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EDA director leaving
Published Tuesday, December 9, 2008
NATCHEZ — After three years as the Natchez-Adams Economic Development Authority’s Executive Director, Jeff Rowell is leaving Natchez.
His contract expires at the end of this month — and he said he won’t be renewing that contract.
While Rowell’s time in Natchez has come to an end, his career in economic development isn’t over yet.
Rowell has taken a position as President and CEO of the West Point-Clay County Growth Alliance.
He said his role with the organization will be very similar to the work he’s done in Natchez over the past three years.
“I feel it was a fairly successful run,” Rowell said of his time in Natchez. “But I’m looking forward to moving on.”
In looking back over his time in the city, Rowell identified the cultivation of the CCA prison complex and the work done with Dynasteel as his some of his most successful endeavors.
And now that Rowell has made his intentions known, the EDA board faces the task of finding his replacement.
EDA board Chairman Woody Allen said he wasn’t surprised when he got a call from Rowell last week notifying him of Rowell’s plans.
“He has fulfilled his contract with us,” Allen said.
While Allen did say he believes it’s typical for economic directors to change jobs with some regularity, neither Allen nor Rowell mentioned the recent discontent on the board that ended with one board member’s departure.
Board member Vidal Davis left the board in April after saying he wasn’t pleased with Rowell’s performance on the board.
Rowell declined to comment on the matter.
Allen said the board has no time frame currently in place for selecting a new executive director.
Allen said the board won’t likely take up the matter until after the first of the year, around the same time Rowell will be starting his new job.
Rowell came to Natchez in January 2006 after working as the Pontotoc Chamber of Commerce Director.
He filled a slot that had been open for six months following the resignation of Michael Ferdinand.
Comments
Posted by aak1972 (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 8:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here is an idea! Hire noone and let the mayor and aldermen do that job. If you ask any of them they were super qualified.
Posted by kpage1 (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good point, aak1972! They're super powerful, ain't they...and special, to boot.
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
good point - agreed
good riddance of Rowell, I knew that guy, what an arrogant know-it-all, and obviously no real commitment to our community
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
yes I think we have plenty of "executives" on hand to form a committee and get this "job" done
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree. Let the mayor an alderman do this job. Save some taxes and do not hire anybody.
Posted by Bobaloo (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 12:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good luck to whomever, tough job to get quick results from.
Posted by npc (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 2:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is exactly why we should have hired the most qualified BY FAR and from Natchez. Even though this person ended up being the fourth picked out of four. Chandler Russ was one of the four people interviewed for this job three years ago. Most qualified by far and most successful by FAR. He was begging to come back to Natchez and was not hired. He is now the DIRECTOR - Existing Industry and Business Division - Mississippi Developement Authority. I have no doubt that Chandler will go on to much greater things than coming here. This job was way beneath his qualifications. This would have been like having a Brain Surgeon teaching 5th grade science class.
Posted by oldsaw (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We need someone with proven experince to get Natchez moving.
Posted by shedevil (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 6:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
maybe mr allen will resign too...his nose is stuck up too far in the air to handle getting industry here
Posted by deltoids (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 7:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't get it. J Rowell worked hard and brought good projects with many new jobs to Natchez.
What have Davis and Allen done? Seemingly all they ever do is drive EDA directors away. I bet it'll be hard to find as good a man as J.Rowell. Who'd want to come here only to be driven off in a few years by Davis and Allen? J Rowell didn't want to continue to work here, as he had been thwarted at every turn. He looked for, and got, another job before his contract had run out. I don't blame him.
There's something rotten in Denmark, might it be the Natchez EDA board? Betcha it is.
Posted by india (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 8:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have seen much of the hard work mr. rowell has put forth in this position and am very much convinced he is over qualified for the position yet he chose to accept it and with that responsibility he carried forth like a true soldier. The only problem is, even with extraordinary ideas and plans for natchez and re-invigorating its economy as much as humanly possible, he ran into every road block known to all southerners from a small town who favor "ole boy politics" and have no concept of a new vision that could of brought further forward economically this town. Dealing with this board and in this town i am surprised he didn't leave a long time ago, yet he hung in there to the bitter end trying his best against unbeatable odds. He is not the type of person to shy away from a challenge, on the contrary he is the type of man that Natchez needed and will sadly lose, due to unethical politics. I have observed many positive results from his work and i feel pity for the "poor soul" who tries to fill his shoes. He may as well of lived in Rome and been thrown to the lions. This city and those "in power" for the most part are an amusing farce. You need to travel outside Natchez to appreciate what ecomomic development is and he had us on that track. He is one of the smartest most organized men i have seen in this town. He will be greatly missed and hailed in Moss Point as a saviour. Look back in a year a wish for what you no longer have. And as for this response from some Bitter "kroger" person....i dare say he is sadly mistaken and must be living on another planet.....at least in his demented mind. He has it all wrong and must of had his poor toes stepped on and is seeking revenge. His revenge will come in the form of NO economic development in this town come January.
Posted by oldsaw (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 8:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well said, India! More of the same ole, same ole. The "he's not from here" movement wins again. It won't stop until all of us speak out and put our foot down.
Posted by india (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 8:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
one final comment on my behalf......a quote by our second president John Quincy Adams sums up Jefferson Rowell and his efforts in Natchez......."if your actions inspire others to dream more,learn more,do more and become more, you are a leader." this is Jefferson Rowell.
Posted by phoenix (anonymous) on December 9, 2008 at 10:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes.... good riddance Rowell! you are never going to be a successful CROOKED politician. You will never put yourself above others in order for self benefit. You will never be able to make anything out of Natchez beacause you're not sneaky enough and you aren't holding some personal vendetta because you have to prove yourself to be a "name". Sadly you are too concerned about the long term needs of this community to be in this position. You thought out of the box and yet you know you can't do that here! We aren't ready for change. We aren't ready for someone to change our board members and keep those "non board members" involvment out because then they wouldn't get to make the decisions that would ultimately benefit them personally and afterwards all gather daily at the local watering hole for drinks and talk about how great they are. We want to keep the SAME members so when they hire a new EDA director, Allen and "friends" can go behind his or her back on all official deals and cut the new director off so they can't do the job they were hired for. This is how we like to spend our tax dollars! Cant you see Rowell that we don't want change? The way we have been doing things has worked for years! We want to keep believing that we have lost the past 3 EDA directors because they were no good, not because we have the exact same "Names" in our good ole boy politics who seem to be behind this every time. I know, I know, you would think we would catch on but apparently not. So Rowell...good riddance! Maybe one day we will realize that we are never going to get out of this economic rut if we don't try to CHANGE! Thank you for your effort!
Oh by the way, THANK YOU for the 400+ jobs that will be created via CCA and the other 200+ jobs that will be created through Dynasteel expansions... just thought you deserved at least that. Good Luck!!!!
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