April 24, 2025 • 50 mins
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Robert Smith, former Columbus mayor and current president of the Columbus Municipal School District, offers insights on local education, environmental concerns, and city politics while reflecting on his own leadership philosophy.
• CMSD faces another superintendent search after Dr. Ellis' unexpected resignation
• The district has improved to a B rating but continues struggling with declining enrollment, dropping from 5,100 to around 3,000 students
• Franklin Academy's future remains undecided though local businessmen have expressed interest in redevelopment
• The R.E. Hunt renovation is nearly complete with a grand opening planned for July
• How Smith navigated Columbus' weak-mayor, strong-council government system
• Robert Smith discusses his relationships with Leroy Brooks and his mayoral endorsement of Stephen Jones
• Smith's thoughts on his legacy
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
From the opinion page of the Commercial Dispatch.
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Speaker 2 (00:13):
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(00:37):
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(02:54):
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Speaker 3 (03:05):
Today in the studio we are pleased to have the
former mayor of Columbus, mrRobert Smith, who also serves as
chairman of the ColumbusMunicipal School District, and
he is also on the Columbus Lightand Water Board.
We welcome you here today.
Thank you all so much for theinvitation.
Speaker 6 (03:23):
Look forward to this invite.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Well, mayor Smith, I want to start here.
You know you're on theMunicipal School Board.
Y'all seem to be going througha superintendent search at a.
Really I mean, is this anunfortunate time?
It's definitely an odd time tobe going through one, but I mean
, talk about the timing of thesuperintendent search here.
With what else y all have gotgoing on.
Speaker 6 (03:45):
Well, I will say, as far as from the superintendent
standpoint, it was a surprise tothe school board.
Dr Ellis has done anoutstanding job since he has
been here, and he's only beenhere almost two years and you
know how talk is in thecommunity, right, some people
(04:05):
say, well, y'all are around,another one of us.
But you know, and from mypersonal standpoint, along with
the school board, we wantstability, you know, within the
district, because if you go backwith your previous
superintendent, it's been a lotof superintendents in a little
bit of time, so I guess, how doyou?
Speaker 1 (04:24):
what are you looking for to stabilize?
Speaker 6 (04:27):
Well, I mean when you interview a person and you ask
them are they planning on somelongevity?
You would hope you know theysay yay, Even with Dr Ellis, in
the interview process and withthe stakeholders meeting and
also in community meetings, hesays that he was planning on
retiring here.
But then you know, when he toldthe big bum shell to us the
(04:51):
other night in our board meetingprior to him giving us a letter
of resignation, we all wasshocked and surprised.
And when you think about it,from the reason that he gave
concerning the family issue andhis mother's like 85 years, old
and he's been going home andthat's a long trip.
(05:14):
Yeah, back to back, and I don'tknow whether you all have been
to Mount Bayou, mississippi, ornot.
Mount Bayou, I guess.
Population as of today isprobably about 1,300.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (05:25):
People that live in the town, and so a lot of times
when he'd go home for theweekend and when he'd leave four
days in the morning, he'd comeback he'd go straight to work.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Now, Mr Smith, he has attributed that and, of course,
take him at his word, and y'allhave talked about him being a
high-performing superintendent.
However, prior to his leaving,there was the contract issue
where y'all were only willing toextend him a year at the same
salary, and that I meantypically.
(05:57):
That could be read as a sign ofat least shaky faith.
So I guess, how do you respondto that at?
Speaker 6 (06:04):
least shaky faith.
So I guess, how do you respondto that?
Well, I will say this and I'mputting myself out there as far
as the one year, actually wegave him an additional year but
also that six-month time span,we would come back to the table
and negotiate.
Okay, now, that wasn't said,but I'm saying that now.
(06:26):
Okay, right, and you got tothink about this.
Also, he's going to Belzona,mississippi.
K through 12 is on 1,100students, right, okay,
everything is on one campus andwe was paying him the district,
$160,000.
He's making $162,000.
(06:46):
And from Bell's on it to MountBayou, if you look it up, it's
58.4 miles.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Right, yeah.
Well, talking about studentcount, I mean one of the things
that y'all have been talkingpublicly about and specifically
with Dr Ellis about duringmeetings, is stemming the tide
of enrollment loss.
I mean part of the elementaryschool consolidation is that
y'all aren't filling them.
Speaker 6 (07:12):
Well, for one thing, as we know, the district
improved to a B.
And the way things are goingnow is from what we've received,
the numbers and all is that weshould still remain a B, so
that's a plus there, and thenyou got to think about it.
Also is that people not havingkids like they used to and
(07:38):
another reason is that, if youlook at, my hat's off to them is
that if you look at the county,the county is rated higher than
the city.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Right.
Speaker 6 (07:49):
So most parents will say is that I want my kids to go
to the best school district.
And then, if you look at itfrom a black-white ratio, is
that like?
When I attended school it wasprobably 60-40, okay, even with
the first year of immigrationback in 1971.
(08:12):
So most of you, at first thewhite kids for whatever the case
may be, you know they decidedto go to the private schools in
which you know parents take thekids where they think is the
best school.
But from the board standpoint,from the administration
standpoint, faculty and staff isthat we're doing everything we
(08:34):
can to try to stop the decreaseand try to be able to back up.
At one time the school districtwhen I was working in the
school district as a principal,a teacher and coach, the
Columbus School District waslike 5,100.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
And then now you're just like about 3,000.
Speaker 6 (08:56):
So it's been a drastic drop there.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Well, I mean that's not sustainable over time.
I mean looking at the future ofthe school.
It can't continue to drop likethis for the school to survive
right.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
That's correct.
Speaker 6 (09:15):
Okay, so what are three things, or two things that
y'all are looking atimplementing to stem it?
Well, I mean, you have to dowhat you have to do on the
situation.
So, for one, we want to makesure that each student get the
best education available.
Okay, we want to provide aquality education for each
student.
For number one, and we want totry to provide all the
(09:39):
necessities from the technologystandpoint that the students
need, and maybe with ourdistrict, is that maybe that is
some liking that the studentsneed?
And maybe, with our district,is that maybe that is some
liking that the other districtcan provide.
So we've done all we can to tryto recruit the best
administrators, the bestteachers.
Are you with me?
Yeah, so those are some of thethings that we're trying to do
(10:01):
to help stabilize and keep whatwe already have, rather than
continue to lose students.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Looking at you know just the last few
superintendents, differentthings that they've brought to
the table, differentidiosyncrasies that they've had,
you know, personality-wise,leadership skill-wise, etc.
Those people have come and gonein their turn for whatever
reason over that time.
What leadership skills, whatkind of character?
(10:31):
What kind of metrics doesRobert Smith think a successful
superintendent at CMSD willbring to the table, and what are
they going to do?
Speaker 6 (10:43):
A person that will have one good leadership skill.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Right.
Well, what are good leadershipskills?
I mean, that's kind ofplatitudinal.
What are good leadership skills?
Speaker 6 (10:52):
Well, from an effective leader is a person
that's willing to roll up theirsleeves and get out there and
show the people that he'sleading.
He or she is leading that.
Hey, I'm willing to roll up mysleeves and get off in the mud,
or whatever you want to take tomake sure that we are successful
as a school district.
Organizational skills a personthat's very organized, All right
(11:18):
.
And people skills being able torelate to people.
I mean, you could be one of thebest superintendents there,
maybe, but if you don't havegood people skills being able to
relate to people, then I don'tthink you're going to be
successful.
That's from me coming as apersonal standpoint, and a
(11:38):
person that's willing to get outthere and go to the different
organizations and sit down andtalk to them, Get out in the
community and help recruit.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
What about relationship with the board?
What are you looking for thereas far as the superintendent's
relationship with the board?
Speaker 6 (11:56):
Well, I would hope that from the superintendent
board standpoint, it be a teameffort.
Is that we're all in thistogether.
Okay, right, it be a teameffort.
Is that we all in this together?
Speaker 1 (12:04):
OK, right.
Speaker 6 (12:06):
We're not going to get involved in day to day
operations until you.
You need to do this or you needto do that as a superintendent.
We hope that during theinterview process we we'll find
a seasoned superintendent,someone that's willing to
(12:29):
relocate and come to Columbus.
And I mean as far as the salarynow you mentioned about salary.
If you make a comparison acrossthe state of Mississippi as far
as a district with 3,000students and you're paying them
a salary of $160,000, I meanthat's a good salary.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
With all the fringe benefits, that goes along.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Now, robert, you're also a seasoned educator.
You are a seasoned leader on alot of levels and you know your
business.
You also have a very strongpersonality.
You know you know your business.
So you've got a superintendentthat's standing in front of you,
y'all have got a board policythat y'all want to get through
and y'all have explainedyourselves.
(13:11):
This is what we want to do andthis is why your new
superintendent's sitting upthere going.
I hear what you're saying, butI wish y'all would do something
different.
Is that something that youthink would be a positive thing
in a superintendent to be ableand willing to do?
Speaker 6 (13:27):
Well, listen, you know you have your lackadaisical
superintendent, you have yourlazy fair superintendent.
But listen, let me say this andI'm not talking about
contrarian.
Let me say this If the positivesays this, I believe in going
(13:48):
with the policy okay, and withany superintendent.
