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MAYOR PERKINS THWARTED IN EFFORTS TO TAKE OVER CRAIG FIELD AIRPORT AND INDUSTRIAL AUTHORITY
6-28-07



          Mayor James Perkins' efforts to take control of the Board of Directors of the Craig Airport and Industrial Authority has been thwarted by Governor Bob Riley. We are told that influential Selma and Dallas County economic and political leaders were determined that Perkins not get control of the Craig Board. Our opinion is that he would have ruined it just as he has ruined City Government.

          Governor Bob Riley announced today that he is appointing retired Selma businessman Buddy Perkins to the Craig Airport Authority. THE APPOINTMENT OF BUDDY PERKINS DEMONSTRATES THAT MAYOR PERKINS WAS OUT MANUVERED AND OUT THOUGHT BY SELMA'S BUSINESS LEADERS.

          The Craig Board is set up so that the Probate Judge, with the approval of the County Commission, appoints two members and the Mayor, with the approval of the City Council, appoints two members. The law establishing the Authority in effect gives the Probate Judge and the Mayor two appointments because the commission can not nominate anyone. They can only vote the nominees of the Mayor and Judge down. THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED. If it did, the Mayor or Judge would keep nominating people until one of their nominees was approved.

          HOWEVER, the FIFTH member of the Authority is a JOINT appointment by the Mayor and Probate Judge. They must agree on ONE PERSON and the governing bodies must approve that person. HERE IS WHERE MAYOR PERKINS GOT EGG ON HIS FACE.

          For many years, retired postal employee, civic leader, and African-American, Johnny Brown, had been the joint appointee of Dallas County and the City of Selma. Brown has done an excellent job and is the CURRENT Chairman of the Authority. BROWN'S TERM ENDED IN MAY.

          As he has done before, the Probate Judge nominated Brown to continue to serve on the Authority. THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN NO PROBLEM, EXCEPT THAT WE HAVE AN EGOMANIAC AS A MAYOR, WHO IS, AS SENATOR SANDERS SAID, "A CONTROL FREAK". So, Mayor Perkins decided he would play hardball and nominated Gary Crum as the City's nominee for the joint appointment. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, THE COUNTY AND CITY HAD NOT AGREED ON THE JOINT APPOINTEE - THANKS TO MAYOR PERKINS EGOMANIA!

          If the County and City can not agree on one person, within 60 days, THE GOVERNOR MAKES THE APPOINTMENT TO THE AUTHORITY. We thought Perkins nomination of Gary Crum was highly unusual because Perkins is the Chairman of the Dallas County Democrat Party and Crum has recently come out of the closet as a Republican who campaigned for Governor Riley. BUT PERKINS WILL DO ANYTHING to have his own way. He was convinced that Riley would appoint his supporter Crum to the Authority, supposedly giving Perkins three of the five appointees on the Authority: James Mitchell of Wallace College, who DOES NOT EVEN LIVE IN THE CITY OF SELMA, BUT WAS APPOINTED BY PERKINS TO REPRESENT THE CITY ON THE AUTHORITY, Frank Smith, the Mayor's kinsman, and the Republican Crum.

          BUT THIS TIME, THE WORM TURNED IN A MOST UNEXPECTED WAY. There was only one man in Dallas County the RILEY listens to more than Crum..his friend from high school and college days, BUDDY PERKINS ( NO relation to Mayor Perkins ). Business and political leaders in Dallas County and Selma urged the Governor to appoint Buddy Perkins to the Authority.

          According to Councilman Dr. Cecil Williamson, he was notified this morning by the Governor's Appointments Secretary that the GOVERNOR HAD APPOINTED BUDDY PERKINS TO THE AUTHORITY. We believe that this is good news. The Craig Authority as well as the EDA have done an excellent job of getting jobs for Dallas County. THE AUTHORITY DID NOT NEED TO BE MESSED UP BY A MICRO-MANAGER LIKE MAYOR PERKINS. If you want to see how James Perkins manages things, LOOK AT THE SELMA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY FINANCE DEPARTMENT.

          We do not know who was involved in the process of getting Buddy Perkins appointed to the Authority, BUT WE SURE CONGRATULATE THEM ON A JOB WELL DONE - AND ARE DELIGHTED THAT MAYOR PERKINS HAS BEEN PUT IN HIS PLACE - AGAIN!!!