As mayor of Oxford from 2001 to 2009, Richard Howorth was more in the spotlight than he is these days as a board member at TVA.

But in early in his second term as a director for the Tennessee Valley Authority, Howorth has been quietly doing valuable work for one of the most important agencies in the region.

A corporation owned by the United States government, TVA provides electricity for utilities and business customers across most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia, serving more than 9 million people.

The agency is led by a board of directors, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

In such a setup political bias and problems are unavoidable. Thus, the Republican Senate did not confirm several of President Barack Obama’s other nominations in late 2015.

Howorth, a Democrat, was different however, receiving support from Mississippi Republicans Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran.

He was confirmed for a second term in late 2015, and now has the honor of serving through 2020. The job often goes unnoticed, but it is one of the more important in the region.

We appreciate Richard Howorth’s service on the TVA board and look forward to his continued leadership.