Now, even with Dr Ellis, wedidn't always agree, but then we
could agree to disagree, inother words.
So in other words, is that ifwe disagreed about something, he
recommended something and wedidn't support it, or Robert
Smith didn't support it, is thatI didn't need to upset If the
(14:09):
board voted by majority voteagainst what Robert Smith voted
against.
Is that, hey, majority rule,and move on.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Do you think that there are specific policy
initiatives or just like generaldirections that Dr Ellis is
going to leave behind, thatyou're hoping that would be
continued with the nextadministration?
Speaker 6 (14:36):
Oh, yeah, I would hope that, regardless who the
superintendent may end up being,is that I don't think it will
be smart for the superintendentto come in and make wholesale
changes.
I don't think it'll be smartfrom that standpoint.
Now, that's just my opinion.
Okay, we have some good thingsthat are going on within the
(14:57):
district, and Dr Ellis hasagreed that until June, the 30th
, which his new job will takeeffect on July 1, he has agreed
to where he would work with usand do everything he can, from
replacement of staff, whateverthe case may be, and so we would
(15:20):
hope that, whoever thesuperintendent may be that come
in is that they will follow ourstrategic plan and just come in
and keep the ball rolling andwhich you know.
Any new leader come in withsome new ideas, okay.
So I hope the new ideas wouldnot be the way you just trash
(15:42):
the things that have beensuccessful.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Well, talking about the strategic plan, what are you
hearing?
I mean, I know that the bondoverwhelmingly passed, but what
are y'all hearing about, as faras public feedback to doing away
with the magnet schools andneighborhood schools
consolidating into a grade spanon the elementary level and
especially the pendingrepurposing of Franklin?
Speaker 6 (16:09):
Well, you know, for me personally and I'm out there
with the public you know Ihaven't received a lot of
negative criticism from theGrace Band.
And you know, with the decreasein enrollment and then with
this year closing Franklin, andthen the next year, 26, 27 year,
that's when the Grace Band willreally take effect is that
(16:32):
we'll closed Fairview.
So I mean, from the communitymeetings that we've had and that
I've attended, it's not at allnegative.
The main thing is that I'veheard from the public is what
are you going to do withFranklin?
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Yeah, what are you going to do with Franklin?
Speaker 6 (16:50):
I mean, that's a million-dollar question right
now.
I know we're going to winterizeit and all and we're not going
to just let it sit there,because it has a lot of
historical significance.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
there Now is that going to be?
Are you all looking at aschool-centric purpose?
Are you all looking at ahistorical-centric purpose?
Are you all looking at, maybeleasing for commercial purposes,
or a combination of any or allof that?
Speaker 6 (17:13):
We've we've thought some things around but, to be
frank with you, nothing isconcrete right now.
At least I can tell you thisfrom the board standpoint we're
not going to just give it awaylike the lead deal.
Now I can say that the board isunanimously in support of not
just giving it away.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
How important is it to you that, as I mean a Native
community member and longtimemayor here and school board
member that Franklin is in?
Whatever purpose Franklin isused, one, it's not vacant and
two, it remains an homage to itshistory.
Speaker 6 (17:56):
I would hope that when the final decision is made
that we as a board keep somehistorical significance there
related to Franklin.
Related to Franklin.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Yeah, what about Fairview, that school over there
?
Is that historical just becauseit's old?
Or is that just going to bemaybe just sold to public outcry
?
What do you think will be thefate of that building?
Speaker 6 (18:22):
Personally, it doesn't have nearly the
significance from a historicalstandpoint that Franklin had.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
So maybe condos or something.
Speaker 6 (18:34):
David, mean you're thinking?
Speaker 1 (18:35):
robert's making his business plan right now.
He's like you know, I like that.
Speaker 6 (18:39):
So, uh, right now we don't know, but as a board we
don't want to just jump intosomething, uh, without input
from the community on franklin.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Have have you gotten anybody that has come to y'all
at this point and said this issomething we can do with
Franklin?
Speaker 6 (18:58):
Oh yeah, you know that Come on.
The first time it was mentionedthat it was going to close.
You know there are people outthere from a business standpoint
have some ideas.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Any good ideas.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
I can't discuss that.
But to answer your question,yeah, there are some business
people that have uh mentioned todr ellis and also to board and
have mentioned to me personally.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
But uh, right now we I just we can't discuss that I'm
really curious about the statusof I've not been by there in a
minute and like there's a museumon the back of it, the RE Hunt
Museum.
What is happening there?
Is there like a ribbon cuttinggoing to happen in the near
future?
Or like, where are we on thatone Good?
Speaker 6 (19:47):
question.
Dave, I'm glad you asked that,Okay.
Okay, the hole up here today isThursday.
Tuesday we'll go through and dothe five points list.
But to the citizens of Columbusand the people that attended
Hunt it was amazing at the jobthey were doing there.
(20:10):
And as far as the grand opening, we met with Keith Blair on
Monday.
We're going to do a monument infront of the building, just
like the monument they weredoing at Franklin and the one
they were doing at Union Academy.
And so hopefully, as far as thegrand opening, we'll have the
grand opening probably the firstor second week in July, because
(20:33):
he assured us that he wouldhave the monument built and have
it there for the grand opening.
So that's the holdup on thegrand opening because if you
think about it, if it was withthe Columbus School, District
school would open like about thethird week in July this year.
So before we have the grandopening we want to unveil the
monument, also with the history.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Well, on the museum side of it, is all that stuff
still packed up in storagebuildings, or are they bringing
the stuff back to the they'rebringing the majority that
didn't get damaged and from amuseum standpoint, back there.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
They did an awesome job with the entire building
Because my last year year, whenthey fully integrated the City
of Columbus, we got out ofschool going into my senior year
that summer we was expectingsummer 1970, to go back to Hunt
and that's when the state ofMississippi fully integrated.
(21:27):
So from that time to now, asfar as the renovation standpoint
because I don't know, in 2019,when the tornado hit, I mean it
pretty much destroyed a lot ofpeople saying just demolish it.
So with the $19 million thatwas put in there, I mean it
didn't even have an elevator inthere in the building there and
(21:47):
the museum.
they did a remarkable job acrossthe entire school district.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
I was actually a student teacher there briefly in
about 2004.
And I just remember thatbuilding was really sad, like
just the facilities and thebathrooms and you could see
actual wires that looked kind ofdangerous in certain places.
I remember writing about thisstuff and so I'm glad to see
(22:15):
that facility being turnedaround.
Speaker 6 (22:17):
Well, dave, I'm giving you all right now a
personal invitation.
When we get to date for thegrand opening, I want you to
come and see it and then, afteryou look at it, then you'll say
that Rob Smith, you didn't lie.
Yeah, okay, they have done aremarkable job.
It's central heat and air allthe way through.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Before we get back to the interview, I want to let
you know about a forum that willbe with all three of the
mayoral candidates, mr StephenJones, mr Darren Leach and Mr
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That is May 27th at the Lyceumat Lee, from 6 to 7 30.
All three have agreed to bethere and you will want to
(22:56):
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Speaker 1 (24:19):
So switching gears to the CLW side.
There's a question I reallywant to ask you.
This Kerr-McGee issue hasgotten a lot of people really
spooked as far as what's safeand what's not around that area.
For fact that there's abusiness in the area around, I
(24:45):
guess, sort of around theCurramagee site that they're not
giving tap water, they're notusing their tap water or giving
it to customers because of whatthey believe to be Curramagee
contamination.
You're on the light and waterboard.
Water's clean in Columbus,right, correct.
In Columbus, right, correct.
Okay.
So where is the disconnect asfar as with your experience with
(25:07):
the community, with leading thecity through the part of the
Kermagee cleanup?
What's the disconnect therethat starts these rumors about
like oh, don't drink the tapwater, or oh we can't build
anything on X or Y.
Speaker 6 (25:24):
Well, a lot of it was perception Now, as far as from
the Kerr-McGee, as far as thesection that was cleaned to a
certain extent on the 27thStreet side, there from 14th
Avenue and 27th Street, whichthey used to call the Pine Yard
Okay, Now they cleaned that to acertain extent, Mm-hmm Okay.
(25:46):
But from people within thecommunity, a lot of it's true, I
think you know I'm no doctor,but the perception is that a lot
of those people that havepassed on in their relatives is
because of contamination thatgot in their bodies.
(26:09):
You know like some of them hadguns and stuff you know in their
backyards and all.
So I mean some of it, I think,is perception, my dealing with
it from the time when I was themayor and then since I've been
on the lighting water board andfrom talking to people out of
Atlanta.
Is that some soil there?
(26:33):
What they did to clean up it?
There there is still somecontamination.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
You know, at one time Is it getting in the water?
Speaker 6 (26:41):
No.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Okay, do you think that cleanup happened
efficiently, or do you thinkthat maybe just that whole
Superfund situation could havebeen handled in a way that they
actually would have used themoney and gotten all the dirt
out, or more of the dirt, andactually had the whole thing
approved to be built on, asopposed to whatever percentage
(27:04):
it is now?
Speaker 6 (27:04):
Well, you know, columbus received, I believe,
about $67 million somewhere inthat ballpark range and from the
federal government and thepeople that was handling it, the
organization that was handlingit.
