Council wrong to defund CAO position

I rarely speak out on issues of public policy, but I feel inclined to make an exception regarding the recent Meridian City Council decision to manipulate the executive branch of our city government by defunding the position of Chief Administrative Officer.

As a lifelong public servant myself, I know there are always details and complexities to any issue that are largely unknown to the general public, and I have no doubt the council’s recent action against the CAO is rife with such issues. Nevertheless, our government has functioned effectively through the years because our elected officials were disciplined enough to stay in their respective lanes, so to speak. The council has crossed a line that should never be crossed.

I applaud council members George Thomas and Fannie Johnson for voting against this measure.

History has repeatedly proven that the ends do not justify the means. No matter how valid the council’s grievances with Mr. McAllister, this is not the right way to address them.

Troy Dukes

Meridian

Thanks for ‘Country Music’ screening

What an outstanding day for Meridian and Mississippi as we were highlighted in both Philadelphia and Meridian screenings of the Ken Burns documentary “Country Music” on March 29 as a first look for this fabulous upcoming focus on the development of “our music”! The world knows some about us but when this worldwide documentary premiers in September 2019 they will know “the whole story” !

A large debt of gratitude is owed to Hartley and Mary Peavey who hosted the event at Peavey Electronics, to Chris Pigott and PBS for bringing it here, to Mississippi Public Broadcasting and Ronnie Agnew, Bill Allison and Angela Ferrez for entertaining us in fine Mississippi style.

But most of all we want to thank Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan, Florentine Films and all who envisioned, researched and produced this phenomenal masterpiece. They portrayed us in the most detailed complimentary way by telling our story focusing on three chords and the truth. Our history, our love of music, storytelling, preservation and perpetuation of the magical development of America’s music will now be known to the world and once again Jimmie Rodgers, Marty Stuart, Charley Pride and many others who sing our songs will describe in the most entertaining fashion how we reached this milestone.

The Meridian Star, WTOK-TV, our local radio stations and many others helped to promote the screenings and our audience was mesmerized by what they saw. We all left happy and proud to be a part of this great day and the journey that led us to it. If you came we loved having you there and your appreciation of the importance of the event and if you missed it we missed you but there will be a chance for all of us to enjoy the whole package of 16 hours of “Country Music” on worldwide TV and on MPB right here in Mississippi beginning Sept. 15. So Save the date and prepare for a historic, entertaining episode of first class documentary film.

And remember … thumbs up Jimmie Rodgers, after all Bob Dylan recognizes you as “the man who started it all.” Meridian’s own native son, The Father of Country Music, The Blue Yodeler and The Singing Brakeman!

Betty Lou Jones

Former president of The Jimmie Rodgers Foundation