The Greene County Democrat

Category: Community

  • Meet the Smith Family: Winners of the $429.6 Million Powerball

    BY CORKY SIEMASZKO, NBC NEWS

    images-3 

    Pearlie Mae Smith, second right, reacts as she sits with daughters Rene Bethina Smith, third right, and Katherine Nicole Nunnally, right, and five other children, not shown, as they talk about life after winning the lottery Friday, May 13, 2016 in Lawrenceville, N.J. Mel Evans / AP

     

    The Smith family — 70-year-old matriarch, Perlie Smith, and her seven children — were identified Friday as the winners of the $429.6 million Powerball jackpot.
    Oldest daughter Valerie Arthur, a recently retired prison administrator, said the winning numbers came to them “in a dream.” “We had divine intervention,” she said.  “That’s the only way you can explain how the numbers were chosen. It was through a dream.”
    Arthur said it was “big shock” when they found out they won and an even bigger shock when they realized they were the only winners. She said they are planning to use the money to pay off mortgages and student loans — and do some good in their communities.
    They are also bracing for phone calls from people they have not heard from in years now that they’ve been outed.
    “In about an hour, everybody is going to come out of the woodwork,” she said. “I know everybody in the Department of Corrections will be calling me. This was the 6th largest haul in the Powerball’s history. The winning ticket was purchased Saturday at a 7-Eleven in Trenton, New Jersey, lottery chief Carole Hedinger said earlier.
    Store owner Andrea Shin said on Wednesday, when she collected $30,000 for selling the prize-wining ticket, that she suspects the winner is one of her regular customers.
    “It’s great for the Trenton community to have something positive going on, ” she said. “Everybody is excited for the winner.”
    Arthur did not specify where her family was from. “We live in different cities,” she said.
    One of the lucky eight picked all the right numbers — 5, 25, 26, 44, 66 and the Powerball number: 9, Hedinger said.

    It was purchased as a cash ticket, so the eight will split $284 million. It’s worth the full $429.6 million only if the winner — or in this case, winners — opt for an annuity to be paid over 29 years.

  • Judge Brown rules for Greenetrack to return seized ‘bingo’ machines

    • At press time, the Democrat learned that Judge Houston L. Brown, Special Circuit Judge, dealing with matters related to gaming in Greene County, ruled in favor of Greenetrack and ordered the return of hundreds of electronic bingo machines and other records seized in the first raid against Greenetrack in July 2010.
      The judgment relies heavily on the specific wording in Constitutional Amendment 743, voted on by the people of Greene County, which permitted bingo, including electronic forms of bingo, in Greene County.
      A more detailed story on the judge’s ruling will be in next week’s issue of the Democrat.

  • Davis claims 41 years of Black Belt Blues

    By: Mynecia Destinee Steele
     

    Davis3.jpg
    Mr. Clarence Davis

     

    Mr. Clarence Davis has been around since the first Black Belt Folk Roots Festival, and he remembers it well.
    Clarence attended the first Black Belt Folk Roots Festival 41 years ago and he has not missed one yet.
    Davis says that he remembers when Jane Sapp, music and cultural instructor for the event, and other staff of the Miles College-Eutaw Program, started the festival. “I remember them going around trying to get people and musicians together,” said Davis.
    Davis has not only attended the festival regularly, but he also participates in musical performances. Davis was inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame in 2014. The City of Eutaw is privileged to have had Davis’ music grace its courtyard square every August.
    He plays what he calls Delta Blues. This style of music came from the Mississippi area during the ‘20s and ‘30s.Growing up, Davis fell in love with this style of music, and eventually taught himself to play blues on the bass.
    “I first started playing around with a guitar at seven”, said Davis. “But, I really started getting into it when I was 12.”
    Learning to play took lots of practice, but Davis was dedicated. He would listen to songs and mimic the sounds of other musicians until he sounded exactly like them.
    According to Davis most musicians during that time tried to imitate that delta sound. The music expressed the hardships that many people, especially farmers, were experiencing during that time.
    Davis went on to reminisce about some of the other original festival performers and musicians.  He clearly remembers that raw down-home sound. He particularly loved the way the performers played the hambone.
    There was something special about those homemade instruments said Davis. These instruments were reflective of our roots. And that is what the Black Belt Folk Roots Festival is all about.
    He misses the old time sounds of the festival, but he also appreciates the way that younger generations have taken on the tradition of playing at the festival, with their new school blues and hip-hop.
    Mr. Davis says that one thing he would love to see, before his last festival, is for it to continue to grow. He suggested that the event be moved to the local park.  This space would provide a larger venue, and therefore more vendors could participate and more people could attend.
    Davis emphasized how important this event is to the Black Belt community. “For a lot of the older people, this is probably the only time they really get to come out of the house,” said Davis. He said that this event is one time out of the year that the entire community is able to get together and have a great time.

