If this absolutely absurd property tax increase that’s being proposed is allowed to stand there will be no winners, and the viable, affordable and livable landscape in Columbus — The Friendly City — that we know and love will no longer exist in character or in hopefulness for many of our citizens who are barely getting by now. What were they thinking? They obviously weren’t!

My fellow Columbians I know a thing or two about leadership in corporate America, in my own businesses, in my community, in the Democratic Party and in real life, and that’s why I can emphatically say it is so critically important who you elect to help run this city because the ramifications are endless. The way we conduct our governmental affairs has a direct correlation to getting other businesses and industries to relocate here in Columbus and Lowndes County. The people we choose to put in office have a lot to do with that and to make positive monetary, environmental, administrative, community and all city policy decisions. They are put there for the betterment of this community and our children, not to their detriment or the embarrassment of our community. They not only serve as an extension of us but also should reflect our values and determination to be better tomorrow than we were today or yesterday! They should willingly serve as our reflection of ideas and a pipeline to the broader state and national community to get good things done for our city and it’s citizens. Right now it can be said without impunity that we are a laughingstock for what we are allowing to go down at City Hall and around this town as you drive through many of our underserved neighborhoods because they have been talking about neighborhood development for well over 50 years. What happened to money to fix these dilapidated structures and streets? Guess what. That is the censored and milder version of what’s being said about our lack of leadership and business acumen.

We have to stop whispering sweet nothings to each other and start telling it like it is. We are not moving forward in all parts of this town.

Visit Starkville, Tupelo and Tuscaloosa, our progressive neighbors who are not bickering all the time and fighting each other on almost every issue to gain a political advantage and then mismanaging our money and wanting to always raise our taxes.

Everybody is not on lockdown in this town and many of us can leave wherever we choose. Whenever enough gets to be enough, we just will leave here so I will just let that marinate for a minute for anyone willing to listen.

Larry Watson

Columbus