| 316 W. Commerce St. | Hernando, Mississippi | 38632 | 662-429-4414 | fax 429-0952 |  |
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From the Chairman
Roe Ross, First Security Bank, 2006 DeSoto Council Chairman
There’s an old cliché that says, “There is no ‘I’ in team.” While we certainly see that this holds true in successful sports teams, it has shown itself to be abundantly clear when it comes to getting things done in DeSoto County.
Riverbend Crossing, the largest development project in the history of DeSoto County, is soon to become a reality, thanks to a true team effort by local and state officials and members of the private sector. Developer Bill Phillips, president of Phillips Development Company, sees real potential in DeSoto County and is willing to invest a lot of private money to make the project happen. However, he needed help from the DeSoto County team to make it happen.
Jim Flanagan certainly deserves credit for helping to bring the team together. The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors showed their team spirit by approving measures to allow county funding, and Supervisor Bill Russell put forth an admirable effort to ensure that his district receives the attention it needs. Walls Mayor Gene Alday and the Walls Board of Aldermen have agreed to annex the area where Riverbend will be located. The efforts by local leaders are to be commended.
However, more than just the local team was needed. Enter lifelong DeSoto County resident Senator Doug Davis, who made sure our Governor saw the need for a special legislative session. And Representative John Mayo, despite his membership in the opposite party from Davis, put aside any partisan differences and worked with the Senator to get both teams of the State Legislature, the House and Senate, to agree to pass a financing and incentives bill during that special session. Finally, Governor Haley Barbour scored the final points for the team by signing the bill into law.
It’s been an 18-month-long game, but the DeSoto County team pulled together to make sure that the score at the end was one that made the people of DeSoto County the true winners. The future is certainly bright for the Riverbend Crossing development. If officials in DeSoto County and the State of Mississippi continue to show such teamwork in the future, one can only imagine the great things the future holds for our community.