The Greenwood Tourism Commission will interview four candidates for the position of executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau in January.
The names of the four candidates were not revealed during the commission’s open session Monday. The commission discussed the candidates during a 30-minute closed session.
Seven of the nine commission members voted to move forward with the interviews. Steven Cookston cast the lone dissenting vote, and Karyn Burrus abstained.
The commission hired Logan Development Group in June to lead the search for a new executive director after Patrick Ervin resigned in April. Ervin had served for only five months.
The current interim director, Ashley Farmer, has an ongoing lawsuit against the commission, alleging she was passed over for the position of executive director because she is white.
The commission agreed unanimously to set the interview date for Jan. 9.
In other business, the commission also heard a proposal about a new youth baseball league for Greenwood.
“This proposal is to position Greenwood in the Delta area as the essential league for Little League baseball,” said board member Cyndi Long.
That was seconded by Willie Young, a former standout player at Mississippi Valley State University who later coached at Greenwood High School. Young, who is helping Long with the proposal, said the league would not only make Greenwood a hub for youth baseball but also serve as an activity for the city’s young people.
“We don’t kid ourselves,” Young said. “This is going to be a big job. It’s going to be a hard job.”
The main goal of the CVB would be improving the fields at Whittington Park to include amenities such as new scoreboards, batting cages, new fencing and other field improvements. Long said the improvements would allow local schools to use the fields for home games and tournaments.
The commission voted 8-1 to allow expenditures of up to $173.361 to fund the proposal. Cookston cast the lone dissenting vote.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