  • BBCF awards $60,000 in grants to Arts Programs throughout 12 Black Belt counties

    Greene Co.-Woman-To-Woman.jpg

    L to R: Rev. Christopher Spencer, Vassie Welbeck-Browne, Johnnie M. Knott, Mary Beck, Darlene Robinson, Felicia Lucky.
     Woman-To-Woman , Inc. recieved a $10,000 grant to support the project, “Pathway to Nurturing, Strengthening and Changing.”   Greene County youth will use drama, dance and poetry to increase academic achievement, improve self-esteem, and develop communication skills.  Through this project, students will use several art disciplines to improve academics and creativity by working with community partners and professional artists.

    Greene Co. Art Grantees-Greene Co. Alumnae

    L to R:  Felicia Lucky, Rev. Christopher Spencer Andrea  Perry, Darlene Robinson and Braxton Carlilse. Greene County Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta:  $2,000 to support the DST Café project which will expose the community to a combination of arts by presenting creative expressions in  performing, visual and literary arts.

    Greene Co.-Society of Arts & Culture

    L to R: Rev. Christopher Spencer, Felicia Lucky, Debra Eatman and Darlene Robinson. Society of Folk Arts and Culture:  $3,000 to support the 41st Black Belt Folk Roots Festival which celebrates the culture, traditions and folkways of the West Alabama Region.

     

     

    •Greene County
    receives $15,000
    in grant awards

    The Black Belt Community Foundation, located in Selma, Al, awarded $60,000 in grants to fund programs throughout 12 counties located in the Black Belt Region to bolster efforts in the art programs.  The awards were presented in a ceremony at the Hank Sanders Technology Center, Wallace Community College, Selma, AL, on Saturday, June 18, 2016, to recipients who gathered for a day of celebration and fellowship.  Greene County received $5,000 in arts grant support for art related programs and a $10,000 Arts Education Grant.  The total of grant awards for Greene County was $15,000.  “The Black Belt Community Foundation has awarded nearly $3.2 million in grants to our 12 counties since 2005,” said Felecia Lucky, President of the BBCF.  It is gratifying to see the organizations and community leaders who work hard every day to transform our region through the arts gather together and attend the ceremony, which is a vibrant celebration of our mission.”
    This past April, community led organizations located in Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, and Wilcox counties were welcomed to apply for grants to support the arts.  The BBCF awarded $60,000 in grants  to arts initiative project.

  • Judge Brown rules for Greenetrack to return seized ‘bingo’ machines

    At press time, the Democrat learned that Judge Houston L. Brown, Special Circuit Judge, dealing with matters related to gaming in Greene County, ruled in favor of Greenetrack and ordered the return of hundreds of electronic bingo machines and other records seized in the first raid against Greenetrack in July 2010.

    The judgment relies heavily on the specific wording in Constitutional Amendment 743, voted on by the people of Greene County, which permitted bingo, including electronic forms of bingo, in Greene County.
    A more detailed story on the judge’s ruling will be in next week’s issue of the Democrat.

