My contention that I am privileged to serve the best Senate district in Alabama got a boost this past week when Greenville in Butler County and Luverne in Crenshaw County earned national honors for their economic development records.

Greenville tied with Ennis, Texas for the top award in the &uot;Small Market of the Year&uot; category and Luverne tied for second place.

These honors were given by a leading economic publication, Southern Business and Development magazine.

Governor Bob Riley hosted a formal announcement of these awards which I was privileged to attend.

The city of Greenville was represented by Mayor Dexter McLendon and Economic Development Director Ricky McLaney.

Luverne representatives included Mayor Joe Rex Sport and Donni Ingram, Executive Director of the Crenshaw County Economic and Industrial Development Authority.

In complementing Greenville for receiving the top award, Governor Riley referred to Mayor McLendon as a person who will not take no for an answer.

I am beginning to sense that Dexter is one of Governor Riley’s favorite people.

I think the Governor, like all of us, appreciate public officials who work hard for their communities, and Mayor McLendon definitely fits this description.

My congratulations to all the teams who work together so closely to bring economic growth to our Senate district.

It does not stop with the leadership.

Many board members and other individuals are actively involved in making it happen.

The city of Prattville almost landed a Japanese tire plant in recent weeks.

The company narrowed their choices down to two sites, one in Georgia and the other on Prattville, and at the last minute Georgia won out.

Connie Bainbridge heads a strong economic team in Autauga County, and her hard work, along with the members of her economic development committee, almost resulted in another big catch for their community,

Speaking of the Prattville community, I want to congratulate Mayor Jim Byard on being elected to the office of President of the Alabama League of Municipalities.

This is the first time a Prattville Mayor has held this post and it is a singular honor bestowed on a well deserving individual.

It is not an easy task to manage the rapid growth experienced in the Prattville area, but Mayor Byard and his council and staff have done an outstanding job in dealing with the many challenges associated with their development.

As I told the audience at the Governor’s press conference announcing the economic development awards, the state of Alabama must be doing something right.

We continue to attract both small and large companies from throughout the world who want to settle within our borders.

Senator Wendell Mitchell can

be reached at 334-242-7883, or by writing

to P.O. Box 225, Luverne, AL 36049.