Politics, agriculture, and the economy were the hot topics on a beautiful Delta morning as hundreds gathered for the 77th annual meeting of Delta Council, Friday, May 11, on the campus of Delta State University.
The event kicked off in the Bologna Performing Arts Center with an analysis of the upcoming November elections by Washington political pundit Tom Davis. Following the business session of the annual meeting, United States Senator Roger Wicker introduced Governor Phil Bryant as the featured speaker.
In his opening remarks, Bryant noted his deep appreciation for the Delta way of life. “I was born in the Delta, spending my earliest years in Moorhead, Mississippi. My childhood in this great region of our state solidified my appreciation for agriculture and the rural way of life,” said Bryant. “Supporting agriculture, harnessing businesses opportunities, expanding transportation through highways and railways, and improving our public health are all ways to ensure a bright future for the Delta.”
Addressing the economic impact of agriculture in the Delta, the Governor stressed the need to minimize regulations that hamper the state’s economic growth.
“Senate Bill 2398 is part of my Mississippi Works agenda, and I plan to sign it into law on Monday. Known as the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act, this new law gives small businesses a voice in eliminating job killing regulations that are overly burdensome to businesses,” said Bryant. “When businesses are not stifled by an over-reaching government, they are more innovative and productive. Working through my friends at the Delta Council, I have seen firsthand the tremendous job that the agricultural industry does in crafting solutions to difficult issues.”
Next, the Governor discussed the 2011 flood that threatened the lives and property of thousands of people in the Delta, stating there are two major items of work his administration will push in order to avoid similar flooding threats to Delta.
“First, we have developed a plan in conjunction with the Delta Council, local leaders, the Corps of Engineers and Levee Board representatives designed to hold back floods of the type which occurred along the Yazoo River in the Carter and Rocky Bayou area during 2008 and 2011,” said Bryant. “Secondly, we have already begun the process of appealing to the Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Mississippi Congressional Delegation to use their own rule-making authority to refrain from decertifying levees until such time that necessary repair and enlargements can be accomplished in an orderly manner.”
Governor Bryant discussed a number of issues directly affecting the Delta, including teen pregnancy, the need for quality infrastructure to ensure economic growth, and the positive economic impact tourism has on the region.
“We know that the fertile soil of the Delta grows more than crops. It grows the very soul of Mississippi’s arts culture, and the Delta’s heritage and cultural tourism hold tremendous potential for this region,” said Bryant.
“The governing board of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area, under the leadership of Ken Murphree, and my new appointee, Delta State President Dr. John Hilpert, has done a tremendous job in leading the partnership to be within striking distance of receiving official approval from the National Park Service as a fully designated National Heritage Area in the next 18 months,” said Bryant. “With this designation and the use of the iconic National Park Service logo, even greater opportunities will present themselves to the Delta and allow the region’s individual cultural attractions to be branded as part of a ‘Mississippi Delta experience.’”
In closing, Governor Bryant noted the success of the 2012 legislative session that he deemed as “one that will be remembered as one of the most job-friendly sessions in Mississippi’s history.”
With the successes of this legislative session laying a strong foundation, and with local and private partnerships forged through generation of leadership the Mississippi Delta is poised to embrace a new future,” said Bryant. “ I believe the Delta is far more about more about the future than the past. Let us go there together.”
Bryant’s keynote address concluded a full morning’s activities, including a salute to Delta honor graduates by Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Education Policy Chairman Cass Pennington, and an annual report on the region’s activities and priorities. Delta Council also recognized those who have made significant contributions in other critical areas of Delta life.
Delta Council is an area economic development organization representing the eighteen Delta and part-Delta counties of Northwest Mississippi.