  • Eutaw City Council approves resolutions not to work on private property and for a new subdivision

    City Map

    At its regular meeting on June 14, 2016 the Eutaw City Council voted on several important resolutions affecting the City.
    The Council heard a report from Torris Babb, city engineer and building inspector that the plans for the resurfacing of Prairie Avenue from the Courthouse Square to Highway 43 have been approved and scheduled for bid advertisement This weeks Legal Notice section includes the formal solicitation for bids on this project, which is estimated to cost $ 500,000.
    Engineer Babbs also reported that he had approved building permits for T-Mobile and A. T. &T to do work in the city related to communications and cell phone services.
    The Council also approved a “Resolution Directing City Employees to Refrain from Entering Private Property.” The resolution states that, “No City Employee may perform work, while on City time, or allow the use of City equipment, upon any property that is not owned by the City of Eutaw, or covered by a current valid right-of-way or easement. The purpose of this resolution was to prevent cutting of grass, drainage work and other city services on private property.
    The resolution contains exceptions for the City to act and go upon private property in an emergency situation or where needed to protect the health and safety of the citizens of Eutaw.
    Babbs also explained that he had registered the plat map of the new Hattie Cove Subdivision on city land bordering Harris and Furse Avenues below the Eutaw Activity Center, in the Greene County Courthouse (Probate Map Book 4, page 2). There are four lots adjoining the streets that are available for sale now and once these are marketed the proceeds will be used to open streets and utilities for seven more lots.
    Mayor Hattie Edwards said the lots were selling for $8,000 each and two have already been optioned for housing development. Persons interested in the remaining lots should contact Mayor Edwards at City Hall to purchase them. A formal set of covenants indicating the rules for the subdivision will also be filed in the Courthouse to govern use of the lots.
    The Council approved bills and claims for the month of May 2016 and the meeting was adjourned in less than an hour.

  • Black Belt Community Foundation establishes England-Hardaway Endowed Scholarship Fund

    BBCG hardaway, England

    Participants in the launching of the England-Hardaway Scholarship Fund L to R: Cynthia Burton, Judge Eddie Hardaway, Judge John England, BBCF President Felicia Lucky and Greenetrack CEO Luther Nat Winn

    On Monday evening, June 13, 2016, the Black Belt Community Foundation launched the England-Hardaway Endowed Scholarship Fund for students from the Alabama Black Belt to attend the University of Alabama Law School.
    A reception was held at the UA Law School to launch and honor the two judges, for whom the scholarship is named. Circuit Judge John Henry England, Jr. of Tuscaloosa is a native of Perry County and graduated from the UA Law School in 1974. Circuit Judge Eddie Hardaway, Jr. of the 17th Circuit serving Greene, Sumter and Marengo counties, is a native and lifelong resident of Sumter County and graduated from UA Law School in 1977.
    The Board of Directors of Greenetrack Inc., a Black owned gaming facility in Greene County, made the initial pledge of $25,000 to begin the scholarship Fund. An endowed scholarship to the UA Law School requires a principal fund of $180,000 to generate annual revenues to support one full scholarship.
    At the reception, Felecia Lucky, President of the Black Belt Community Foundation explained, “This is our first endowed scholarship to honor two distinguished judges from the Black Belt, serving the Black Belt to make a way for future students from the Black Belt to have the opportunity to earn a law degree from the University of Alabama.”Lucky thanked Greenetrack and its CEO Luther ‘Nat’ Winn for providing the leadership and initial funding for the scholarship. Winn said, “Greenetrack wanted to recognize two outstanding judges, from and in the Alabama Black Belt – and to encourage young people to be able to attend UA Law School and contribute to the future of the Alabama Black Belt.”
