Staff Report

DEMOPOLIS &045; Sen. John McCain and Gov. Bob Riley are scheduled to attend the Governor’s Black Belt Action Commission 2-Year Anniversary event, which will be held today at 2 p.m. at the Demopolis Civic Center.

The meeting will highlight accomplishments from all 13 subcommittees that make up the Black Belt Action Commission.

Riley and McCain will start their day at a Partners in Education breakfast in Mobile, then will make a campaign stop in Chatom before heading to Demopolis.

The 2-Year Anniversary event is being hosted by Demopolis Mayor Cecil Williamson and the City of Demopolis. It is open to the general public.

The Black Belt Action Commission was created by Riley through an Executive Order.

The BBAC is made up of 13 committees ranging from education and health to infrastructure and community development. Gov. Riley formed the Action Commission in order to bring together citizens from around the state to listen to the problems facing the Black Belt region of our state and to work together to solve these problems and to improve the quality of life for citizens in the region.

State Sen. Hank Sanders and Margaret Bentley serve as co-chairs of the BBAC. Doni Ingram, acting director of the Alabama Department of Economic Affairs, serves as executive director.

Alabama’s Black Belt region is made up of 12 mostly rural counties. The region includes Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Pickens, Perry, Sumter, and Wilcox counties.

The civic center is located at 501 N. Commissioners Ave.