The Alabama-Tombigbee Regional Commission held its 55th annual meeting this week in Selma to recognize last year's successes and talk about the future.
The event drew more than 100 lawmakers and leaders from 10 counties ATRC represents at the Carl C. Morgan Convention Center in Selma.
The agency honored longtime supporter John Clyde Riggs for his decades of service and leadership in strengthening the Alabama-Tombigbee region.
Rep. Kelvin Lawrence, who presented the recognition, called Riggs “a great man who understood that success is built on relationships” and read a resolution from the Alabama House of Representatives.
Fellow longtime supporter Noopie Cosby said one thing Riggs is good at is promoting the Black Belt, adding they started a “wag program” to bring attention to good things happening in the region and follow up on an adage Gov. Kay Ivey said: “It’s a sad dog that won’t wag his own tail.”
Riggs, reflecting on his time with ATRC, credited the people around him for the organization’s success. “We don’t always realize how much impact we have,” he said. “We stand on the shoulders of others – our employees, our partners, and a board that always had our back.” He emphasized his management philosophy: “Hire people smarter than me and get out of the way.”
He also credited the local lawmakers, saying they are “strong” and have never turned down a request to help get funding for the region.
The meeting also featured remarks from Sen. Greg Albritton, who praised the role of regional councils in driving local progress calling them efficient and effective. “They’re helping pave roads, light stadiums, build parks and improve communities across this region. You can’t survive without the work that’s being done here.”
Albritton highlighted ongoing progress on major infrastructure projects, including the expansion of the West Alabama Corridor on Highway 43, assuring attendees that despite past delays, “we are moving forward and will get it done.”
He also stressed the importance of reopening rural hospitals that have closed in recent years, including one in Pickens and Clarke counties, and the need to focus on the Alabama Healthcare Sciences high school coming to Demopolis to educate future healthcare workers who will ideally remain in the Black Belt after graduating. He also mentioned a major federal rural healthcare initiative is coming and encouraged those to apply by Nov. 1.
“This initiative has to be transformative and sustainable,” Albritton said, adding about the high school: “We want to recruit healthcare professionals to come live and work among us, not just train here and leave. Demopolis should be the headquarters for rural healthcare innovation. We have the assets. Now we need to use them.”
Albritton said the Alabama-Tombigbee Regional Commission should continue leaning on partnerships to continue rural development.
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