Crawford – Barksdale appointment a home run

Barksdale appointment a home run

Gov. Phil Bryant slammed a lead off home run before taking office. That’s what Bryant called his pending appointment of Jim Barksdale as interim boss of the Mississippi Development Authority.

And, he’s right.

Barksdale’s got the right stuff to lead MDA. The former Netscape, Fed Ex, and McCaw Cellular executive brings much more than business acumen to the job.

In part he brings what Haley Barbour and outgoing MDA interim chief Leland Speed brought to the table – access to top decision makers.

“There is no business leader in the United States who would not take a telephone call from Jim Barksdale,” MEC president Blake Wilson told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

Clarion Ledger
1/10/12