Rickey Cole Rightfully Rips Spell in Greenwood

In addittion to hammering Lester Spell on the culled cow beef plant that he engineered and sold to legislature with a final price tag of $55 million dollars Rickey Cole found other failures in Lester Spell's recent history.

"Lester Spell spent $4 million on a Farmer's Market in Jackson," Cole told the group. "And it isn't taking in enough money to pay the light bill."

In his speech at the Neshoba County Fair I heard Spell defend his farmers market saying that there was a waiting list of folks wanting to have space at the market. A good question in response to that would be to ask why it is only open 3 mornings a week if the demand is so great.

Cole went on to say that Spell claims to have conducted 4,500 supermarket inspections in 2006.

"You know how many inspectors he has?" Cole asked the crowd.

After one man guessed 100, Cole told him the correct answer is 10.

"(Spell) is telling us with a straight face they did a thorough inspection with those 10 people," Cole said. "That means if those 10 inspectors worked 225 days last year, they did two stores a day. He might have done it, but he didn't do a very good job."

People expect that the food they buy at the grocery store will be safe. It is the job and duty of the Commissioner of Agriculture's office to do so. Has he accomplished his job? I don't think so.

Cole, a native of Ovett who now lives in Utica, said that while 16 people will be running for state offices in November, he is the lone candidate with rustic credentials. He also is the only one who can claim to be a farmer.

"I tell people I never did fall off the turnip truck," Cole added. "I just kept on driving.

"My home is 18 miles from the nearest incorporated town," said Cole. "When I leave, the population goes down by 10 percent."

Cole told the crowd he feels not enough is done to promote Mississippi's rural atmosphere and blue-collar culture, something he feels is the state's real strength.

I've advocated the election of Mike Sumrall partially do the regional diversity he'd bring to state government as a candidate from South Mississippi; Cole is the only candidate who would provide a rural voice in state government and I think you'd have to agree that that is a voice that is very much needed.

"There is no easy way to fix all our problems," Cole said. "But we can't fix it with one huge project. Economic development is small businesses opening. It's the people who need $10,000 or $50,000 to start a business that my office will come to work with."

Huge economic development projects (usually) look good and help politicians of both parties win re-election, but it is the Viking Range' of our state that really create jobs and support communities and if we strive to find and support home grown businesses we will be able to benefit the state far more with far less effect on our state budget. For no more irresponsible investment in failed projects while being open to supporting expanded local business a vote for Rickey Cole is the right one.

The Greenwood Commonwealth Article