They were just funneling out alittle at a time.
They were just falling out alittle at a time but as far as
from the way it was cleaned up,as far as with the money that
(27:28):
was issued, I think they went asfar as that.
They was going at that timebecause the people that was
handling the money the $6million to $8 million as long as
they held it in an accountthere was more interest that was
being drawn on it and that wasmaking them look good.
Also Because since that timeyou think how long it's been
(27:50):
since they did the Mall Streetside where they did the ditch
and all they're not on the 14thAvenue side If you turn when you
cross the tracks on Mall Streetthey did a concrete line ditch
over there, headed north.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (28:04):
So nothing been done over there since that time and
over on the side where thegraveyard is there, where the
main plant there was, we used tocall it growing up moss tie.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
There's a swamp over there right now.
Why is all that water stillthere?
You seen it.
Speaker 6 (28:22):
Where.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
It's like alligators and stuff Right there just to
the east of the school.
Like it's bad.
Are you saying there's?
Speaker 1 (28:30):
alligators by the school?
Or are you being hyperbolic?
Speaker 6 (28:32):
You're evidently referring David to where
Settlers and Plumbing used to be.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Maybe, so, yeah, maybe, so it's actually.
Speaker 6 (28:40):
It's been a good cooperation yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
But it's a football kick away from the Hunt Museum
and the student building.
Well, it's across the streetthere.
Speaker 6 (28:46):
Yeah, from 22nd Street, this is what we call the
back street, the street thatruns down there.
If you're looking at the back,on the left when you're going
down 22nd, if you're looking atto your left, it's the.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Hunt.
Speaker 6 (28:58):
Yes.
For the hunt and the museum,but to your right, that's what
you're referring to as the swamp.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
And I'm wondering if that's drainage related or if
that's a part of the site thatdidn't get cleaned or that's not
even on the site.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
That's not on the site.
That was the main office thereand that was the building, not
the main office for Curt McGee.
Now, that was the main officefor the Benneke Corporation
where they did the toilet seatsat.
You should be old enough toremember.
Uh, benica dave I was.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
I was safely tucked away in the county, and so this
has been a learning curve for me, for sure.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
All I know is I drove by there and I was like holy
cow, look at all this stuff, allright, your councilwoman, ella
stewart, okay, and then you'vegot other members of the council
Pierre Beard, you know evenStephen Jones, to a certain
extent very skeptical ofbuilding anything on any part of
(29:54):
the Kerr-McGee site.
Do you share that opinion withthem?
Speaker 6 (29:58):
Yeah until it's thoroughly cleaned.
Yeah until it's thoroughlyclean.
Yeah, because they got to thinkabout their constituents,
because if they go jump and dosomething against what their
constituents would like to seedone, then Well, okay, but
there's constituent will, andthen there's science.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Something that is safe and something that is
wanted can be two differentthings.
So is it safe In your mind ifEPA is saying it's safe, is it
safe?
Speaker 6 (30:24):
Well, I mean, if EPA saying it's safe, is it safe?
Well, I mean, if EPA says safe,yeah, but at the same time, you
got to think about what yourconstituents are going to say.
If you want to stay in office,are you going to be concerned
about EPA?
That do not vote for Ethel.
Pierre Stephen Jones.
I mean let Stephen Jones.
I mean let's be for real.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
What about Robert Johnson IV's idea?
Speaker 6 (30:56):
Put solar panels out there and use part of that
energy production to lower thecost of energy bills for Ward 4.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
It's a solar panel.
Speaker 6 (31:19):
No.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Republicans already believe that they're poisonous.
Here we go.
Poisonous here we go you'relistening to between the
headlines okay, so.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
So, uh, going going into the political realm a
little bit now.
I saw you there, uh, uh, whenuh roger smith won the War II
race Tuesday.
Now, we've talked about thisbefore, but y'all are related,
at least distantly, right yeah?
Speaker 6 (31:49):
He's my great nephew.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Okay, well, first of all, I mean, how proud are you
of him?
Speaker 6 (31:56):
I'm very proud of him .
Okay, I mean, he ran a good,clean race.
He got out there and wentdo-de-do with the people and I
think what impressed the peoplea lot when we had the flood on
Summer Haven back here aboutthree or four weeks ago I guess
some of the people called him.
(32:16):
We had been to the house and heleft church with his suit on,
with a little bit of boots onhim, and went out there in the
water waiting, wow.
But again back to how proud Iam.
I mean, I'm very proud of him.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Well now, you weren't super visible in his campaign
until, I mean Tuesday.
You were there, but I mean, didhe come to you at any point and
say, okay?
So if I'm going to do this,tips and tricks, advice Did he
come to you.
Speaker 6 (32:44):
When he first mentioned to me, zach, that he
was going to run for citycouncilman, I said are you sure
this is what you want to do?
And he says, yeah.
I said well, if you want to dothis, it's going to take a lot
of hard work.
I said and commitment on yourpart.
And I said whatever you say tothe people, I said don't get out
there and make these promisesthat you know, if you elect me,
(33:08):
I'll do this.
I'll do that.
I said because you only onevote.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Right.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
And I said you need four votes, you need three plus
the mayor.
Break the tie.
And I said my advice to you, orany other person that's running
for office they ask me foradvice, is that don't make these
wholesale promises.
If people ask you about if Ivote for you, will you do this
or that, I'll say that, hey,I'll take what you ask of me
under consideration.
(33:33):
So if it doesn't happen, thenthey can't come back and say
well, Robert, you lied to meabout this.
I said nope.
I said I would take it underconsideration.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
I have noticed something about Roderick winning
that race.
It has been pretty universallycelebrated across the political
spectrum.
We're talking about people inWard 2.
We're talking about people whoare in his party and we're also
talking about people who wouldhistorically not celebrate a
Democratic victory, but it seemsto be universally celebrated.
How much of that is Roderickand his reputation before the
(34:11):
campaign and the campaigncombined and how much of that is
people were just tired ofMickens.
Speaker 6 (34:17):
Well, there's a twofold Okay.
Some of it have to do withRoger and people that knew Roger
proud to run for office.
His people skills are great.
Are you with me?
Yeah, he doesn't meet strangers, whether it's black or white,
(34:40):
and from the other spectrum asfar as making is that, if you
talk to some of the people thatwas in the ward, is that they
were just tired of Joseph Meakin.
Well, a lot of times you getincumbent fatigue, no matter the
performance, and there was someinstances where, during the
(35:00):
last year or so where I don'tthink personally, county of
Michigan helped themselves.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Such as we're not going to go there.
So like I mean Kenny, I meanfor an example.
Speaker 6 (35:14):
I'll use one example, just like the incident that
happened with.
Speaker 4 (35:18):
Kenny Wheaton.
Speaker 6 (35:20):
You know Kenny is a nice guy down there who will
help anybody and you know theincident that happened there
that night.
That was totally uncalled for.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Another thing that's gotten in the news.
You know your involvement inthe mayor's race, from endorsing
Stephen Jones to the letterexchanges in the paper between
you and Supervisor Brooks.
Supervisor Brooks had somethings to say in a letter after
he was defeated in the primarythat insinuated or out and out
(35:56):
said that the election mighthave been corrupt and that you
might have had something to dowith it.
And, of course, you respondedthe way that you responded to
that, which was, in short, sourgrapes, didn't you and Leroy
used to be friends.
What happened there?
Speaker 6 (36:13):
We were in school first through the 12th grade.
Matter of fact, we went toChattanooga together at Motley
Elementary School, you know.
But you know time bring aboutchanges and I thought that you
know we was associates.
You know so-called friends, butyou know how elections are.
But then again, before I go anyfurther, I just want to
(36:35):
personally thank you and Peterfor, you know, printing my
letter, I really do.
But back to the thing.
As far as with Leroy, you know,print my level, I really do.
But back to the thing.
As far as with Leroy, you know,he said what he had to say, I
didn't agree with it and I didmy rebuttal.
And so, hey, as a poor personfrom an individual standpoint,
(37:02):
and especially a man that don'tdefend yourself.
You know you can let a personthrow rocks at you for so long
and it is time for you to defendyourself.
My grandmama always told us.
Growing up is that you can takethe sorry dog in the yard and
you can kick him around for solong and eventually, one day
you're going to come and kickthat dog and the dog will cry
(37:24):
and let you bite you Okay.
So I said that to say that hesaid what he had to say.
I said what I had to say.
Now wait let me finish just onesecond.
I know you got to.
Let me say this here From thestandpoint of me supporting
Councilman Jones is that I'm notgoing to go any further as far
(37:45):
as our debacle between Leroy andmyself, because I don't want to
piss nobody off that supportedMr Brooks, I thought your chosen
profession was politics.
Speaker 4 (38:00):
And I don't want to piss nobody off that supported
Mr Jones, because you've got tothink nobody off.
Sure, I understand that Mr.
Speaker 6 (38:04):
Jones, because you got to think about this.
Leroy Brooks, whether you likeit or not, received 1,500 and
something votes Right.
Kevin Jones received 1,800votes right.
Right, so hopefully with somany people that supported Leroy
.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
Brooks, right, y'all are courting those 1,500 people.
I understand that so.
Speaker 6 (38:26):
I don't want to take nobody off.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
I understand.
