Magnolia will no longer have an elected police chief.
The city board Tuesday night passed a resolution that changes the police chief from an elected office to an appointed position.
The motion carried with a 3-2 vote. Aldermen Lonnie Cox and Joe Cornacchione voted in favor of the ordinance, while alderwomen Becky Magee and Sharon Burton voted against it. Mayor Pro Tem Mercedes Ricks then broke the tie with her vote.
The agenda item brought strong opposition from a crowd of about 20 to 30 residents who voiced their concerns at Monday night’s work session in City Hall.
That crowd, however, was mostly thinned out Tuesday night, allowing the meeting to flow largely without interruption.
The change does not affect Chief Ray Reynolds’ current term, which has about three full years left.
“The decision they came to doesn’t necessarily reflect what the people want,” Reynolds said this morning. “I’m not bitter about the decision. I’m a man of faith. It doesn’t shake my faith.”
He said he has no plans to challenge the decision in court.
Reynolds was first elected to the police chief’s job in 2001.
He ran unopposed for a fourth term last year.
The board also:
• Approved payments No. 4 and 5 to Austin Electric in the amounts of $5,225 and $5,972, respectively, of grant money for the Weathersby water tank emergency generator.
• Approved the payment of invoice No. 7 to Diamond Inc. in the amount of $124,892 of grant money for refurbishing the Weathersby water tank.
• Replaced John Frey with Frankie Montalvo as the member on the Pike County Economic Development District Board. Cox said Frey chose to step down because he believed a business person would better serve the board.
• Approved the purchase of a $125 ad in the Enterprise-Journal’s upcoming Local Heroes special section.
• Denied $200 advance travel and lodging payments for aldermen and the mayor pro tem to attend the Mississippi Municipal League conference in Biloxi this month. The city will reimburse officials for the money they spend.
• Tabled a decision to choose a location to place recycling bins for the Pike County recycling cooperative, which is expected to begin June 15.
• Approved the Magnolia Civic Association’s request to have a picnic on the town square July 4 and 5. Also approved the city providing portable toilets and cleanup crews for the picnic and approved permitting the civic association to have a designated beer tent.
