Goodbye --Brad Lofton @ VLCIA 15 Mar 2011

And now the moment that's been discussed since Thursday, Brad Lofton's goodbye:

Like Mr. Minchew I'm not good at goodbyes either. I wanted to say I'll be brief... I'm not articulate enough to begin to thank y'all for the unbelievable privilege I've had for the last five years. ...unbelievable board of directors, the most talented staff I've ever worked with. ... My wife was going to be here but she would have been too emotional. Thank you all for your trust and confidence in me. It really has been the best five years of my life. I just want you to know your leadership.... Wish you the best of luck. That's all Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Brad Lofton saying goodbye at the
regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
15 March 2011.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

He didn't mention the community.

-jsq

Comments

[Susan Hall Hardy.]

Not to be rude, although honesty is very often perceived that way these days, but, the industrial authority executives rarely thank their communities. In the six states I'm most familiar with, these fellows see themselves as beholden only to their employers. After all, they work with their directors, elected officials, a few bankers and city/county department heads. Rarely do they come in direct contact with the average voter, employee or homeowner, although all those people often pay a large part of their salaries and office operating expenses. Despite the public funding, these groups are usually tight lipped about how they do business and rarely provide the public with records or audits. We've all put up with that manner of doing business for so long we now see it as just that -- t
he way you do business. We'd never accept that from a nonprofit organization,
a charity group or most elected officials. Shame on us all.

[Leigh Touchton]

Right on, Ms. Hardy. Shame on us all for putting up with this.

I have tried for 6 months to get copies of the emails Brad Lofton sent to his "stakeholders".