    Judge Eddie Hardaway said, “I am humbled by this action to honor me and provide opportunities to young people from the Black Belt. I also want to thank Greenetrack, its CEO and Board of Directors for their leadership in this scholarship effort.”
    In his remarks, Judge England recalled the efforts of Ralph Knowles, a UA Law School faculty member who recruited him from Tuskegee and three other Black students from other colleges in Alabama – Michael Figures, Booker Forte and Ronald Jackson – to be the first Black students to attend the University of Alabama Law School in the early 1970’s.
    “After we were selected, A. G. Gaston, Black millionaire, insurance and bank president, agreed to provide scholarship funds for them to attend the school. “Since that time, I have been thinking about ways to give back to the law school. This will be a beginning, facilitated by Greenetrack, to make a way for someone to follow me and serve the community,” said England.
    England recognized his family members who were present, including John England III who is a Federal Magistrate in Birmingham and Chris England, who is a Tuscaloosa State Legislator. He also recognized Cynthia Burton, who was the office manager at his law practice, and John A. Bivens, his deceased law partner.
    England said, “One of my goals was to have Black judges in every county in the Black Belt and I think we have achieved that and this scholarship effort will make it possible to train additional lawyers and judges for the future.”
    Cynthia Burton, who is the Executive Director of Community Service Programs of West Alabama and Board chair of Maude Whatley Health Services, pledged $5,000 to the scholarship fund. She indicated that her contribution was to recognize the work of the late Attorney John A. Bivens, who was an integral part of the legacy of the England and Bivens Law Firm, which has done so much to nurture legal talent for Tuscaloosa and the Alabama Black Belt.
    More on the background of Judges England and Hardaway
    John H. England, Jr., a Perry County native, graduated from Tuskegee Institute with a B.S. degree in Chemistry in 1969 and graduated from the University of Alabama Law School in 1974. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Tuskegee University in October 1999.
    He began practicing law in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1974 and was elected to the Tuscaloosa City Council in 1985. He was appointed by Governor Jim Folsom to the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court in June 1993 and was elected to a full term in November 1994, where he served until he was appointed by Governor Don Siegelman to the Alabama Supreme Court in September 1999. Judge England served on the Alabama Supreme Court from September 1999 until January 2001. He returned to the Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama in January 2001 and was re-elected to the Circuit Court in November 2002 and November 2008.
    Judge England serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Alabama Systems. He is a graduate of the 1996 Leadership Alabama Class. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Circuit Judges Association and is a past president (2013-2014).
    Eddie Hardaway, Jr., a Sumter County native and resident, is the judge for Circuit 17th in Alabama. He is the first Black judge to serve on the 17th Judicial Circuit. Judge Hardaway received his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1977. He was admitted to the Alabama bar on April 28, 1978. Hardaway was a judge for the Sumter County District Court from 1980 to 1995. In 1995, he began working as a judge for Circuit 17. Judge Hardaway’s current term expires in 2018.
    At the end of the speeches, Felicia Lucky distributed contribution envelopes and encouraged the persons present to contribute to the Black Belt Community Foundation for the England-Hardaway Scholarship Fund.
    For more information about BBCF and to make additional contributions visit http://www.blackbeltfound.org or review BBCF on Facebook at “Black Belt Community Foundation”. You can also call or visit the BBCF offices at (334) 874-1126 in Selma at 609 Lauderdale Street or P. O. Box 2020, Selma. Alabama 36702.

