A rose to Meryl Fisackerly who was elevated Thursday to the role of CEO of the Golden Triangle Development LINK following the abrupt resignation of Iain Vasey, who had been on the job for only a couple of months. Neither Vasey nor LINK board president Bain Nickels explained why Vasey left the job so soon, but we believe Fisackerly is good choice for the role, given her experience at the LINK for the past seven years, including chief operations officer and interim CEO following the termination of Joe Max Higgins in August. Her climb through the ranks at the LINK made her a legitimate option for the permanent position. Her contributions to the LINK’s success and her intimate knowledge of the redevelopment landscape in the Golden Triangle are important in sustaining the momentum the LINK has enjoyed over the years. One of her most pressing jobs will be securing the confidence of local officials, particularly Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill who was candid in her opposition to Higgins’ firing and incredulous at Vasey’s sudden resignation.
A rose to developers Nic Parish, Garrett Parish and Saunders Ramsey and the Columbus Redevelopment Authority as they held a groundbreaking ceremony for Parkview, which will be the biggest housing development in Columbus since Holly Hills. Thursday’s ceremony, attended by about 50 people, represents a successful effort by the CRA to reinvent a 70-acre parcel adjacent to downtown Columbus and the Roger Short Soccer Complex, a neighborhood that had deteriorated to the point of being an eyesore. It’s been more than a decade since the city moved to purchase these lots for redevelopment. Parish and Ramsey are homegrown developers whose investment in the area is both financial and emotional. We congratulate the developers, the CRA and city officials as work begins on this project.
A rose to all the mothers out there this Mother’s Day weekend. The human mother is the most mysterious of all God’s creatures, a person whose spit has supernatural properties that tame unruly hair and serve as an all-purpose cleaner. She is a nurturer or a Nurse Ratched as the situation demands, a connoisseur of refrigerator art, a calming presence in the storm, the person you run to for forgiveness when you’ve done something unforgivable. Motherhood is the ultimate expression of human optimism. So we salute all the mothers out there for all that they are — and aren’t. Happy Mother’s Day!
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
