Address to the Board of Supervisors - Lisha Hopper

When this issue started, I think we all thought it would be a simple fix. We would explain our concerns to the board. You would understand and select a better location. We knew you had campaigned on wanting to make positive change in Alcorn County. Why this time last year, you probably would’ve all been on our side and would’ve responded exactly as we have. Even Gary Ross voted against this in December so I know at one point he disagreed with this location.

As this issue has escalated and I’ve done some soul-searching, I asked myself why this is happening. As usual the Lord provided an answer. As a co-worker was telling me about a Boy Scout trip he took and the miracles the Lord provided in getting him there, he kept telling me how the Bible Verse John 15:16 kept coming up. There was even a Boy Scout troop who had selected it as their troop number. I’m ashamed to say I don’t know all the Bible verses, so I had to look it up and when I did it said, ” Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” It was the answer I needed. God has chosen us to fight this for a reason and we are led to follow this path - no matter how hard it gets.

We know you don’t want this to be the defining issue of your time in office. We know you want to be perceived as men of vision who studied all the facts and made proactive decisions that bettered all of Alcorn County. Not as men who fell into the trap the old board set for you - using you to settle their old political scores. While the old board may have bought the land, you will always be remembered as the Board who put the landfill there. We’ll be reminded every time we drive by it. We’ll be reminded every time someone is killed on these roads. My children’s children will remember it and your children’s children will remember it - it will be that big an issue - because that many people care.

To prove that, we have petitions with the signatures of over 700 concerned citizens of Alcorn County. They’re all 18 and over. While you’ll see a lot of Forrest School Road addresses, you’ll also see names and addresses from all over this county, some from each of your districts. There are also over 40 others who wanted to sign, but it was too late to get the petition to them on Sunday. Their names are listed on a separate paper. All these citizens feel as we do that this site is a bad location and that there should be greater restrictions on where landfills can be placed in our community.

Now we know you can ignore these 700 citizens because you have that power. As a matter of fact, understand that we know by the nature of your position, you have all the power. You have unlimited resources - our taxpayer dollars - to fight us with. You have the power of 3 Yes votes to completely change our lives forever. We only have the power of conviction.

Like David and Goliath - and like Graham Hinton - a little boy who’s just 8 years old who is a leukemia survivor, who lives right beside this site, we know we face incredible odds - but this isn’t about us versus you - it’s about the lives of those who look to you for unbiased, but compassionate leadership - it’s about the 700 people who signed this petition and the families they represent. It’s about one little boy who doesn’t want to move away from the only home he’s ever known - his safe place in a world that’s already been way too cruel to someone so young.

We pray that you won’t add to that cruelty.

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