  • Members file lawsuit to assert democratic rights Black Warrior Electric Membership Corporation holds ‘Annual Meeting’ in Choctaw County declares no quorum of members present

    By: John Zippert, Co-Publisher, Special to the Democrat

    Black Warrior meeting

    BWEMC members attend Annual Meeting

    The Black Warrior Electric Membership Corporation (BWEMC), which provides electricity to rural residents of Greene, Sumter, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Choctaw, Marengo, Hale, Perry and other counties held its Annual Meeting in Butler, Alabama, on Friday, April 15, 2016, at 9:30 AM.
    The BWEMC is a cooperative formed under Section 501c12 of the IRS code, in the 1940’s, to provide electricity and other services to rural areas not served by other public utilities. As a cooperative, the BWEMC is supposed to be democratically controlled by its users.
    Each person with an electric meter is entitled to one vote in electing the co-op’s board and making other major decisions.
    At the start of the Annual Meeting, after a welcome by Terry Barr, Board President of Nanafalia, Alabama, Woodrow Dinning, attorney for the BWEMC stated, “ This is not an official annual meeting because we do not have a quorum of the members present. We have 25,527 members and our bylaws require a quorum of 5% of the members or 1,276 members to be present to have an official meeting. This is an informal meeting of the members.”
    Dinning announced that there were only 49 members present, based on registration of members by their actual membership number at the door. There were additional “guests” present for the meeting who were not members.
    Research by the Democrat has shown that the BWEMC has not had a quorum at its meetings for decades, perhaps as far back as to the 1950’s. “The cooperative has used this lack of a quorum, to allow its board of directors to perpetuate itself, without any democratic input from the members. We have also determined that there are no African-American members of the BWEMC Board of Directors, which makes it unrepresentative of its membership in rural communities of the Alabama Black Belt,” said Rev. James Carter of Tishabee community in Greene County.
    Carter said, “Because of Black Warrior’s undemocratic record, a group of members from Greene and Sumter counties have filed a lawsuit against BWEMC to compel them to act in accordance with their by-laws, vacate the existing board, and hold an Annual Meeting where the members can elect a new and more democratic and representative board.”
    At the Annual Meeting in Butler, BWEMC’s general manager, Daryl Jones said, “Our cooperative has 6,717 miles of power lines and fewer member-users per mile (about 4 per mile) than any other rural electric co-op in the state. We have 64 employees many with years of experience maintaining our lines. Last year we sold 4.3 million kilowatt hours of power to our members at competitive rates.”
    Mr. Lance of Stewart Engineering in Anniston, Alabama, a consultant to the cooperative, presented a chart showing that the average BWEMC residential customer uses 1,175 kWh annually of electricity at a rate of 11.4 cents per kWh. He said this compares with a TVA co-op, which has rates of 13.3 cents; a south Alabama co-op with 13.4 cent rates and Alabama Power Company, which has 12.4 cent rates. The consultant stated, “BWEMC has some of the best rates and reliability of any utility in the state.”
    In the question and answer period of the meeting, members raised concerns about high power bills and increasing total power bills. Jones and Dinning responded by saying that members may not be using the most energy efficient appliances, heating equipment or have proper insulation in their houses. They said that BWEMC would provide staff to do an energy review of member’s homes and make recommendations to reduce energy usage. They offered no special programs from the cooperative to deal with improving member’s more efficient use of energy.
    Members questioned the structure of the cooperative, nominating and election procedures for board members, clarity on district lines for the election of board members and other issues. The officials of BWEMC who responded to questions did not give specific or satisfactory answers according to Rev. Carter and other members in attendance at the meeting.
    John Vester of Forkland made a motion to adjourn the meeting until such time as more adequate notice of a meeting, at a suitable time and place, could be provided. At first Attorney Dinning did not want to entertain the motion since it was not a formal meeting but after Rev. Carter seconded the motion, Dinning agreed that the members could adjourn and end the meeting. Vester, Carter and others are named plaintiffs in the lawsuit against BWEMC for its undemocratic actions.
    For more information on the BWEMC lawsuit and democracy campaign, contact Adriauna Davis at 205/652-9676 or adriaunasdavis@gmail.com.

  • Greene County School System recommended for accreditation

    The AdvancED External Review Team, following a thorough examination of the school system’s operations, has recommended the Greene County School System for accreditation. The specific recommendation states: “The External Review Team recommends to the AdvancED Accreditation Commission that the Greene County Board of Education earn the distinction of accreditation by AdvancED.”
    In its exit report to the board and community on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, the Review Team stated that the IEQ (Index of Educational Quality) results indicate that the system is performing within acceptable ranges as compared to expected criteria as well as other systems in the network.  The team indicated that specific recommendations for continuous improvements will be contained in the final report.  “These improvement priorities must be addressed within two years,” the team emphasized.
    The external review focused on processes that the school system has currently in place that stimulate and guide continuous improvements in the areas of teaching and learning, capacity of leadership and use of resources.
    The five member review team conducted its onsite interviews and observations from April 17-20, meeting with board members, administrative staff members, principals, teachers and school personnel as well as students.  Dr. Keith Shaffer, State Director of AdvancED Mississippi office, served as Lead Evaluator.  Other team members included: Associate Lead Evaluator Kathy Gruner with the Baldwin County Board of Education; Dr. Angelia Bluitt with the Mississippi Department of Education; Dr. Julius Shankles, Assist. Professor, University of Montevallo; and Tera Simmons with the Butler County School System.
    The review team was presented volumes of supportive data relative to the five indicators guiding the advanced self assessment conducted by the school system in preparation for accreditation process.
    The local efforts of preparing the school system for the accreditation process were led by Dr. Rhinnie Scott, Director of the Career Tech Center; Sharon Jennings, Principal, Eutaw Primary School; Mrs. Barbara Martin, Principal, Carver Middle School; Mr. Frederick Square, Principal, Paramount Jr. High School; Mr. Garry Rice, Principal, Greene County High School; Mrs. Shyla McCray, Title I Coordinator; Ms. Charlayne’ Jordan, Federal Programs Coordinator as well as other administrators and community stakeholders.

