Welcome AndreaContinue readingShuijerSchruijer to a great opportunity as the new Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)!
For a year I’ve been asking for a list of jobs attracted by the Authority. We welcome your marketing expertise so we’ll know the Authority’s successes!
We welcome your communications expertise to inform the community affected by the process of bringing new jobs. VLCIA could publish its agendas, minutes, and videos of its meetings, events, and new jobs on its web pages, and facebook, maybe even twitter.
We welcome your stewardship of the Authority’s $3 million/year in taxes. Maybe some
Tag Archives: Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority
The health of the community is way more important than the job —Leigh Touchton
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She also brought up an incident with Brad Lofton and recommended that VLCIA hire an executive director who wouldn’t act like that.
And she said she deals with VSEB all the time:
I’ve taken men through there, I’ve signed them up.She referred to me when she said that, so what I said before is appended after the video.
Here’s the video:
The health of the community is way more important than the job —Leigh Touchton
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Acting Executive Director,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 17 May 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
What I actually recommended regarding VSEB, in response to a specific request from Leigh Touchton for recommendations, was maybe schedule a meeting with Roy Copeland to talk about VSEB and solar job opportunities: Continue reading
“I’m obviously here on one issue.” —Karen Noll @ VLCIA 14 June 2011
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She began with these words:
I’m Karen Noll. I hope some of you already have seen my writing and have read my letters to you in the past. I’m obviously here on one issue. I hope that in the future I can be talking to you about other issues. But right now I’m talking to you about biomass. And we celebrated that it was dead and it was gone and now it’s not. Because we really don’t know … what the plan is.By “we” I’m guessing she meant WACE. Some of us who are not members of WACE warned that it ain’t over until it’s over, and it only took a week to discover that VLCIA already knew Sterling Planet wanted to buy the proposed biomass site.
Karen Noll made a pitch based partly on saving taxpayer money. In addressing health concerns, she handed the board a letter from local doctor Craig Bishop. She handed the board a petition with “at least 700 signatures” and she said for each signature there was probably at least one more that didn’t sign. Some of what she said appeared to be drawn from a letter that is appended in this post after the video.
Here’s Part 1 of 2: Continue reading
How does the hierarchy work? —Mario Bartoletti
![](http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/4NbyCPSZ8Vk/default.jpg)
Sticking to their current policy of never answering directly anything said in Citizens to be Heard, the board did not answer. (My opinion follows in a separate post.)
More about Dr. Bartoletti in this writeup in the VDT by David Rodock of 25 April 2011.
Here’s the video:
How does the hierarchy work? —Mario Bartoletti
Irregular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Acting Executive Director,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 June 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq
For the children —Matt Flumerfelt @ VLCIA 14 June 2011
![](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5143/5836725268_efdcc58757_m.jpg)
![](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5118/5836725912_2211577a0e_t.jpg)
Here’s the video:
For the children —Matt Flumerfelt
Irregular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Acting Executive Director,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 June 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq
Nominated VLCIA Officers for FYE 2012
![](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5035/5836654848_3416a914db_m.jpg)
Roy Copeland pulled a very sour face at the news.
Mary Gooding asked Roy Copeland if he was willing to do it,
and he said,
I’ll let you know next meeting.
![](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/5836108251_2306067905_t.jpg)
They clarified that they elect officers next meeting.
I don’t know when the next meeting is,
but since their fiscal year ends 30 June 2011,
presumably some time before then.
Given that nobody else seems to want especially the hot potato
of the Chairman’s job, it seems a safe bet that Roy Copeland is it.
Continue reading
Musical protesters @ VLCIA 14 June 2011
![](http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/Fqh4qub4RN4/default.jpg)
Here’s the video:
Musical protesters @ VLCIA 14 June 2011
Irregular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Acting Executive Director,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 June 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq
Transparency and leadership for the local good —John S. Quarterman @ VLCIA 14 June 2011
![](http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/358fkAwneKA/default.jpg)
Recalling that I had previously had the audacity to read their own charter to them, or at least the parts about the general good and welfare of the community, I reminded them that some areas that had successfully attracted industry, such as Raleigh, NC, Austin, TX, and Portland, OR had said what kinds of industry they wanted. Expanding on the example of Austin, TX, I noted that they emphasized clean industry, music, and arts, and that helped attract the kinds of knowledge-based workers that our local Chamber of Commerce wants for knowledge-based jobs.
Then I noted that I had complimented Mayor Fretti Continue reading
Why all those VLCIA special meetings?
![](http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/VN5ftvOQ0Mo/default.jpg)
MinutesThat’s right: no indication of what the meetings were for.
- Special Called Meeting, May 17, 2011
- Executive Session, May 17, 2011
- Regular Meeting, May 17, 2011
- Special Called Meeting, May 20, 2011
- Executive Session, May 20, 2011
- Special Called Meeting, May 21, 2011
- Executive Session, May 21, 2011
- Special Called Meeting, June 7, 2011
- Executive Session, June 7, 2011
I was told outside afterwards by one board member that the special meetings were for Continue reading
Videos from VLCIA board meeting of 17 May 2011
![](http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/Xr8aaaHt_4o/default.jpg)
Operating at a slower pace VLCIA 17 May 2011 Part 2 of 2:
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Acting Executive Director,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 17 May 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq