A former business school professor and grant writer who is looking to represent Delta municipalities and counties as a lobbyist in Jackson spoke to the Leflore County Board of Supervisors during their meeting Monday.
Abe Hudson Jr. said he’s already reached agreements with two municipalities to represent them before the state Legislature.
“I believe that there are just not enough resources coming back to the Delta, and a lot of that is because we don’t have the voice there fighting for us,” Hudson told the board.
Although Hudson was originally seeking a one-year contract, he suggested working for the board on a trial basis for a six-month period at $1,750 per month.
“It would give us an opportunity to get to know each other, you all could see the kind of work that I produce and the results that I produce and hopefully we’ll want to change some of those figures later on because of some of the results I achieved,” Hudson said.
District 1 Supervisor Phil Wolfe appeared interested in Hudson’s suggestion.
“If we fall short on anything, it’s probably lobbying in the state Legislature,” Wolfe said. “The county, a lot of times, comes up late on these bills. We get in high gear when it’s coming up for a vote. That’s the wrong time to be trying to get your ducks in a row.”
District 2 Supervisor Robert Moore suggested Hudson might be able to work on business and industrial issues for the county and suggested he speak with the Greenwood-Leflore Industrial Board.
“If I see a pressing need for us to do lobbying at the Legislature, it’s in that area,” Moore said.
The board decided to look over Hudson’s proposal and reconsider the matter at a later meeting.
Also Monday:
nThe board approved Chancery Clerk Sam Abraham’s request to repurpose a Solid Waste Assistance Grant to acquire a vacuum trailer to clean out roadside dumps and to help remove litter and debris from the side of roads.
“It’ll pick up cans, bottles, stuff like that,” Abraham said. “It’s strong enough.”
Jimmy Gibson, director of solid waste for the county, received permission to travel to Arkansas to look at the machine. The grant is for slightly more than $15,000, but Abraham said the trailer will cost around $18,000, meaning the county will likely have to pay the difference.
nLa’Keylah White of the North Central Planning and Development District received permission to readvertise for a construction contract for work on a mobile home.
The bid had been awarded to Alonzo Evans at a previous meeting, but White said Evans informed her that he intended to decline the contract.
nLeflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks received permission to send one of his deputies, Fred Randall, to North Carolina to train a new dog for the department.
Banks said that the Department of Homeland Security was paying for the dog and the training but that the county had to cover Randall’s travel expenses. Banks said Randall will also receive additional training on how to handle the new dog.
• Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
