Continue with the process

Published 9:21 pm Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A lot of thought and organization went into the process for selection of the next two members of the Selma Water and Sewer Board.

The task of seeing how to fill the expired spots of the Rev. Lee Goodwin and Councilwoman Bennie Ruth Crenshaw fell in Councilman Corey Bowie’s lap as chairman of the Selma City Council Administrative Committee.

Bowie went first to council members, who said they did not want to be on the water board. Then, he went outside the council and asked for applicants.

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Twenty-eight citizens answered the call and turned in resumes.

Those interviews begin today in public.

During Tuesday night’s city council meeting, some council members said they wanted to vote for one of their own to sit on the board of directors. The council already has a representative there, Councilman B.J. Tucker. Mayor George Evans is the water board superintendent.

Why does the city need more than two representatives on this particular body?

Additionally, members of the council who wanted consideration for one of the two posts had ample time to write and send a resume to the administrative committee, just as the other hopefuls had done.

Crenshaw said she would not apply for a post she had held already. Well, that’s fine. Crenshaw may take a break.

Before she left the council meeting Tuesday night, she fired a couple of missives about the water board being technical and needed someone with experience to catch nuisances.

Crenshaw is not the only one bucking the process. Councilwoman Susan Keith said she would like to be on the board. Dr. Monica Newton has said she would support a council member for one of the vacated slots before casting a vote for one of the other candidates.

Citizen-led and operated boards have worked well in cities and town all over the country. There’s no reason to hamper the administrative committee by throwing up obstacles after the process has begun.

Looks at the applicants for water board reflect this city’s wide diversity, racially and socioeconomically. Some good people have offered up their time to sit on this board.

When the 10 or so finalists are listed as under consideration by the entire council, Crenshaw and others who have said publicly and privately they would like to sit on the board or see a council member on the board should select the best two candidates who come out of the interview and get on with the city’s business and that of the water board.

Enough is enough already.

Leesha Faulkner is director of digital media for The Selma Times-Journal. She may be reached at 410-1742 or e-mail her at leesha.faulkner@selmatimesjournal.com.