Flo Water Board Supporters Rally

By Mac Shadix
Members of Flo Community Water Supply Corporation held a meeting on Friday night at seven p.m. to rally behind the current board of directors. Flo WSC part time employee Carolyn Tomko opened the meeting in the Lone Star Community Center and soon handed it over to candidates for the board of directors.

Nancy Spivey who was appointed to the board this year and is running for a position in the upcoming election told the group of about 35 persons that she was from Flo and had the interests of the community in heart in wanting to serve. She said that she wanted more order at the board meetings and to unite the community behind the WSC.

“Don’t be fooled into thinking that this can be fixed overnight.” She said.

Hollis Bradshaw told the meeting that he had been an army captain and had retired from the Texas Prison System. He said he moved to Leon County when he met and married his wife Terry. He was appointed to the board after complaining to Flo WSC President Gary Bell about the water service and was then enlisted to serve on the board. Bradshaw told the group that Flo WSC had not gone through bankruptcy as has been reported but a Chapter11 reorganization instead. Southeast Water Supply in Centerville was not upset with Flo WSC, he said, after he explained to them that President Gary Bell had just meant that none of the Flo WSC members had called him to complain about low pressure in the system when major leaks along highway seven were spilling out over a million gallons of water.

Newspapers were using spin language he said, when they reported that the board of directors “supposedly” went into executive session to discuss employee bonuses and came out having adjusted payments to General Manager Jim Martin’s health package and created the delegation to go to Southeast Water.

The other candidate for the Flo WSC board, Richard Blanchard, told the group that he was from Pennsylvania, and had stayed in Texas after marrying a Texas woman. His wife works in Houston he said, and they had children in Houston and Dallas and Leon County was conveniently half way. He tried, he said, to be of service to his community and currently cleaned the Lone Star Community Center as a volunteer. He is also a volunteer with the Flo Fire Department.

Member Mack Jackson addressed the group. He told them that a house divided cannot stand, that he wanted peace and quite in Flo, and that they should “vote em in and leave em alone” to applause from the audience.

“If anyone wants to argue with you about the Flo WSC, just tell them; You might be right.” He said.

Former Flo WSC director Johnny Boykin asked the group to support the current board. James Boykin, another former director was also in the audience.

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