Delta Council brings Delta family together
by JOE MEEK
DBJ Managing Editor

s held May 7, 2004, at the Delta and Pine Land Theater of the Bologna Performing Arts Center on the campus of Delta State University. As Council President Dan Branton expressed it, “The Bologna Center is just a beautiful place for the annual meeting, and Dr. Hilpert gave us the weather we needed for a nice gathering of the Delta family.”

Truly this organization, which has served the eighteen county Delta region since 1935, is as much a family as any business entity can be. The members annually gather on the Delta State campus for serious discussions but also for an old-fashioned “dinner on the grounds” catfish picnic among friends. It’s debatable as to whether more substantive matters are decided in the official council sessions or around the luncheon tables loaded with food.

The Council was fortunate this year to have as its keynote speaker the Honorable Haley Barbour, Governor of the State of Mississippi. Governor Barbour is never shy about claiming his Delta roots, and this special kinship made his appearance at the council meeting even more meaningful. His address came during the waning days of the 2004 legislative session, and council members were treated to some down-to-earth insights into how the governor hopes to solve problems currently facing our state.

In his speech, he started by stating his optimism about the Delta and by praising the positive impact new industries like Faurecia in Cleveland and Textron in Greenville will have. He then lamented the fact that legislative inaction might interfere with even more industrial development in the region and across the state. Specifically, he stressed that the state, and the legislature in particular need to “...take the bull by the horns and face up to our problems and deal with them.”

It was abundantly clear that tort reform was one of the most pressing of those problems he referenced. Governor Barbour received a positive response from the assembled council members when he expressed his desire to end what he described as the abusive use of the state’s court system which was crippling healthcare and business opportunities. He stated that, “Lawsuit abuse is driving the cost of doing business in Mississippi to intolerably high levels.” He further vowed that he would call the legislature back into special session if necessary to address this issue. The Senate has backed his efforts for tort reform during the regular session, but according to the Governor, the House members have never been given a chance to vote on the reforms he has suggested. Barbour insisted that he would call the legislature back as many times as necessary until this issue is finally resolved.

On matters related to education, Governor Barbour gave visiting faculty and administrative officers from the higher education system a reason to smile when he mentioned the $100 million dollars added to community college and university budgets. He explained that this increase was justified since the higher education budgets had suffered substantial cuts in previous years.

His comments about the K-12 education budget were more problematic. Barbour explained to the audience that to create what he called an “honest budget,” some cuts had to be made. The Governor proceeded to explain to council members that most school districts in the state put aside some 5% of their state appropriation each year in an emergency fund. He explained that most districts had enough “rainy day” money set aside to handle any budget shortfalls that might exist during the coming year and explained that his plan was simply to cut state K-12 funding by the 5% surplus amount - in effect asking the districts not to save that extra money during a year when all state budgets are under pressure. While aware that this will mean some hardships in certain districts, he insisted that such a move would be the most fiscally responsible course for the state to take.

He further explained his other initiatives to save money by changing corrections policies, shifting some Medicaid costs, and working to reduce the price of prescription drugs. While realizing his efforts will likely not meet with perfect success or universal agreement, Governor Barbour still concluded on a positive note telling council members that in his opinion, “Solving today’s problems puts us in a position to seize tomorrow’s opportunities.” While it is likely that the Governor’s proverbial “ears must have been burning” during the luncheon following his speech, there is little doubt that Delta Council members were most grateful to have the honor of his presence at their meeting and his support of their efforts.

In other Delta Council sessions during the day, numerous achievement awards and recognitions were made. The Aquaculture Award went to Dr. Lester Spell with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture, while the Cotton Ginner of the Year was Cliff Heaton of Lyon, Mississippi. In production awards, Gibb Steele of Hollandale was recognized for his work in rice production, Aguzzi Farms of Cleveland was named Soybean Producer of the Year, Jimmy Hollingsworth of Hollandale was named Conservation Farmer of the Year, and Dr. Robert Lewis of the U. S. Forest Service was recognized for his efforts in Hardwood Forestry. Scott Coopwood and Travis Satterfield (Bolivar County Co-Chairmen) were honored for their outstanding work as Membership Chairmen, and Dr. Larry Heatherly, USDA-ARS, Stoneville, was named Researcher of the Year.

Memorial tributes were offered for Rick Parsons of Vance, George Spears from Mound Bayou, and Burrell McGee of Leland. Special recognition was given to Seymour Johnson of Indianola and Al Rankins of Greenville, with Lucille Hairston of Belzoni being honored as this year’s Good Middling Lady. Recognition of the Delta’s Top Honor Graduate went to Cleveland’s Rachel Wheeler.

While the seersucker and khaki suits, the big hats and bow ties have by now been pressed and put away for another Delta Council family gathering next year, the business of the council never stops. New officers have already taken the lead and will work for the coming year to see that the multifaceted interests of this rich Delta region are being addressed at all levels. With such a committed group of supporters, there can be no doubt that the 70th Delta Council Meeting will once again highlight even more success stories. DBJ