TYLERTOWN — A former county supervisor demanded an apology from Walthall County supervisors and the board attorney for a statement that he said compromised his safety and reputation.
Fred Magee Jr. met with the board Monday to chastise board attorney Conrad Mord and the board.
Mord was reported in the Enterprise-Journal to have joked about Magee possibly removing the former state flag from the courthouse grounds after county officials could not find a state flag to preserve as they believe the state to have directed.
“I never said I would take that flag down,” Magee said Monday. “That’s talking about my character. That’s talking about somebody’s name. I want an apology. That was a dangerous remark. People are serious about that flag.”
Magee said a flag that had been on the pole outside the courthouse had become torn and frayed and was taken down because of its condition. He said former chancery clerk Bob Bracey had had that flag on his desk before he left office.
The old flag is supposed to be displayed in a historic location like a museum, Magee said, and can’t be displayed in the courthouse.
Mord was not present to respond to Magee’s demands, and board President Larry Montgomery said they didn’t do anything and didn’t believe they owed Magee an apology.
In further discussion after Magee’s departure, Chancery Clerk Shannon Fortinberry said someone had found an old flag somewhere in the courthouse and brought it to her. She said she put it in a plastic container and stored it in the records room.
She and other members of the board said they thought the state had ordered that the flag be displayed in the courthouse or city hall where it had flown, but were not sure.
The text of the bill which retired the state flag and created the process for adopting a new one, House Bill 1796, does not address the display or preservation of the flag.
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History posted a statement on its website about how local governments may dispose of or preserve their old flags:
“Organizations that receive flags for dignified and respectful removal include local fire departments, American Legion posts, Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, and the Boy Scouts of America. In some cases, local history museums may accept donations of flags.”
Supervisors also:
• Directed Allen Laird of the Southwest Mississippi Planning and Development District to apply for grants to purchase a tractor and to repair a bridge on Brockdale Road.
• Accepted the Walthall County School District’s tax levy request. School business manager Marcy Hartzog said the request is essentially the same as last year, as the district is at the state-mandated 55-mill cap.
• Approved a beaver control contract for $7,500 per year.
• Increased fees charged by the sheriff’s department from $5 to $20 for background checks and from $10 to $20 for accident reports.
• Hired two workers for District 5.
• Approved contracts for the county’s drug court.
• Approved garbage bill credits of $350 and $636.
• Accepted inventory additions and deletions.
• Reappointed Allen Blackwell and Jerry Sumrall to the airport board.
