the internet. I would think that if candidate Dowdy had participated in even a fraction of the scenarios presented here, at least ONE media type would have loved to expose them. Perhaps this lengthy personal attack is the product of the above referenced Republican power structure to secure the airport grant. Now that seems plausible to me, considering that politics be it local or national, is generally a putrid soup of coniving jealousy, greed and selfishness. Now that part of the diatribe seems plausible, however, without adequate sourcing, I suspect we'll never know. This, sadly, is what all politics be they local, state or national have become. It's unfortunate for America.

Anonymous said...

The very "tone" of this article suggests that the author has a personal vendetta against Kim Dowdy. The litany of names dropped further substantiates some previous "clash" of political ideas. I think that this article only bolsters Kim Dowdy's campaign as one who is not timid about seeking change for Greenville.
As the author suggests, if they are both such terrible candidates, then we have nothing to lose by giving Kim Dowdy a chance!

Anonymous said...

No good choices for this race - just pick the worst of two evils...who knows which one that is!

Anonymous said...

As far as Dowdy goes with surrounding herself with friends...who wouldn't? She should be surrounded with people she can trust and lean on during the campaign.

I have to agree with with another reply to this diatribe that the author is someone who themselves is vindictive and perhaps a bit jealous because they don't have the kahunas to step up and be willing to sacrifice their self like Dowdy and Hudson has.

There are plenty of wanna be's in this town and none of Dowdy's team are. Those mentioned like Lane, McKnight and Ford are all doers and not takers. All generous with their time, financial resources and collective brain power along with Dowdy have been working for years already to make Greenville a better place and I would imagine continue to do so with Dowdy in office or not. It is going to take a team effort regardless of who holds the office of mayor and my money is on Dowdy because she has proven ever since she has lived here that she cares about what goes on here.

I personally take offense at calling Iris Stacker and Jewel Lockhart token chamber board members! Delta Watcher obviously does not not know dip about either one of them or else DW would know better to spew such racist nonsense. Let's get race out of this mayor's race and look at who will be the best mayor. Each of you have to make that decision. But don't let an over zealous wanna be with what appears to be a complete lack of self control and what my aunt used to call diareha (sp?) of the mouth lend any credibility to the mayor's race. Honestly, if the argument that Dowdy and Hudson are clothes horses and that is what were supposed to base an intelligent decision on - Delta Watcher should refrain from posting to this blog.

Anonymous said...

I don't know Kim myself but Being a patient of Doctor Dowdy Kim's Hubby,
a down to earth people person. I must say that if she is down to earth like the Doctor >> She has my Vote!!<<

Anonymous said...

I have worked with Kim Dowdy in the past and she is totally pro-Greenville. Unlike Mrs. Hudson who is a pawn for her father, Kim will be here when Heather has "gone to Washington".

Anonymous said...

Anonymous has written an acrimonious diatribe about Mrs. Dowdy. Clearly the writer is seeking to impeach her with unfounded claims. His attempts to discredit her with allegations of racism, collusion and fraternization are with intent to discredit her abilities while hiding behind anonymity.

This writer is D.L. which does not allude to down-low. Certainly this is a cowardly attack with poor intentions. Shame on you.

Wayfarer

Anonymous said...

Who cares!!!! Greenville is on it's last breath and will soon be a footnote in history.

Anonymous said...

Slamming aside, as long as Forthright and Delta Scoop allow both candidates' supporters to outline their perceptions of "pro" and "con," there's nothing malicious to report.

To the "Campaign to Elect Kim Dowdy," welcome to the campaign circuit! Being a public official, you should expect scrutiny - both and fair and unfair.

Fire Back!

Anonymous said...

I would like to see some printed facts on the accusations. Not some hearsay or maybe something someone just made up to gripe.
Let's see some cold, hard, printed facts.

tencent

And Ms. Tucker knows who I is. :)

Anonymous said...

I want to address Delta Watcher's rant paragraph by paragraph and clear up the absolute pile of crap laid out before us!

What may be considered "wrath" by Delta Watcher is just Yankee honesty. Dowdy speaks clearly and gets to the point. Maybe Delta Watcher doesn't understand what it means to be honest?

Hand select group for boards: Dowdy has been around Greenville for a long time and I think she probably knows by know who will pull their weight on a board and actuall do what they are supposed to and not just take the position to fluff their resume. Delta Watcher did you get your feelings hurt perhaps you weren't asked to be on one of the boards you mentioned?

Chamber $5k membership drive: During Dowdy's reign as president was not the first time the chamber has done this. First of all, this was not a decision she could have made alone and second of all - it worked. Call the chamber at 378-3141 and ask for details after all it is your chamber of commerce.

Leadership Washington County class members as board members: Well duhhhhh! If you're trying to build and nurture the future leaders of Greenville then you're going to give them some responsibility and kick their tail and see what they're made of. I just keep getting a wierd feeling that Delta Watcher may feel passed over....

Don't mess with Iris and Jewel: Anyone who has lived in Greenville for any length of time knows Jewel Lockhart and what an incredible man he is. Nuff said. Same goes for Iris Stacker except she is an incredible woman! Delta Watcher - you're just misinformed or just missing... I don't know yet which you are.

Dowdy's campaign team: Her choice and who cares what color they are. What matters is what they bring to her campaign: friendship, support, ideas, etc... I am comforted by the fact that Dowdy has friends because I am beginning to think our current mayor only hangs out with her boy toys. I never see her in what I would call a friendly moment. Friends keep people grounded, accountable and humble.

WCCCVB & Bill: Poor Bill, he just could not get out of Greenville quick enough and of course we all miss him, but Bill left on his own steam for many reasons besides a board and staff that he could never get to agree on anything. Bill did a wonderful job and Dowdy had nothing to do with his departure.

The Center: Don't know enough about this to really comment, so please someone else jump in here and help.

Betty Lynn Cameron: When Betty Lynn was out for her first surgery, Dick Clark, Chamber president at the time, basically worked at the Chamber every day. While there, Dick cleaned the books up and got the GACC back in the black. Dowdy followed Clark's lead and kept the place running for 18 months! No hit list, but the community does recognize it is time for new leadership in the area of economic development.

Clarke Reed is a Republican, Republican, Republican, Republican, Republican! Duhhhh - who do you think he will vote for???? His brain simply can't comprehend voting for a Democrat! But, he is also savvy enough to say what he needs to get what he wants - he ain't the grand daddy of the Southern Republican Party for nuthin'...

Chuck Jordan - just change his diaper and let's move on. He will do whatever Clarke tells him to.

If you really want to get the truth, call Dowdy yourself and ask her! Ask her what she believes in! Hell, call the mayor and ask her what she believes in, but I will guarantee you this - you'll get Dowdy on the phone faster than you will the mayor! You'll be the luckiest person in Washington County if the mayor even bothers to return your call.

Anonymous said...

Hey Delta Watcher! What's that you say?????

Anonymous said...

'whats that you say' please don't make us endure that nonsense here too - its enough to stomach on television