Episode 19 Rickey Authement
When you meet my guest, you’ll encounter a friendly grip, callused from hard work. Eye-to-eye contact will give you a sense of business, but the calm sense of comfortability follows. Rickey Authement is the incumbent Alderman for Ward 2 in Ocean Springs. He is brief in his speech, but not for a lack of understanding or knowledge of any of the topics we discuss. Rather, Rickey has a command of language with an understanding of the economy of words. He’s brief, but his points and responses are clear. That clarity carries with it a vigor for transparency. I truly enjoyed this conversation.
A native of Louisiana, Rickey stumbled upon the quiet town of Ocean Springs many years ago. He fell in love with it. When his job would bring him back to Louisiana, he left that job and returned to Ocean Springs—as the prodigal son does. Rickey evokes a passion for this town through our conversation. He’s fiscally conservative, but acknowledges and appreciates the weave of culture, art, and nature as the hammock by which this city rests. Our discussion includes the key topics of Ocean Springs. We discuss east Ocean Springs, executive session, The Mary C, downtown, annexation, etc. Keep in mind, Rickey is an incumbent. Therefore, his perspective is very much informed. You’ll notice that when we talk about topics such as executive session.
***In the interest of full disclosure and wishing to remove contextual confusion please read the following: At a moment in the podcast, Rickey is describing the operators of the historic and significant doughnut restaurant, Tatonut as “[being] Ocean Springs”. Rickey and I want to point out, He isn’t describing Tatonut as being THE business representation of Ocean Springs, in spite of the other businesses. That is not at all correct. Rather, Rickey is describing the business owners, such as those operating Tatonut, as the alumni of business owners in downtown Ocean Springs which weather economic storms, and maintain the small business allure that helps keep Ocean Springs beautiful and shop-able--for generations. Those downtown businesses ARE Ocean Springs. That’s the point he’s making. Thanks!***
Overall, Rickey is a genuine dude with a great attitude towards life and this city. Ward 2, and the rest of Ocean Springs, are so lucky to have someone like Rickey to pick as a representative for their way of life. Everyone please welcome, Rickey Authement.