John Crow’s Experience And Dedication Were Invaluable To Yalobusha County
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John Crow dedicated 40 years of his life to service to Yalobusha County as board attorney. His dedication was recognized by the Yalobusha County Board of Supervisors after he retired in 2021 with the adoption of a proclamation honoring his service. Pictured at the ceremony were Crow and his wife, Jane, and son, Shannon (top row); and current and former county officials including (front row, from left) Bob Tyler and former supervisors Butch Surrette, Bailey Walker, Bill McMinn, Henry Dean Gray and Bubba Tillman; and (back row) Daniel Martin (Crow’s law partner), Gaylon Gray, Lee McMinn, Eddie Harris, Kenny Harmon, Tommy Vaughn, Amos Sims, Janet Caulder, Frank Hyde, Cayce Washington, Ken Rogers, Linda Shuffield and Amy McMinn.
DAVE’S WORLD
By David Howell
There was noticeable laughter in the courtroom back in April, 2021, when John Crow said he always got along with press pretty good. The occasion was adoption of a resolution honoring Crow’s 40 years of service to Yalobusha County as board attorney. A large crowd had assembled, his friends along with current and former elected officials in the county.
Then came the disclaimer.
“David and I had a rocky beginning,” Crow told the crowd and another round of laughter followed.
He was right, there were some rocky years when I first started covering the Board of Supervisors meetings in 2004. I still had a lot to learn and John didn’t cut me any slack. He taught me a little about humility and I found out his knowledge about governmental law was very strong.
I also learned a few things about John along the way. He was fiercely loyal to Yalobusha County and the five supervisors elected to handle the business of the county. I believe John was one of the best government law attorneys in the state.
John started as board attorney in 1981, only six months after opening his firm. He explained that the Board of Supervisors wanted someone young, and John admitted he filled the bill.
“I didn’t even know which courthouse to go to,” he recalled as he went to the wrong courthouse for his first meeting after he was hired.
One of the most complex issues John helped guide the county through came in 2007 when Windsor Foods purchased the former beef plant facility in Oakland. The beef plant had closed three years earlier and it was a huge deal to bring a new plant to the site.
The county’s involvement was an important piece of the puzzle, the county owned the infrastructure and property at the 105-acre site. Windsor purchased the lease from the county for the 33-acre property tract where the facility is located. Another part of the agreement included water and wastewater treatment provided by the county.
It took five months of negotiations and the final agreement spanned 125 pages. It was an intense time best summed up by former supervisor Tommy Vaughn in a 2007 story.
“When you get down to final negotiations and had to say no, it was tough,” Vaughn explained as each entity jockeyed for the best deal.
The legal expertise from John protected the county’s interests and helped create jobs. Windsor launched with 150 jobs with the promise of 100 more within three years. The plant was later acquired by Ajinomoto and has grown to one of the county’s largest employers.
John Crow served the county for 40 years.
I don’t think it is a stretch to say that John was one of the most important players in this transaction at the county level. There were frequent closed door meetings during this time as John and the supervisors hashed out the details. Typically frequent executive sessions are indicative of a board that shies away from transparency, and that is usually not a good thing. There were several op-eds in the Herald about the frequency of these closed door meetings.
In retrospect, I came to realize it was a complicated deal that necessitated the closed door meetings.
Another two years passed before Larry Hart finally brokered the peace between John and I. Larry asked both of us to come to his office in 2009, shortly after he won a mayoral election. I don’t remember exactly what was said, but after that meeting we buried the hatchet and had a good working relationship with only a few hiccups along the way.
I remember John’s remarks after the proclamation was read during the 2021 meeting. He explained that he tried hard not to take sides in the boardroom, especially when supervisors were split on a contentious issue. He felt his role was to provide blunt advice about what the state code said without adding his opinion.
John’s son, Shannon Crow, who followed in his father’s steps as board attorney, read the proclamation aloud as the meeting came to a close.
“WHEREAS, throughout his career, John J. Crow, Jr. served the Board of Supervisors by advising and assisting the board with day-to-day legal issues, by representing the interests of Yalobusha County in numerous legal matters. And by always advocating the best interests of Board of Supervisors and citizens of Yalobusha County;
WHEREAS, John J. Crow is one of the finest and well-respected Government Law attorneys in the State of Mississippi and previously served as President of the Mississippi Association of County Board Attorneys;
WHEREAS, for forty years John J. Crow has provided wisdom and sound judgment to the Board of Supervisors of Yalobusha County regarding consequential decisions,” the resolution stated in part.
The sentiment shared during that meeting by all of us was John’s passion and dedication as board attorney had a strong impact on the county.
“This county is a better place because of John,” Board President Cayce Washington stated.
I didn’t get to see John very often after he retired but our paths would cross on occasion and we would talk about old times. We also chuckled about those early days. During those conversations, there were two things he talked about most – his grandchildren and how he missed serving as the board attorney.
I am going to miss John.
