Lowe merits another term in PC

Eddie Lowe said, “I have learned a lot” in the four years since he sailed to victory in the 2012 Phenix City mayor’s race. His opponent, Jerry Barbaree, longtime hospital human resources director and also a Phenix City native, apparently doesn’t think the mayor has put what he’s learned to the best use.

So voters have a clear choice in Tuesday’s mayoral election in Phenix City.

Barbaree’s is an impressive American life story of striving and making his way through his own smarts, hard work and tenacity. A Central High graduate and U.S. Navy veteran, he worked his way through college with the help of the GI Bill, and passed briefly through the textile industry before taking on the human resources field that has made up most of his professional career.

Barbaree says city leadership lacks vision, has not adequately maintained infrastructure, and has attracted mostly low-wage service jobs. Fees and utility costs are rising, he said, even as the city’s tax base is shrinking.

Though Barbaree says he considers his opponent a friend, he believes Lowe’s vote not to reappoint school board members Brad Baker and Kelvin Redd is an example of short-sightedness. Baker in particular, Barbaree said, was “instrumental” in the development of the school system’s heralded STEM program.

Among his first acts as mayor, Barbaree said, would be to find the best possible city manager, and to gather city leaders together to make riverfront development plans.

Lowe, not surprisingly, has a very different take on the state of the city now, and on its future. He said he wants to strengthen existing business and civic partnerships with Columbus and state government to attract higher-end businesses to town, and develop new ones; he specifically mentioned attracting a string of restaurants to locate along the riverfront (“Whitewater Avenue”).

Lowe’s resume puts him in a unique position to see Phenix City’s strengths, needs and challenges from several vantage points. A banker by profession, he has a solid understanding of fiscal realities. The city’s debt has been reduced by 5.4 percent, and its reserve fund has increased by 42 percent, to 116 days’ operating capital.

He’s a former member and president of the Phenix City School Board, which makes him all too aware of the often tense relationship between the city and its school system. And with four years as mayor behind him, he’s seen that relationship from the city’s side as well.

From our perspective, Eddie Lowe does have a vision for the city. He instituted the Mayor’s Ball to raise money for college scholarships. He proposes an appropriately sized Phenix City civic or trade center. (This year’s ball was held at CVCC because no venue in town is big enough.) He suggests that the area around the former Cobb Memorial Hospital could be developed into a Military Trail, or “Homage” Park.

With sincere respect to his worthy opponent, we believe Eddie Lowe has earned another term as mayor of Phenix City.

This story was originally published August 21, 2016 at 7:08 PM with the headline "Lowe merits another term in PC."