But okay, why your decision toendorse Stephen Jones?
Then you know, I know Y'allhaven't always gotten along, no,
so what changed Well?
Speaker 6 (38:39):
first of all, we haven't always gotten along,
zach.
Well, you know, I once wasmarried, okay, and then, whether
you married or in arelationship, you know you don't
always get along, but you canagree to disagree.
When I was on the council,Councilor Jones and I didn't
always agree.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Sometimes those disagreements were pretty rough,
though, that's true.
So how'd y'all bury the hatchet?
Speaker 6 (39:02):
were pretty rough, that's true.
So how'd y'all bury the hatchet?
Well, I mean, it's not that wejust buried the hatchet when he
ran for mayor, it's that thehatchet that's been buried
wasn't no hatchet.
It's that we disagree with eachother and then, hey, we move on
.
So, as far as from Stephen, whyI decided to support Stephen
(39:23):
Jones or Councilman Jones isbecause I thought that from a
city government standpoint eventhough Mr Brooks had been there
41 years as the supervisor butfrom the city standpoint,
municipal government is that itlooks a little different from
county government and Steve hadbeen in city government for like
the last nine years and he'smore approachable.
(39:47):
And Steve has some goodleadership qualities and I just
think that he would be the bestperson for the job.
That's Rob Smith's opinion.
Speaker 1 (40:00):
It's a weak mayor strong council system, as you
well know, and you had tonavigate that In your
administration.
There was still a weak mayorsystem but there were
consensuses reached.
There were times that theyvoted against you.
There were times that theyvoted for you.
In the past four years theredoesn't seem to be very many
(40:20):
times where the sitting mayor'sgotten anything much across and
the candidate you've endorsedhas been on the voting block.
That has blocked a lot of thoseinitiatives.
I guess, speaking from yourexperience, I'm bringing this
through three different waysyour experience on navigating
that weak mayor system and howyou were successful in getting
(40:41):
some initiatives across, whyKeith hasn't and why Stephen
will if he is elected.
Speaker 6 (40:47):
That's simple.
That's that.
Let me tell you this From aweak mayor, strong council,
former government, right.
So after the mayor, whatever Irecommend, I better make sure,
as the mayor, that I've got methree votes before I bring this
(41:10):
to the table.
Okay, that's just good oldcommon sense.
There, are you with me?
Speaker 1 (41:15):
But also, and making sure you do that without
violating the public meetings.
Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 6 (41:20):
Yeah, I got it.
Yeah, there you go, but at thesame time it's being able to
communicate with your counselor.
I can't go to the table and askfor this or ask for that when
there's been no communicationlater, and then I expect the
(41:42):
council to just jump on boardand support what I want.
So it's all about communicationNow, as far as you know,
breaking ties probably in 15years I bet you I'd probably
break no more than four or fiveties, good, bad and different
(42:02):
Let me ask you about that, fromwhat you say and, by the way,
it's good to have an in-depthconversation with you.
Speaker 3 (42:10):
I've just been around you a few times and it's mostly
been small talk.
But today I'm hearing you talkabout these relationships and
these ties and I can't help butwonder.
In columbus and in lowndescounty there are a lot of people
that love robert smith, andthen there are a lot of people
(42:33):
who hate robert smith, and Ijust don't see a lot of people
in the middle here and I'mwondering why that is.
And it's bear with me.
Here's a twofold question.
Number one why is it thatpeople either think you're the
one who pours his heart intochildren it's just a great man
(42:54):
and Columbus is a better placebecause of him or Robert Smith
is a crook?
Ok, you got these two camps.
And then second question is doyou think that, like, maybe some
of it's racially based?
I mean, where does this comefrom?
Speaker 6 (43:12):
Well, as far as from the crook standpoint or the
corrupt standpoint, is that ifRobert Smith was such a crook,
corrupt?
I want to ask you a questionhave you ever read in the paper
where Robert Smith was indicted?
Speaker 3 (43:30):
I have not Okay All right, so all right.
Speaker 6 (43:34):
Now as far as some like, some dislike, there's
nothing that I can do about that, but try to treat everybody
fair and treat people the way Iwant to be treated.
Okay, and I always said when Iwas a principal or teacher or
coach in order to get respect,you got to give respect.
(43:59):
When I was a principal, youthink all the teachers are like
Rob Smith?
No, but you know what I used totell them, david, I used to
tell the teachers, the assistantprincipals, the students.
I'm not here to win a popularitycontest.
I'm here to do a job and I wantto be fair and consistent.
(44:22):
Whatever I did for David, Icould do it for Zach.
I could do it for people.
Speaker 1 (44:27):
Going back to the current administration and I
want to go.
You know, you see those oldsports shows where they have the
old coaches up there analyzingthe game, looking at the Gaskin
administration.
Are there anything?
What are the things that yousee, if anything, from your
(44:50):
standpoint?
Positive outcomes from thatadministration, good things that
you've seen from that, justlooking at it as a former mayor,
as a fellow leader.
What's he doing right?
Speaker 6 (45:09):
Well you know, I'm not here to criticize.
Speaker 1 (45:16):
Well, I mean, that's not a critical question.
Okay, I know it's not.
Speaker 6 (45:34):
But okay, there I mean I'll be the first to say is
that there were some thingsthat happened in my
administration that I hatehappened from the embezzlement
standpoint.
And you know, some people saywhen Robert Smith left, the city
was broke, which that's a farce.
That's not true.
That was over like $5 millionthere.
But at the same time, what someof the citizens don't realize
is that why we had to borrowmoney is because you think about
(45:56):
it now, since COVID, where youhad federal money, came in, you
got money from the state andthen from the gas tax money.
That's how they do a lot ofpaving.
Well, yeah, the internet salestax, the internet sales tax
right, so that wasn't inexistence when.
Speaker 2 (46:12):
Robert Smith was there.
Speaker 6 (46:16):
So as far as the good the bad with Keith, I'm not
going to get into that.
The only thing that I say thatI think he could have been more
successful as a mayor if he justhad tried to communicate with
the council.
Speaker 3 (46:34):
Why do you think that council was largely opposed to
the forensic audits that he keptpushing for?
Speaker 6 (46:43):
I have no idea.
And if you talk to peoplewithin the city or the county,
there were some people that saidthat it was a waste of money.
Speaker 3 (46:57):
Too expensive.
Speaker 6 (46:58):
Yeah.
So you had your pros and consboth ways.
And if there had been, whetherit was a forensic audit or not,
you have your auditing firmthere.
So if there was some money thatwas missing anywhere, don't you
think that the auditor wouldhave picked it up and found it
somewhere eventually?
One would hope.
Yeah, that's right, one wouldhope.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
I guess they helped find the embezzlement they did.
Speaker 6 (47:22):
Well, I was a part of it too, because I just had this
idea Someone write.
And I asked Mrs Holly that Imet with her one Saturday and I
asked her I said something'sjust not right.
I just had this feelingsomething's not right here with
these novels and I asked herwould she go back so many years?
(47:46):
And she said you really want meto do that?
I said yep, and I got theapproval of the council and she
did, and the way he was doing itis that the average auditor
wouldn't have caught up with it.
Speaker 1 (47:59):
Well, last question I have for you two-part.
Well, last question I have foryou two-part.
When all of this is done, whenyou're done with everything?
Maybe when you're done on thisearth?
Speaker 6 (48:18):
what do you want the legacy of Robert Smith to be in
Columbus and what do you thinkit will be?
Zach?
That's a $2 million question.
As far as from a legacystandpoint, you know I'm the
type person from a personalstandpoint I'm not hung up on
legacies okay, I would want theperson to say is robbed by a
(48:43):
robber.
Smear is that.
You know he was hard-nosed.
If there's something that hehad to say to you about you, you
didn't have to ask Saturday,joe, jay or John.
You could just come straight tohim and he would tell you
personally how he feel aboutthis, how he feel about that,
and that would say that, hey,regardless of what you have to
say about Robert Smith is thathe was fair and consistent in
(49:05):
whatever he did.
Speaker 3 (49:07):
Well, mr Robert Smith , I want to offer you my sincere
thanks for coming in the studiotoday.
It has been a pleasure and thatwill do it.
We thank our listeners forjoining us today.
Be sure to subscribe, share andrate, and also send us your
comments.
We would love to hear from youabout this interview today or
(49:27):
about whatever else is on yourmind that we may want to talk
about.
Tips at cdispatchcom.
Again, that is, tips atcdispatchcom.
You can also follow me onFacebook or x at dchism00.
Signing off until next weekfrom Catfish Alley Studios in
historic downtown Columbus.
Big shout out to Josh Gillis,who does a great job of helping
(49:49):
us set this up.
Your host has been Zach Playerand I am David Chisholm.
Until next time, y'all keep itfriendly and we will do our best
to keep it real, to keep itreal.
From the opinion page of the Commercial Dispatch.
This is Between the Headlines.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
This is Peter Imes, publisher of the Dispatch.
One of our hosts of Between theHeadlines is the managing
editor of our newsroom.
Typically, we try to keep newsand opinions separate, but
reporters have a unique insightinto the workings of local
government and their analysiscan be helpful for readers and
listeners.
The Dispatch remains committedto journalistic integrity and
(00:37):
our reporting will alwaysreflect that.