    April 21, Board of
    Education Meeting

    At the regular meeting of the Greene County Board of Education, Interim Superintendent Dr.  James H. Carter, Sr. gave the report from AdvancED indicating that the Greene County School System is recommended for accreditation.  Dr. Carter also gave updates on the Learning Academy and the Performing Arts Program, new initiatives of the system.
    Dr. carter informed the board that a committee is working of various revisions to the Information Guide for Parents and Students in the areas of cell phone use; acceptable athletic shoes worn at school; dress codes – Khaki pants and Polo shirts with the school’s logo/mascot. Specific recommendations will come to the board at a later time once the committee has completed its review.
    Superintendent Carter also noted that the last day of classes for students is May 24.  There will be a two-week summer school program for each school.  The graduation schedule is as follows: Greene County High School – May 20; Paramount Jr. High School, May 18, 6:30 p.m.; Carver Middle School, May 19, 5:00 p.m. and Eutaw Primary School, May 17, 4:00 p.m.
    In other business the board approved the following:
    * Personnel Items: Employment of Cassandra Kelly as long-term substitute (Mathematics) at Carver Middle School; Toice Goodson as 9th Grade Academy Administrator at Greene County High School commencing with 2016- 2017 school term; Rodney Wesley.
    Instructional Item: Board approved implementation of Tourism as a mini-course for grades 6 – 12 commencing with 2016 – 2017 school year.
    * Administrative Services:  Rodney Wesley – Travel to Biloxi, MS to attend 2016 Spring Nike Championship Basketball Clinics on May 5, 2016;
    Greene County High Math Team – Travel to Atlanta, GA to attend Math & Science Day at Six Flags Over Georgia on May 13, 2016.
    Carver Middle School – Travel Atlanta, GA to visit World of Coca-Cola, APEX, Center for Civil/Human Rights, and Martin Luther King Historical Site on May 6 – 7, 2016.
    * Completion of paving the campus at Greene County High School.
    * Authorization to request quotes to repair roofs at Peter J. Kirksey Vocational Center. Permission to request quotes for the removal of mold and mildew at Peter J. Kirksey Vocational Center.
    * Approval of the following item(s) to be declared surplus and removed from Child Nutrition Inventory: Ice makers – Eutaw Primary.
    * Bus Drivers who perform extra duties such as field trips after regular route has ended, will be paid at a rate of $18.75/hr. and not be paid for some arbitrary amount or by mileage.
    * Payment of all bills, claims, and payroll.
    * Bank reconciliations as submitted by Mr. Leon Dowe, CSFO.

  • Sheriff Benison provides $30,000 to Greene County Hospital Greene Co. electronic bingo bill defeated in Alabama Senate; Meeting in Branch Heights to explain status of bill and next steps

    News Analysis
    by John Zippert,
    Co-Publisher

    Sheriff and CEo of Hospital.jpg

    Photo includes Sheriff Benison, Jasma Colvin, Alicia Jordan, Jalessa Jones and CEO Elmore Patterson shown providing a check for $30,000. Shown below meeting held at the Branch Heights Center on Bingo with represenatives Bobby Singleton and AJ McCampbell.

