EDA Effort On Track Following First Meeting

COFFEEVILLE – The newly appointed nine-person board representing Yalobusha County’s economic development interests went to work Monday morning following an informal meeting with supervisors.
    The diverse group includes five appointments from supervisor representing each beat, an appointment from each municipality in the county and an at-large representative. Following introductions in the “first Monday” supervisor meeting in Coffeeville, the board went upstairs to the courtroom.
    The  Yalobusha County Economic Development Authority (EDA) appointees consist of Earl Gibson Jr., Ray Hawkins, Keith Miller, Walt Moore and Jane Dean Wortham as county appointees. Mack Dudley, Bob Tyler and George Booker round out the city appointments and Eddie Ray will serve as the at-large trustee.
    “I am very excited to have this board together,” Supervisor Tommy Vaughn said adding that the diverse group would each bring something to the table.
“We are at the point right now that we are ready to move forward, and we have the team to do it,” Vaughn continued.
    Supervisor M.H. “Butch” Surrette added that the board’s organization was a milestone for the county as he officially dubbed them the “Dream Team.”
    “We are ready to get some kind of economic development in our county. It doesn’t matter where it is at,” Supervisor Bubba Tillman told the group – adding it was time to move forward in the county.
    “This board will help you all we can,” Tillman said, a comment Supervisor Amos Sims reiterated.
    The first goal of the EDA will be to elect a chair-person for the group, and attention is then expected to shift toward hiring a full-time economic development director.
    During the Monday session, the EDA selected a meeting date next Tuesday at 9 a.m. as their first official meeting.