And now Between the Headlines.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Welcome back.
Welcome back.
You are listening to Betweenthe Headlines, but first in your
journey, we're ready to help.
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And now a message frompolitical candidate Bill Strauss
(01:58):
.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
This is Bill Strauss, your 2025 candidate for mayor
of Columbus.
As election time draws near,ask yourself are you satisfied
with our city leadership?
What has been done to eliminateour flooding issues?
What has been done to eliminateour housing blight?
Are our streets safe?
Why have we not kept up withWest Point, starkville and
Tupelo?
We must have new leadership.
(02:20):
Out with the old and in withthe new.
Elect Bill Strauss, your newmayor.
Paid for by campaign to electBill Strauss mayor 2025.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
And now a message from political candidate Jason
Spears.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
Hello, I am Jason Spears, your Republican
candidate for City Council, ward6.
I am grateful for the citizensof Ward 6 support in the primary
and respectfully requesteveryone's continued support in
the upcoming general election.
It is time to restore fiscalresponsibility, economic growth
and optimism back to our city.
I, like you, believe we can getback on track and know that, as
(02:54):
a community, we're going tomake it happen.
I approve this message and, onJune 3rd, vote Jason Spears for
Ward 6.
Paid for by the campaign toelect Jason Spears, ward 6.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Today in the studio we are pleased to have the
former mayor of Columbus, mrRobert Smith, who also serves as
chairman of the ColumbusMunicipal School District, and
he is also on the Columbus Lightand Water Board.
We welcome you here today.
Thank you all so much for theinvitation.
Speaker 6 (03:23):
Look forward to this invite.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Well, mayor Smith, I want to start here.
You know you're on theMunicipal School Board.
Y'all seem to be going througha superintendent search at a.
Really I mean, is this anunfortunate time?
It's definitely an odd time tobe going through one, but I mean
, talk about the timing of thesuperintendent search here.
With what else y all have gotgoing on.
Speaker 6 (03:45):
Well, I will say, as far as from the superintendent
standpoint, it was a surprise tothe school board.
Dr Ellis has done anoutstanding job since he has
been here, and he's only beenhere almost two years and you
know how talk is in thecommunity, right, some people
(04:05):
say, well, y'all are around,another one of us.
But you know, and from mypersonal standpoint, along with
the school board, we wantstability, you know, within the
district, because if you go backwith your previous
superintendent, it's been a lotof superintendents in a little
bit of time, so I guess, how doyou?
Speaker 1 (04:24):
what are you looking for to stabilize?
Speaker 6 (04:27):
Well, I mean when you interview a person and you ask
them are they planning on somelongevity?
You would hope you know theysay yay, Even with Dr Ellis, in
the interview process and withthe stakeholders meeting and
also in community meetings, hesays that he was planning on
retiring here.
But then you know, when he toldthe big bum shell to us the
(04:51):
other night in our board meetingprior to him giving us a letter
of resignation, we all wasshocked and surprised.
And when you think about it,from the reason that he gave
concerning the family issue andhis mother's like 85 years, old
and he's been going home andthat's a long trip.
(05:14):
Yeah, back to back, and I don'tknow whether you all have been
to Mount Bayou, mississippi, ornot.
Mount Bayou, I guess.
Population as of today isprobably about 1,300.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (05:25):
People that live in the town, and so a lot of times
when he'd go home for theweekend and when he'd leave four
days in the morning, he'd comeback he'd go straight to work.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Now, Mr Smith, he has attributed that and, of course,
take him at his word, and y'allhave talked about him being a
high-performing superintendent.
However, prior to his leaving,there was the contract issue
where y'all were only willing toextend him a year at the same
salary, and that I meantypically.
(05:57):
That could be read as a sign ofat least shaky faith.
So I guess, how do you respondto that at?
Speaker 6 (06:04):
least shaky faith.
So I guess, how do you respondto that?
Well, I will say this and I'mputting myself out there as far
as the one year, actually wegave him an additional year but
also that six-month time span,we would come back to the table
and negotiate.
Okay, now, that wasn't said,but I'm saying that now.
(06:26):
Okay, right, and you got tothink about this.
Also, he's going to Belzona,mississippi.
K through 12 is on 1,100students, right, okay,
everything is on one campus andwe was paying him the district,
$160,000.
He's making $162,000.
(06:46):
And from Bell's on it to MountBayou, if you look it up, it's
58.4 miles.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Right, yeah.
Well, talking about studentcount, I mean one of the things
that y'all have been talkingpublicly about and specifically
with Dr Ellis about duringmeetings, is stemming the tide
of enrollment loss.
I mean part of the elementaryschool consolidation is that
y'all aren't filling them.
Speaker 6 (07:12):
Well, for one thing, as we know, the district
improved to a B.
And the way things are goingnow is from what we've received,
the numbers and all is that weshould still remain a B, so
that's a plus there, and thenyou got to think about it.
Also is that people not havingkids like they used to and
(07:38):
another reason is that, if youlook at, my hat's off to them is
that if you look at the county,the county is rated higher than
the city.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Right.
Speaker 6 (07:49):
So most parents will say is that I want my kids to go
to the best school district.
And then, if you look at itfrom a black-white ratio, is
that like?
When I attended school it wasprobably 60-40, okay, even with
the first year of immigrationback in 1971.
(08:12):
So most of you, at first thewhite kids for whatever the case
may be, you know they decidedto go to the private schools in
which you know parents take thekids where they think is the
best school.
But from the board standpoint,from the administration
standpoint, faculty and staff isthat we're doing everything we
(08:34):
can to try to stop the decreaseand try to be able to back up.
At one time the school districtwhen I was working in the
school district as a principal,a teacher and coach, the
Columbus School District waslike 5,100.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
And then now you're just like about 3,000.
Speaker 6 (08:56):
So it's been a drastic drop there.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Well, I mean that's not sustainable over time.
I mean looking at the future ofthe school.
It can't continue to drop likethis for the school to survive
right.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
That's correct.
Speaker 6 (09:15):
Okay, so what are three things, or two things that
y'all are looking atimplementing to stem it?
Well, I mean, you have to dowhat you have to do on the
situation.
So, for one, we want to makesure that each student get the
best education available.
Okay, we want to provide aquality education for each
student.
For number one, and we want totry to provide all the
(09:39):
necessities from the technologystandpoint that the students
need, and maybe with ourdistrict, is that maybe that is
some liking that the studentsneed?
And maybe, with our district,is that maybe that is some
liking that the other districtcan provide.
So we've done all we can to tryto recruit the best
administrators, the bestteachers.
Are you with me?
Yeah, so those are some of thethings that we're trying to do
(10:01):
to help stabilize and keep whatwe already have, rather than
continue to lose students.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Looking at you know just the last few
superintendents, differentthings that they've brought to
the table, differentidiosyncrasies that they've had,
you know, personality-wise,leadership skill-wise, etc.
Those people have come and gonein their turn for whatever
reason over that time.
What leadership skills, whatkind of character?
(10:31):
What kind of metrics doesRobert Smith think a successful
superintendent at CMSD willbring to the table, and what are
they going to do?
Speaker 6 (10:43):
A person that will have one good leadership skill.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Right.
Well, what are good leadershipskills?
I mean, that's kind ofplatitudinal.
What are good leadership skills?
Speaker 6 (10:52):
Well, from an effective leader is a person
that's willing to roll up theirsleeves and get out there and
show the people that he'sleading.
He or she is leading that.
Hey, I'm willing to roll up mysleeves and get off in the mud,
or whatever you want to take tomake sure that we are successful
as a school district.
Organizational skills a personthat's very organized, All right
(11:18):
.
And people skills being able torelate to people.
I mean, you could be one of thebest superintendents there,
maybe, but if you don't havegood people skills being able to
relate to people, then I don'tthink you're going to be
successful.
That's from me coming as apersonal standpoint, and a
(11:38):
person that's willing to get outthere and go to the different
organizations and sit down andtalk to them, Get out in the
community and help recruit.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
What about relationship with the board?
What are you looking for thereas far as the superintendent's
relationship with the board?
Speaker 6 (11:56):
Well, I would hope that from the superintendent
board standpoint, it be a teameffort.
Is that we're all in thistogether.
Okay, right, it be a teameffort.
Is that we all in this together?
Speaker 1 (12:04):
OK, right.
Speaker 6 (12:06):
We're not going to get involved in day to day
operations until you.
You need to do this or you needto do that as a superintendent.
We hope that during theinterview process we we'll find
a seasoned superintendent,someone that's willing to
(12:29):
relocate and come to Columbus.
And I mean as far as the salarynow you mentioned about salary.
If you make a comparison acrossthe state of Mississippi as far
as a district with 3,000students and you're paying them
a salary of $160,000, I meanthat's a good salary.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Okay.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
With all the fringe benefits, that goes along.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Now, robert, you're also a seasoned educator.
You are a seasoned leader on alot of levels and you know your
business.
You also have a very strongpersonality.
You know you know your business.
So you've got a superintendentthat's standing in front of you,
y'all have got a board policythat y'all want to get through
and y'all have explainedyourselves.
(13:11):
This is what we want to do andthis is why your new
superintendent's sitting upthere going.
I hear what you're saying, butI wish y'all would do something
different.