     Bingo in Branch Height.jpg
    The past week saw many developments related to the future of electronic bingo in Greene County.
    Eutaw Councilman Joe Lee Powell and County Commissioner Corey Cockrell convened a meeting at the Branch Heights Community Center for the county’s legislative delegation to explain their efforts to assist Greene County.
    Senator Bobby Singleton and Representatives Artis McCampbell and Ralph Howard were present to explain their efforts to pass SB 340 to amend Greene County’s Amendment 743 to strengthen the legal basis for electronic bingo in the county.
    SB 340 also allowed electronic bingo at only one site in the county, which is Greenetrack, since it is already approved for pari-mutuel gambling on greyhound dogs and horses. The bill also would have changed the formula for distribution of bingo funds to county agencies and charities. It also removed the regulation of bingo from the exclusive control of the Sheriff to a five member Greene County Gaming Commission.
    The proposed bill included a provision that three-quarters of one percent of the annual gross revenues of electronic bingo would be paid to the Greene County Housing Authority. Based on projected annual gross revenues of $50 million, the Housing Authority would receive approximately $375,000 per year. “ Under our plan, the Housing Authority could use these revenues to finance a bond issue that would repair the roads and streets in Branch Heights, ” said McCampbell. Bobby Singleton said, “ Our goal was to legally protect bingo in Greene County and we needed support from the Republican super-majority in the Legislature to get this done. Some Republicans do not want to vote for any form of gambling; others want to reduce the spread of gambling; and some legislators want to help the Native Americans that have bingo in their casinos.”
    “We felt we had the 21 votes needed to pass our amendment in the Senate. We hoped we had all eight Democratic Senators and even changed the bill to accommodate some of their concerns. We had some Republicans who promised that if we got 19 or 20 votes they would vote with us, to put us over the top.
    “We were very disappointed that we only got 17 votes because two Democrats, who are African-American, Senators Hank Sanders of Selma and Vivian Figures, voted against the bill which effectively killed our chance to pass it,” said Singleton.
    Singleton said, “ I know the rules of the Senate and worked hard with my personal relationships to get enough support to pass it. We changed it to accommodate various concerns by Senator Sanders and others. We tried to calm the opposition of the Native Americans. We included a 4% state tax to provide revenues for the state. We did everything we could but we needed a few more votes.”
    A lady in the audience was very concerned that the proposed bill would result in the closure of the other three bingo parlors and put their employees out of work. Singleton responded that this was done to insure the legal survival of bingo and show that the growth of bingo establishments would be curtailed and concentrated in one place. “ We hoped that most of the people, who may have lost their jobs, would be hired by Greenetrack, who would need more employees. In the past, Greenetrack had 400 to 500 employees making living wages with a good benefits package.”
    Hodges Smith, speaking on behalf of the 14 volunteer fire departments in the county said, “From 2003 to 2011, when bingo was exclusively at Greenetrack, $2,9 million was provided to the Greene County Firefighters, since 2011, we have received $259,000 from Greenetrack and $8,208.24 from the other bingo places combined. The Firefighters, E-911 and Woman-to-Woman are the three charities supported by Greenetrack, in addition to funds that the four bingo establishments pay to the Sheriff for distribution to county agencies, municipal governments and the school system.
    Iris Sermon of E-911 said, “We can see what is happening because we are not united. The state Legislature may sponsor a lottery and cut out bingo all together. E-911 has been assisted by Greenetrack when the county government and other agencies could not support our critical services.”
    Luther “Nat” Winn, CEO of Greenetrack came into the meeting late. He challenged the group,” Tell me who owns the other bingo establishments in Greene County. We do not know who owns them. We do know who owns Greenetrack and they are all people from Greene County. We have let other people come in and take advantage of Amendment 743 but they are not helping to protect it. We pay a cashier $41,000 a year, plus benefits, but we never hear what the others pay their employees. They are not paying living wages and supporting charities outside of Greene County. Greenetrack used to give college scholarships to every Greene County graduate. We cannot do this any more because the bingo revenues are scattered.”
    John Zippert, a member of the Greene County Health System Board, reported that members of the GCHS Board had met with Sheriff Benison and asked that he increase the $200 per bingo machine fee by $25 a month and give those funds to help keep the Hospital and Nursing Home open providing services to Greene County residents. The Sheriff said he would consider this request and review it with the four bingo operators. He made an immediate grant of $30,000 to help the GCHS meets its current critical financial situation.
    Mr. Winn said, “I’m not sure Greenetrack, under the current state of affairs, could afford an increase in the monthly fee and be able to pay its other expenses.”  Winn also made no clear declaration that he would employ people from the other bingo businesses if this bill were ever passed restoring Greenetrack’s exclusive rights to operate electronic bingo in Greene County.
    In response to a question from Val Goodson of Citizens to Make Greene County Better about the future of bingo legislation, Singleton said, “We were trying to do the right thing for Greene County. We can introduce the bill again in a Special Session of the Legislature, but the people of Greene County need to be behind it and help us push it through.”