And then there were four.
Businessman Matt Bogue has joined the field of applicants for the vacancy on the Columbus Redevelopment Authority board.
Bogue has been vice-president of Dutch Oil Company since 2012 and previously worked for Stanley Black & Decker as director of sales and as category manager with Newell Rubbermaid.
He is currently the Lowndes County appointee on the CREATE Foundation’s Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi.
“I love Columbus, and I want to see my city thrive,” he said. “I want it to be a place that my kids, when they grow up, will want to come back to live here so I can see my grandkids.”
Bogue said he has extensive experience relevant to the CRA’s mission to attract developers.
“I’ve got experience negotiating big real estate deals with major national chains, like Shell, McDonald’s and Waffle House,” he said. “I’ve got experience negotiating economic development deals that include tax incentives. I’ve also played a leadership role in some mixed use development projects, including Allegro Plaza here in Columbus.”
His wife, Amy Bogue, is president of Allegro Clinics, which is owned by Dutch Group, of which Dutch Oil is an affiliate.
Bogue joins a pool of applicants that includes former Chamber of Commerce director Joseph Bragg, pharmacist Jerry Fortenberry and financial adviser Jason Spears.
The CRA was founded in 2015, and in 2017 the city issued $3.2 million in bonds to buy and redevelop about 15 acres in and around the Burns Bottom area, focusing on a five-block area between Third and Fourth Street North and Second and Seventh avenues.
The CRA plans to attract developers into the area, with the intention of creating a mixed residential and commercial district surrounding the soccer complex and connecting it with the Riverwalk and downtown.
Columbus City Council is slated to appoint the position at its Sept. 6 meeting. The deadline to apply is noon Wednesday.
Applicants may apply in person at City Hall or online via the city’s website.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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