Is that something that youthink would be a positive thing
in a superintendent to be ableand willing to do?
Speaker 6 (13:27):
Well, listen, you know you have your lackadaisical
superintendent, you have yourlazy fair superintendent.
But listen, let me say this andI'm not talking about
contrarian.
Let me say this If the positivesays this, I believe in going
(13:48):
with the policy okay, and withany superintendent.
Now, even with Dr Ellis, wedidn't always agree, but then we
could agree to disagree, inother words.
So in other words, is that ifwe disagreed about something, he
recommended something and wedidn't support it, or Robert
Smith didn't support it, is thatI didn't need to upset If the
(14:09):
board voted by majority voteagainst what Robert Smith voted
against.
Is that, hey, majority rule,and move on.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Do you think that there are specific policy
initiatives or just like generaldirections that Dr Ellis is
going to leave behind, thatyou're hoping that would be
continued with the nextadministration?
Speaker 6 (14:36):
Oh, yeah, I would hope that, regardless who the
superintendent may end up being,is that I don't think it will
be smart for the superintendentto come in and make wholesale
changes.
I don't think it'll be smartfrom that standpoint.
Now, that's just my opinion.
Okay, we have some good thingsthat are going on within the
(14:57):
district, and Dr Ellis hasagreed that until June, the 30th
, which his new job will takeeffect on July 1, he has agreed
to where he would work with usand do everything he can, from
replacement of staff, whateverthe case may be, and so we would
(15:20):
hope that, whoever thesuperintendent may be that come
in is that they will follow ourstrategic plan and just come in
and keep the ball rolling andwhich you know.
Any new leader come in withsome new ideas, okay.
So I hope the new ideas wouldnot be the way you just trash
(15:42):
the things that have beensuccessful.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Well, talking about the strategic plan, what are you
hearing?
I mean, I know that the bondoverwhelmingly passed, but what
are y'all hearing about, as faras public feedback to doing away
with the magnet schools andneighborhood schools
consolidating into a grade spanon the elementary level and
especially the pendingrepurposing of Franklin?
Speaker 6 (16:09):
Well, you know, for me personally and I'm out there
with the public you know Ihaven't received a lot of
negative criticism from theGrace Band.
And you know, with the decreasein enrollment and then with
this year closing Franklin, andthen the next year, 26, 27 year,
that's when the Grace Band willreally take effect is that
(16:32):
we'll closed Fairview.
So I mean, from the communitymeetings that we've had and that
I've attended, it's not at allnegative.
The main thing is that I'veheard from the public is what
are you going to do withFranklin?
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Yeah, what are you going to do with Franklin?
Speaker 6 (16:50):
I mean, that's a million-dollar question right
now.
I know we're going to winterizeit and all and we're not going
to just let it sit there,because it has a lot of
historical significance.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
there Now is that going to be?
Are you all looking at aschool-centric purpose?
Are you all looking at ahistorical-centric purpose?
Are you all looking at, maybeleasing for commercial purposes,
or a combination of any or allof that?
Speaker 6 (17:13):
We've we've thought some things around but, to be
frank with you, nothing isconcrete right now.
At least I can tell you thisfrom the board standpoint we're
not going to just give it awaylike the lead deal.
Now I can say that the board isunanimously in support of not
just giving it away.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
How important is it to you that, as I mean a Native
community member and longtimemayor here and school board
member that Franklin is in?
Whatever purpose Franklin isused, one, it's not vacant and
two, it remains an homage to itshistory.
Speaker 6 (17:56):
I would hope that when the final decision is made
that we as a board keep somehistorical significance there
related to Franklin.
Related to Franklin.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Yeah, what about Fairview, that school over there
?
Is that historical just becauseit's old?
Or is that just going to bemaybe just sold to public outcry
?
What do you think will be thefate of that building?
Speaker 6 (18:22):
Personally, it doesn't have nearly the
significance from a historicalstandpoint that Franklin had.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
So maybe condos or something.
Speaker 6 (18:34):
David, mean you're thinking?
Speaker 1 (18:35):
robert's making his business plan right now.
He's like you know, I like that.
Speaker 6 (18:39):
So, uh, right now we don't know, but as a board we
don't want to just jump intosomething, uh, without input
from the community on franklin.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Have have you gotten anybody that has come to y'all
at this point and said this issomething we can do with
Franklin?
Speaker 6 (18:58):
Oh yeah, you know that Come on.
The first time it was mentionedthat it was going to close.
You know there are people outthere from a business standpoint
have some ideas.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Any good ideas.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
I can't discuss that.
But to answer your question,yeah, there are some business
people that have uh mentioned todr ellis and also to board and
have mentioned to me personally.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
But uh, right now we I just we can't discuss that I'm
really curious about the statusof I've not been by there in a
minute and like there's a museumon the back of it, the RE Hunt
Museum.
What is happening there?
Is there like a ribbon cuttinggoing to happen in the near
future?
Or like, where are we on thatone Good?
Speaker 6 (19:47):
question.
Dave, I'm glad you asked that,Okay.
Okay, the hole up here today isThursday.
Tuesday we'll go through and dothe five points list.
But to the citizens of Columbusand the people that attended
Hunt it was amazing at the jobthey were doing there.
(20:10):
And as far as the grand opening, we met with Keith Blair on
Monday.
We're going to do a monument infront of the building, just
like the monument they weredoing at Franklin and the one
they were doing at Union Academy.
And so hopefully, as far as thegrand opening, we'll have the
grand opening probably the firstor second week in July, because
(20:33):
he assured us that he wouldhave the monument built and have
it there for the grand opening.
So that's the holdup on thegrand opening because if you
think about it, if it was withthe Columbus School, District
school would open like about thethird week in July this year.
So before we have the grandopening we want to unveil the
monument, also with the history.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Well, on the museum side of it, is all that stuff
still packed up in storagebuildings, or are they bringing
the stuff back to the they'rebringing the majority that
didn't get damaged and from amuseum standpoint, back there.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
They did an awesome job with the entire building
Because my last year year, whenthey fully integrated the City
of Columbus, we got out ofschool going into my senior year
that summer we was expectingsummer 1970, to go back to Hunt
and that's when the state ofMississippi fully integrated.
(21:27):
So from that time to now, asfar as the renovation standpoint
because I don't know, in 2019,when the tornado hit, I mean it
pretty much destroyed a lot ofpeople saying just demolish it.
So with the $19 million thatwas put in there, I mean it
didn't even have an elevator inthere in the building there and
(21:47):
the museum.
they did a remarkable job acrossthe entire school district.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
I was actually a student teacher there briefly in
about 2004.
And I just remember thatbuilding was really sad, like
just the facilities and thebathrooms and you could see
actual wires that looked kind ofdangerous in certain places.
I remember writing about thisstuff and so I'm glad to see
(22:15):
that facility being turnedaround.
Speaker 6 (22:17):
Well, dave, I'm giving you all right now a
personal invitation.
When we get to date for thegrand opening, I want you to
come and see it and then, afteryou look at it, then you'll say
that Rob Smith, you didn't lie.
Yeah, okay, they have done aremarkable job.
It's central heat and air allthe way through.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Before we get back to the interview, I want to let
you know about a forum that willbe with all three of the
mayoral candidates, mr StephenJones, mr Darren Leach and Mr
Bill Strauss.
That is May 27th at the Lyceumat Lee, from 6 to 7 30.
All three have agreed to bethere and you will want to
(22:56):
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Speaker 1 (24:19):
So switching gears to the CLW side.
There's a question I reallywant to ask you.
This Kerr-McGee issue hasgotten a lot of people really
spooked as far as what's safeand what's not around that area.
For fact that there's abusiness in the area around, I
(24:45):
guess, sort of around theCurramagee site that they're not
giving tap water, they're notusing their tap water or giving
it to customers because of whatthey believe to be Curramagee
contamination.
You're on the light and waterboard.
Water's clean in Columbus,right, correct.
In Columbus, right, correct.
Okay.
So where is the disconnect asfar as with your experience with
(25:07):
the community, with leading thecity through the part of the
Kermagee cleanup?
What's the disconnect therethat starts these rumors about
like oh, don't drink the tapwater, or oh we can't build
anything on X or Y.
Speaker 6 (25:24):
Well, a lot of it was perception Now, as far as from
the Kerr-McGee, as far as thesection that was cleaned to a
certain extent on the 27thStreet side, there from 14th
Avenue and 27th Street, whichthey used to call the Pine Yard
Okay, Now they cleaned that to acertain extent, Mm-hmm Okay.
(25:46):
But from people within thecommunity, a lot of it's true, I
think you know I'm no doctor,but the perception is that a lot
of those people that havepassed on in their relatives is
because of contamination thatgot in their bodies.
(26:09):
You know like some of them hadguns and stuff you know in their
backyards and all.
So I mean some of it, I think,is perception, my dealing with
it from the time when I was themayor and then since I've been
on the lighting water board andfrom talking to people out of
Atlanta.
Is that some soil there?
(26:33):
What they did to clean up it?
There there is still somecontamination.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
You know, at one time Is it getting in the water?
