A billboard is currently greeting Amarillo drivers, wishing a heartfelt "goodbye" to former Amarillo Globe-News publisher Les Simpson.
The new billboard, running on two digital locations in Amarillo, has a white background and simply says "Goodbye Les!" The billboard was created by Amarillo billboard executive and businessman Randy Burkett.
Burkett, a former member of the Amarillo City Council, says he decided to run the billboard due to the Amarillo Globe-News' decision to publish a headline "Goodbye Terry" on the opinion page of the paper follow city manager Terry Childers' resignation.
“In my opinion, Les used poor judgement in printing 'Goodbye Terry' when Mr. Childers resigned," Burkett told the Amarillo Pioneer. "Les spent two years depicting our City as a real mess with all his negative articles. Once Downtown Amarillo Inc. was defunded and his friend Melissa Daily resigned, he wanted his pound of flesh. Writing one negative article after the other painted Amarillo as a real dysfunctional city when it was not. I’m proud of my City and worked hard to make some positive changes for the regular people in town."
In addition, Burkett said that he published the billboard as a way to wish Les Simpson back to Georgia, in the case that Simpson decides to leave Amarillo. Burkett also said he wishes the new management and owners of the Globe-News "good luck."
Les Simpson served as publisher of the Amarillo Globe-News from 2002 until earlier this month. Simpson resigned shortly after the Amarillo Globe-News was purchased by New York-based conglomerate GateHouse Media.
Simpson also responded on his personal Instagram account, thanking Burkett for creating the billboard.
"It was so sweet of Randy Burkett to run this billboard on my last day at the Amarillo Globe-News," Simpson wrote online.
The billboard can be seen at Interstate 40 and Bell and Interstate 27 and Lipscomb.
Photo by Burkett Facebook