Afterward, the sandwich will be cut up and sold for $8 per plate with all proceeds going to support the Starkville Police Department.  We encourage all SYP members to attend, but we are also looking for volunteers to help collect money, serve food, etc.  If you are interested in helping with this, please email me directly (gradydixon@gmail.com).

Friday, July 10th…Applications for the SYP Leadership Forum Scholarship are due.

Tuesday, July 14th…SYP July Social at Bulldog Lanes.  $10 gets you 2 hours of bowling with the highest score of the night earning a cash prize.  As usual, the beer cart will be available and Bulldog Lanes has agreed to put out some appetizers for everyone.

Saturday, July 25th…Downtown Starkville Christmas in July, hosted by the Downtown Business Association.  At this event, we will have a tent set up to advertise The Festival of Trees, which was a huge success last year (raised over $20,000 for charity).  We are looking for some people to volunteer their time to help run the tent.  Please contact  Jennifer Prather (JPrather@saffairs.msstate.edu) or Robyn Cain (rcain@starkville.org).

Finally, if you have any events or announcements that might be of interest to the group, feel free to pass them along.  We hear from a lot of SYPers that want some fun events in addition to monthly socials.  Well, if you are planning something fun and have room for more people, let us know about it.  It can be a pick-up softball game, a bike ride, an out-of-town trip, etc.  The SYP board does not have a monopoly on initiating SYP functions.

We ask that everyone try to arrive at 5:30 so we can squeeze in plenty of Family Feud before the band starts.  See you there.

The Forum costs $600 per person, which is why this scholarship has
been created.  To apply, please submit your name, occupation, contact
information, and a description (1-page limit) of why SYP should fund
your participation in the Forum.  Email your applications to Grady
Dixon (gradydixon@gmail.com) by Friday, July 10.  PDF strongly
preferred.

The SYP Board members will each score every application on a 100-point
scale according to their assessment of the applicant’s potential to
become an active, long-time leader in the community.  The following
five categories are worth 20 points each:

1. Past leadership / volunteering
2. Financial need / lack of employer support
3. Long-term plans in Starkville
4. Vision for the community
5. Miscellaneous

Applicants will then be ranked according to average score.  Board
members will be recused from the review of applications from immediate
family members.  If our top-ranked applicant is not accepted into the
Forum, we will award the scholarship to the second-ranked applicant.

We have a few announcements of upcoming events for everyone.

Our June social will be at State Theater on Tuesday, June 9 (5:30-7:30). This will coincide with the grand reopening of the adjoining restaurant, so they are really going all out for us.  Once again, it will be a relaxed social with no formal program or presentation.  Even more, we will be playing “SYP Family Feud.”  To make this work, we need as many SYPers to answer some questions so that we can honestly claim, “Survey SAYS!”  Please fill out as many as you can, but do not put a lot of time or thought into this.  It is just for fun.

On this Friday, don’t forget about Movies on the Green.
This will take place on the lawn of Armstrong Middle School.  The movie CARS will begin around 7:45 pm.  Everyone is encouraged to bring a picnic and enjoy the movie.

Don’t forget about the Green Starkville Monthly Glass Recycling Drive this Saturday & Sunday, May 30 & 31, 2009.
Location: Highway 12 Recycling Drop-off [501 Highway 12 West -- Synergetics parking, across from the Exxon Gas Station]
All glass types and colors are acceptable.  This is made possible by the Triangle Maintenance Services.
For more information visit: www.greenstarkville.org or contact Nisreen (Nancy) Cain at info@greenstarkville.org, 662-312-8080

Recruitment has begun for the 2009-2010 FORUM Leadership Development Program for Starkville and Oktibbeha County.  The FORUM is the premier leadership development experience in Starkville and Oktibbeha County.  Sponsored by the Greater Starkville Development Partnership and the Mississippi State University Extension Service, this eleven-month program offers an intensive, experiential exposure not only to leadership principles, but also to the economic, social and governmental sectors of Starkville and Oktibbeha County.  Financial assistance is available…you just have to seek it.  Please consider participating in this wonderful program.
For further information, please visit the program’s website at  http://msucares.com/forum to learn more about the overall program and to see a roster of past and current participants.  Also, please feel free to contact either Alan Barefield (alanb@srdc.msstate.edu, 662.325.3207) or Rachael Carter (carter@agecon.msstate.edu, 662.325.1793) for any questions you may have.

Finally, don’t forget to vote next Tuesday.

Have a great weekend
Grady

We are now beginning the recruitment process for the 2009-2010 class and a special invitation is extended to every StarkvilleNow reader to join this elite group of leaders in Starkville and Oktibbeha County given your unique positions within the GSDP. While the presented materials in each of these class sessions are valuable in themselves, some of the real benefit is derived from the opportunity to become close to and engaged with several of the emerging leaders in the community. I am proud to count among the program’s ranks at least seven individuals or have either run for or are currently holding pubic office (including one mayoral candidate and two alderman candidates in this year’s municipal elections), several members of various municipal commissions, and a host of sustained community activities such as the Johnny Cash Festival, the Starkville Community Market, Movies on the Green, and the Starkville Dog Park, among others.

For further information, please visit the program’s website at http://msucares.com/forum to learn more about the overall program and to see a roster of past and current participants. Also, please feel free to contact either Alan Barefield (alanb@srdc.msstate.edu, 662.325.3207) or Rachael Carter (carter@agecon.msstate.edu, 662.325.1793) for any questions you may have.

Please look over the document and give me your feedback at gradydixon@gmail.com.  Specifically, let me know if you are opposed to SYP supporting this proposal.  I will consider a lack of feedback as approval of this proposal.  Feel free to also use the comment function of the blog to show your support or opposition.

Below is video of the candidates’ responses to the first question during the second alderman forum.  The question was, “At what point in your life did you decide to run for office?”

Please view our previous post for more details about the forum format.

Our second candidate forum will take place this Tuesday, March 31. Once again, it will be 6-8 pm at the Hilton Garden Inn. This forum will feature alderman candidates from wards 2, 5, 6, and 7. Please view our previous post for more details.

Below, we have provided links to each of the candidates’ responses to the five initial questions required to participate in the SYP forum.  We encourage everyone to read the responses of the candidates (especially those trying to represent your ward), and then attend the forums with further questions in mind.

Unlinked candidates do not have their responses posted because they could not be contacted in time or due to their personal preference.  However, they are welcome to participate in the forums.

Note:  SYP questions are printed in light gray text prior to the darker text of the numbered candidate responses.

Mayoral Race
Dan Camp
Matt Cox
Marnita Henderson
Parker Wiseman

Ward 1
Corey Bagwell
Ben Carver
Mark Duncan
Helen Eaves
Juliette Weaver-Reese

Ward 2
Rodney Lincoln
Sandra Sistrunk

Ward 3
Eric Parker
John Gaskin

Ward 4
Richard Corey
Nick Papas
John Michael VanHorn

Ward 5
Mike Allen
Virgil Bolin
Jeremiah Dumas
Scott Maynard

Ward 6
Roy Perkins

Ward 7
Janette Self
Henry Vaughn