Speaker 6 (26:41):
No.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Okay, do you think that cleanup happened
efficiently, or do you thinkthat maybe just that whole
Superfund situation could havebeen handled in a way that they
actually would have used themoney and gotten all the dirt
out, or more of the dirt, andactually had the whole thing
approved to be built on, asopposed to whatever percentage
(27:04):
it is now?
Speaker 6 (27:04):
Well, you know, columbus received, I believe,
about $67 million somewhere inthat ballpark range and from the
federal government and thepeople that was handling it, the
organization that was handlingit.
They were just funneling out alittle at a time.
They were just falling out alittle at a time but as far as
from the way it was cleaned up,as far as with the money that
(27:28):
was issued, I think they went asfar as that.
They was going at that timebecause the people that was
handling the money the $6million to $8 million as long as
they held it in an accountthere was more interest that was
being drawn on it and that wasmaking them look good.
Also Because since that timeyou think how long it's been
(27:50):
since they did the Mall Streetside where they did the ditch
and all they're not on the 14thAvenue side If you turn when you
cross the tracks on Mall Streetthey did a concrete line ditch
over there, headed north.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (28:04):
So nothing been done over there since that time and
over on the side where thegraveyard is there, where the
main plant there was, we used tocall it growing up moss tie.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
There's a swamp over there right now.
Why is all that water stillthere?
You seen it.
Speaker 6 (28:22):
Where.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
It's like alligators and stuff Right there just to
the east of the school.
Like it's bad.
Are you saying there's?
Speaker 1 (28:30):
alligators by the school?
Or are you being hyperbolic?
Speaker 6 (28:32):
You're evidently referring David to where
Settlers and Plumbing used to be.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Maybe, so, yeah, maybe, so it's actually.
Speaker 6 (28:40):
It's been a good cooperation yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
But it's a football kick away from the Hunt Museum
and the student building.
Well, it's across the streetthere.
Speaker 6 (28:46):
Yeah, from 22nd Street, this is what we call the
back street, the street thatruns down there.
If you're looking at the back,on the left when you're going
down 22nd, if you're looking atto your left, it's the.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Hunt.
Speaker 6 (28:58):
Yes.
For the hunt and the museum,but to your right, that's what
you're referring to as the swamp.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
And I'm wondering if that's drainage related or if
that's a part of the site thatdidn't get cleaned or that's not
even on the site.
Speaker 6 (29:10):
That's not on the site.
That was the main office thereand that was the building, not
the main office for Curt McGee.
Now, that was the main officefor the Benneke Corporation
where they did the toilet seatsat.
You should be old enough toremember.
Uh, benica dave I was.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
I was safely tucked away in the county, and so this
has been a learning curve for me, for sure.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
All I know is I drove by there and I was like holy
cow, look at all this stuff, allright, your councilwoman, ella
stewart, okay, and then you'vegot other members of the council
Pierre Beard, you know evenStephen Jones, to a certain
extent very skeptical ofbuilding anything on any part of
(29:54):
the Kerr-McGee site.
Do you share that opinion withthem?
Speaker 6 (29:58):
Yeah until it's thoroughly cleaned.
Yeah until it's thoroughlyclean.
Yeah, because they got to thinkabout their constituents,
because if they go jump and dosomething against what their
constituents would like to seedone, then Well, okay, but
there's constituent will, andthen there's science.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Something that is safe and something that is
wanted can be two differentthings.
So is it safe In your mind ifEPA is saying it's safe, is it
safe?
Speaker 6 (30:24):
Well, I mean, if EPA saying it's safe, is it safe?
Well, I mean, if EPA says safe,yeah, but at the same time, you
got to think about what yourconstituents are going to say.
If you want to stay in office,are you going to be concerned
about EPA?
That do not vote for Ethel.
Pierre Stephen Jones.
I mean let Stephen Jones.
I mean let's be for real.
Speaker 3 (30:46):
What about Robert Johnson IV's idea?
Speaker 6 (30:56):
Put solar panels out there and use part of that
energy production to lower thecost of energy bills for Ward 4.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
It's a solar panel.
Speaker 6 (31:19):
No.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Republicans already believe that they're poisonous.
Here we go.
Poisonous here we go you'relistening to between the
headlines okay, so.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
So, uh, going going into the political realm a
little bit now.
I saw you there, uh, uh, whenuh roger smith won the War II
race Tuesday.
Now, we've talked about thisbefore, but y'all are related,
at least distantly, right yeah?
Speaker 6 (31:49):
He's my great nephew.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Okay, well, first of all, I mean, how proud are you
of him?
Speaker 6 (31:56):
I'm very proud of him .
Okay, I mean, he ran a good,clean race.
He got out there and wentdo-de-do with the people and I
think what impressed the peoplea lot when we had the flood on
Summer Haven back here aboutthree or four weeks ago I guess
some of the people called him.
(32:16):
We had been to the house and heleft church with his suit on,
with a little bit of boots onhim, and went out there in the
water waiting, wow.
But again back to how proud Iam.
I mean, I'm very proud of him.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Well now, you weren't super visible in his campaign
until, I mean Tuesday.
You were there, but I mean, didhe come to you at any point and
say, okay?
So if I'm going to do this,tips and tricks, advice Did he
come to you.
Speaker 6 (32:44):
When he first mentioned to me, zach, that he
was going to run for citycouncilman, I said are you sure
this is what you want to do?
And he says, yeah.
I said well, if you want to dothis, it's going to take a lot
of hard work.
I said and commitment on yourpart.
And I said whatever you say tothe people, I said don't get out
there and make these promisesthat you know, if you elect me,
(33:08):
I'll do this.
I'll do that.
I said because you only onevote.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Right.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
And I said you need four votes, you need three plus
the mayor.
Break the tie.
And I said my advice to you, orany other person that's running
for office they ask me foradvice, is that don't make these
wholesale promises.
If people ask you about if Ivote for you, will you do this
or that, I'll say that, hey,I'll take what you ask of me
under consideration.
(33:33):
So if it doesn't happen, thenthey can't come back and say
well, Robert, you lied to meabout this.
I said nope.
I said I would take it underconsideration.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
I have noticed something about Roderick winning
that race.
It has been pretty universallycelebrated across the political
spectrum.
We're talking about people inWard 2.
We're talking about people whoare in his party and we're also
talking about people who wouldhistorically not celebrate a
Democratic victory, but it seemsto be universally celebrated.
How much of that is Roderickand his reputation before the
(34:11):
campaign and the campaigncombined and how much of that is
people were just tired ofMickens.
Speaker 6 (34:17):
Well, there's a twofold Okay.
Some of it have to do withRoger and people that knew Roger
proud to run for office.
His people skills are great.
Are you with me?
Yeah, he doesn't meet strangers, whether it's black or white,
(34:40):
and from the other spectrum asfar as making is that, if you
talk to some of the people thatwas in the ward, is that they
were just tired of Joseph Meakin.
Well, a lot of times you getincumbent fatigue, no matter the
performance, and there was someinstances where, during the
(35:00):
last year or so where I don'tthink personally, county of
Michigan helped themselves.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Such as we're not going to go there.
So like I mean Kenny, I meanfor an example.
Speaker 6 (35:14):
I'll use one example, just like the incident that
happened with.
Speaker 4 (35:18):
Kenny Wheaton.
Speaker 6 (35:20):
You know Kenny is a nice guy down there who will
help anybody and you know theincident that happened there
that night.
That was totally uncalled for.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Another thing that's gotten in the news.
You know your involvement inthe mayor's race, from endorsing
Stephen Jones to the letterexchanges in the paper between
you and Supervisor Brooks.
Supervisor Brooks had somethings to say in a letter after
he was defeated in the primarythat insinuated or out and out
(35:56):
said that the election mighthave been corrupt and that you
might have had something to dowith it.
And, of course, you respondedthe way that you responded to
that, which was, in short, sourgrapes, didn't you and Leroy
used to be friends.
What happened there?
Speaker 6 (36:13):
We were in school first through the 12th grade.
Matter of fact, we went toChattanooga together at Motley
Elementary School, you know.
But you know time bring aboutchanges and I thought that you
know we was associates.
You know so-called friends, butyou know how elections are.
But then again, before I go anyfurther, I just want to
(36:35):
personally thank you and Peterfor, you know, printing my
letter, I really do.
But back to the thing.
As far as with Leroy, you know,print my level, I really do.
But back to the thing.
As far as with Leroy, you know,he said what he had to say, I
didn't agree with it and I didmy rebuttal.
And so, hey, as a poor personfrom an individual standpoint,
(37:02):
and especially a man that don'tdefend yourself.
You know you can let a personthrow rocks at you for so long
and it is time for you to defendyourself.
My grandmama always told us.
Growing up is that you can takethe sorry dog in the yard and
you can kick him around for solong and eventually, one day
you're going to come and kickthat dog and the dog will cry
(37:24):
and let you bite you Okay.
So I said that to say that hesaid what he had to say.
I said what I had to say.
Now wait let me finish just onesecond.
I know you got to.
Let me say this here From thestandpoint of me supporting
Councilman Jones is that I'm notgoing to go any further as far
(37:45):
as our debacle between Leroy andmyself, because I don't want to
piss nobody off that supportedMr Brooks, I thought your chosen
profession was politics.
Speaker 4 (38:00):
And I don't want to piss nobody off that supported
Mr Jones, because you've got tothink nobody off.
