Monday, January 9, 2023, 8:10 pm News Flash Archive

This evening, the Greenwood Convention and Visitors Bureau voted to offer the executive director job to Ashley Farmer.

The vote was 7 to 2, with chairman Andrew McQueen and Eddie Cates casting the no votes. The vote took place in executive session.

McQueen was reluctant to announce the vote or the names of the board members and how they voted, but other board members insisted that the law requires the vote to be on the public record. One member reminded him that "we got into trouble the last time" for not recording the vote breakdown in the public record.

State law requires all government bodies to record the yeas and the nays by name publicly.

The other finalist was Curressia Brown, recently retired MVSU administrator. She also filed last week to run for David Jordan's state senate district as an independent. Senator Jordan has not yet indicated whether he will run for re-election or not.

Farmer was offered a salary of $70,000, the same salary that she was being paid as interim executive director.

The vote this evening followed closed door interviews with Farmer and Brown.

Farmer has sued the city of Greenwood and the GCVB for racial discrimination when it passed her over for the executive director's job in 2021. Patrick Ervin, who was given the job, resigned after 5 months, reopening the job position.

To see our previous coverage of the Farmer / GCVB lawsuit, see here: Replies filed by Ashley Farmer in her racial discrimination claim against Greenwood and its Convention and Visitors Bureau

John Pittman Hey
The Taxpayers Channel

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