Greene Publishing, Inc. Photo By Ashley Hunter, September 12, 2016
During the Monday, Sept. 12 meeting of the Wealth Watchers with local leaders from Madison, Jefferson and Taylor Counties, recent and completed economic and community improvement projects were applauded and future goals were outlined by community leaders. Pictured, from left to right, are: Madison County Commissioner Ronnie Moore; Matthew Stewart, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Sandra Thompson, FAMU extension services; and Caren Davis, Wealth Watchers CEO.
Ashley Hunter
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Wealth Watchers, a certified housing counseling and community development organization that focuses on the promotion of home ownership, the stabilization of transitional families, the revitalization of distressed neighborhoods and the promotion of financial education, amongst other matters, held a meeting with local leaders of the Madison, Taylor and Jefferson Counties on Monday, Sept. 12.
Leaders were able to use the meeting as an opportunity to announce recent economic growth, as well as goals for future projects that will impact the county.
For Madison County, the completed construction of the Madison County Memorial Hospital was greatly applauded. Commissioner Ronnie Moore, County Coordinator Brian Kauffman and Greenville Mayor Calvin Malone were also able to address areas of concern and problems that they have noticed within their county and town that required improvements.
For Commissioner Ronnie Moore, an area that Madison County needed to seek improvement was in getting new business into the county, and making the county hospitable to new businesses. “We need to have a vision [for business growth],” said Moore.
Kauffman built off Moore's statement, adding that while Madison County needed to see new businesses find their way into Madison, the county also needed to work on building up the businesses that they already have. Kauffman also spoke on housing in Madison County, and that affordable housing is an area where Wealth Watchers could assist county leaders.
Mayor Malone, however, had a different point of view to add. He felt that many of the residents within Greenville, especially the youth, felt as if Madison County and the Town of Greenville was a dead end for them, and may have either left or never reached their full potential. “Many don't feel like they have a place in Greenville,” said Mayor Malone. “Everything is happening elsewhere. I want to encourage our youth to stay.”
His request to Wealth Watchers was to see more programs built up that teach young people in his town how to be successful and for the young people to be encouraged to become entrepreneurs.
While nothing was placed in concrete and ultimately decided, meetings between state organization leaders and local government leaders from Madison County help progress find its way into the county and provides a way for commissioners, board members and others within Madison County to stabilize and revitalize Madison County.