Sure, I understand that Mr.
Speaker 6 (38:04):
Jones, because you got to think about this.
Leroy Brooks, whether you likeit or not, received 1,500 and
something votes Right.
Kevin Jones received 1,800votes right.
Right, so hopefully with somany people that supported Leroy
.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
Brooks, right, y'all are courting those 1,500 people.
I understand that so.
Speaker 6 (38:26):
I don't want to take nobody off.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
I understand.
But okay, why your decision toendorse Stephen Jones?
Then you know, I know Y'allhaven't always gotten along, no,
so what changed Well?
Speaker 6 (38:39):
first of all, we haven't always gotten along,
zach.
Well, you know, I once wasmarried, okay, and then, whether
you married or in arelationship, you know you don't
always get along, but you canagree to disagree.
When I was on the council,Councilor Jones and I didn't
always agree.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Sometimes those disagreements were pretty rough,
though, that's true.
So how'd y'all bury the hatchet?
Speaker 6 (39:02):
were pretty rough, that's true.
So how'd y'all bury the hatchet?
Well, I mean, it's not that wejust buried the hatchet when he
ran for mayor, it's that thehatchet that's been buried
wasn't no hatchet.
It's that we disagree with eachother and then, hey, we move on
.
So, as far as from Stephen, whyI decided to support Stephen
(39:23):
Jones or Councilman Jones isbecause I thought that from a
city government standpoint eventhough Mr Brooks had been there
41 years as the supervisor butfrom the city standpoint,
municipal government is that itlooks a little different from
county government and Steve hadbeen in city government for like
the last nine years and he'smore approachable.
(39:47):
And Steve has some goodleadership qualities and I just
think that he would be the bestperson for the job.
That's Rob Smith's opinion.
Speaker 1 (40:00):
It's a weak mayor strong council system, as you
well know, and you had tonavigate that In your
administration.
There was still a weak mayorsystem but there were
consensuses reached.
There were times that theyvoted against you.
There were times that theyvoted for you.
In the past four years theredoesn't seem to be very many
(40:20):
times where the sitting mayor'sgotten anything much across and
the candidate you've endorsedhas been on the voting block.
That has blocked a lot of thoseinitiatives.
I guess, speaking from yourexperience, I'm bringing this
through three different waysyour experience on navigating
that weak mayor system and howyou were successful in getting
(40:41):
some initiatives across, whyKeith hasn't and why Stephen
will if he is elected.
Speaker 6 (40:47):
That's simple.
That's that.
Let me tell you this From aweak mayor, strong council,
former government, right.
So after the mayor, whatever Irecommend, I better make sure,
as the mayor, that I've got methree votes before I bring this
(41:10):
to the table.
Okay, that's just good oldcommon sense.
There, are you with me?
Speaker 1 (41:15):
But also, and making sure you do that without
violating the public meetings.
Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 6 (41:20):
Yeah, I got it.
Yeah, there you go, but at thesame time it's being able to
communicate with your counselor.
I can't go to the table and askfor this or ask for that when
there's been no communicationlater, and then I expect the
(41:42):
council to just jump on boardand support what I want.
So it's all about communicationNow, as far as you know,
breaking ties probably in 15years I bet you I'd probably
break no more than four or fiveties, good, bad and different
(42:02):
Let me ask you about that, fromwhat you say and, by the way,
it's good to have an in-depthconversation with you.
Speaker 3 (42:10):
I've just been around you a few times and it's mostly
been small talk.
But today I'm hearing you talkabout these relationships and
these ties and I can't help butwonder.
In columbus and in lowndescounty there are a lot of people
that love robert smith, andthen there are a lot of people
(42:33):
who hate robert smith, and Ijust don't see a lot of people
in the middle here and I'mwondering why that is.
And it's bear with me.
Here's a twofold question.
Number one why is it thatpeople either think you're the
one who pours his heart intochildren it's just a great man
(42:54):
and Columbus is a better placebecause of him or Robert Smith
is a crook?
Ok, you got these two camps.
And then second question is doyou think that, like, maybe some
of it's racially based?
I mean, where does this comefrom?
Speaker 6 (43:12):
Well, as far as from the crook standpoint or the
corrupt standpoint, is that ifRobert Smith was such a crook,
corrupt?
I want to ask you a questionhave you ever read in the paper
where Robert Smith was indicted?
Speaker 3 (43:30):
I have not Okay All right, so all right.
Speaker 6 (43:34):
Now as far as some like, some dislike, there's
nothing that I can do about that, but try to treat everybody
fair and treat people the way Iwant to be treated.
Okay, and I always said when Iwas a principal or teacher or
coach in order to get respect,you got to give respect.
(43:59):
When I was a principal, youthink all the teachers are like
Rob Smith?
No, but you know what I used totell them, david, I used to
tell the teachers, the assistantprincipals, the students.
I'm not here to win a popularitycontest.
I'm here to do a job and I wantto be fair and consistent.
(44:22):
Whatever I did for David, Icould do it for Zach.
I could do it for people.
Speaker 1 (44:27):
Going back to the current administration and I
want to go.
You know, you see those oldsports shows where they have the
old coaches up there analyzingthe game, looking at the Gaskin
administration.
Are there anything?
What are the things that yousee, if anything, from your
(44:50):
standpoint?
Positive outcomes from thatadministration, good things that
you've seen from that, justlooking at it as a former mayor,
as a fellow leader.
What's he doing right?
Speaker 6 (45:09):
Well you know, I'm not here to criticize.
Speaker 1 (45:16):
Well, I mean, that's not a critical question.
Okay, I know it's not.
Speaker 6 (45:34):
But okay, there I mean I'll be the first to say is
that there were some thingsthat happened in my
administration that I hatehappened from the embezzlement
standpoint.
And you know, some people saywhen Robert Smith left, the city
was broke, which that's a farce.
That's not true.
That was over like $5 millionthere.
But at the same time, what someof the citizens don't realize
is that why we had to borrowmoney is because you think about
(45:56):
it now, since COVID, where youhad federal money, came in, you
got money from the state andthen from the gas tax money.
That's how they do a lot ofpaving.
Well, yeah, the internet salestax, the internet sales tax
right, so that wasn't inexistence when.
Speaker 2 (46:12):
Robert Smith was there.
Speaker 6 (46:16):
So as far as the good the bad with Keith, I'm not
going to get into that.
The only thing that I say thatI think he could have been more
successful as a mayor if he justhad tried to communicate with
the council.
Speaker 3 (46:34):
Why do you think that council was largely opposed to
the forensic audits that he keptpushing for?
Speaker 6 (46:43):
I have no idea.
And if you talk to peoplewithin the city or the county,
there were some people that saidthat it was a waste of money.
Speaker 3 (46:57):
Too expensive.
Speaker 6 (46:58):
Yeah.
So you had your pros and consboth ways.
And if there had been, whetherit was a forensic audit or not,
you have your auditing firmthere.
So if there was some money thatwas missing anywhere, don't you
think that the auditor wouldhave picked it up and found it
somewhere eventually?
One would hope.
Yeah, that's right, one wouldhope.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
I guess they helped find the embezzlement they did.
Speaker 6 (47:22):
Well, I was a part of it too, because I just had this
idea Someone write.
And I asked Mrs Holly that Imet with her one Saturday and I
asked her I said something'sjust not right.
I just had this feelingsomething's not right here with
these novels and I asked herwould she go back so many years?
(47:46):
And she said you really want meto do that?
I said yep, and I got theapproval of the council and she
did, and the way he was doing itis that the average auditor
wouldn't have caught up with it.
Speaker 1 (47:59):
Well, last question I have for you two-part.
Well, last question I have foryou two-part.
When all of this is done, whenyou're done with everything?
Maybe when you're done on thisearth?
Speaker 6 (48:18):
what do you want the legacy of Robert Smith to be in
Columbus and what do you thinkit will be?
Zach?
That's a $2 million question.
As far as from a legacystandpoint, you know I'm the
type person from a personalstandpoint I'm not hung up on
legacies okay, I would want theperson to say is robbed by a
(48:43):
robber.
Smear is that.
You know he was hard-nosed.
If there's something that hehad to say to you about you, you
didn't have to ask Saturday,joe, jay or John.
You could just come straight tohim and he would tell you
personally how he feel aboutthis, how he feel about that,
and that would say that, hey,regardless of what you have to
say about Robert Smith is thathe was fair and consistent in
(49:05):
whatever he did.
Speaker 3 (49:07):
Well, mr Robert Smith , I want to offer you my sincere
thanks for coming in the studiotoday.
It has been a pleasure and thatwill do it.
We thank our listeners forjoining us today.
Be sure to subscribe, share andrate, and also send us your
comments.
We would love to hear from youabout this interview today or
(49:27):
about whatever else is on yourmind that we may want to talk
about.
Tips at cdispatchcom.
Again, that is, tips atcdispatchcom.
You can also follow me onFacebook or x at dchism00.
Signing off until next weekfrom Catfish Alley Studios in
historic downtown Columbus.
Big shout out to Josh Gillis,who does a great job of helping
(49:49):
us set this up.
Your host has been Zach Playerand I am David Chisholm.
Until next time, y'all keep itfriendly and we will do our best
to keep it real, to keep itreal.
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