The Delta Regional Authority's federal co-chairman says the only thing preventing the Delta from moving in the right direction is the attitude of its people.
"One of the greatest hindrances we have is our own self-image," Pete Johnson said during a Rotary Club meeting Monday.
He also said members of the Delta region, which is composed of 240 counties in eight states, have seen an "out-migration" of people desiring better value for their dollars.
"People want to go where the opportunity is," he added.
Johnson said he thinks people have seen the Delta decline for a number of reasons. "My job has been to look at what has happened over the past 20 to 30 years, figure it out and turn it around," he said.
Johnson said the Delta Regional Authority, which has been in place since 2001, is looking at a long-range plan to restructure spending in the region.
"Our infrastructure is woefully inadequate, and we must make sure people are getting a good return on their investments," Johnson said.
As far as changing the attitude of the people in the region, Johnson acknowledges that he does not have the answer. "We've got a hard-working staff committed to finding an answer," Johnson said, calling Greenwood and Leflore County "a shining star in this whole program."
Johnson also said "in the end, the one who wins is the one who thinks he can."
The purpose of the DRA is to stimulate economic development within the region in order to relieve economic distress.
The program is led by a federal co-chairman, a position currently held by Johnson, and the governors of each participating state. The states included in the region are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
Johnson was nominated for his position in March 2001 by President George W. Bush and was confirmed by the Senate in September of the same year.
Johnson previously served as Mississippi's state auditor and state director of the Farmers' Home Administration as well as chairman of the Mississippi Marketing Council. A Rotarian, he practiced law in Clarksdale before assuming his current post.
