"Alderman says he would have voted against taking it down."
As Mississippi municipalities from Magnolia to Grenada choose to take down the state flag, their actions have seen backlash.
Magnolia Mayor Anthony Witherspoon remains resolute on his decision to put the issue on the July 7 agenda, which led to the removal of the state flag from city hall by a 3-0 board vote, and a protest to that action on Tuesday.
Of the two board members absent, only one, Joe Cornacchione, said he would have voted against taking the flag down.
Witherspoon did not personally attend Tuesday’s rally, in part out of concern for his safety, he said.
“There are some real hate groups associated with the Confederate flag and this (rally) wasn’t setup in a way where we could make sure everyone would be safe. That’s the first obligation we have,” he said.
Some protestors took to Facebook and questioned the board’s legitimacy to remove the flag, suggesting it’s a state decision.
“People need to understand government 101,” Witherspoon said. “We have the legislative, executive and judicial branch. Then, we have the federal, state and local branches. This is a local decision. There is no state law mandating the placement of the state flag in city buildings,” he said.
The mayor said some of the rally’s organizers, some of whom don’t live in town.
“First, this is a Magnolia issue, so when people from outside the municipality come here to demand changes or make threats, it strikes me as odd,” he said.
He said the proper time for the discussion of the flag was at the board’s work session or board meeting.
Cornacchione, who was out of town when the board voted, said he was unaware the flag would be a topic.
“I had no idea this would have been brought up,” he said.
Cornacchione, who was out of town, quickly expressed his dissatisfaction, calling it “ridiculous” and a sign of being overly sensitive to “political correctness.”
“It was like sticking a stick in a beehive,” he said. “We should have left it alone. All this has done is bring up the race issue again and more controversy,” he said. “What’s next? Are we going to take down the U.S. flag next? Are we going to replace it with a rainbow flag?”
Cornacchione and Witherspoon remain split over the flag’s symbolism, with the alderman saying the flag represents the South’s rebellion from economic control of the North, and the mayor saying it represents defenders of slavery.
“There’s a lot of men that died for the cause over a hundred years ago. The flag represents their sacrifice,” Cornacchione said.
“My ancestors know what it represents. It represents the fight to keep slavery,” Witherspoon said. “I think it’s ironic that the protestors were waving the actual Confederate battle flag, not the actual state flag at the rally,” he said.
While Cornacchione did not question the ability of the board and mayor to make the decision to remove the flag, he said he would have supported waiting for the state to make a decision on the matter first.
“This is none of our business,” he said. “ There’s no sense of us addressing the issue. It should be done at the state level. There’s no reason to rush. I think it’s disrespectful, to be honest.”
Some questioned whether the residents of Magnolia should have a vote on the flag issue.
In Magnolia, Witherspoon said bringing the issue to a popular vote would be a moot point.
“The population is 68 percent black. How do you think they are going to vote?” he said.
The mayor said he could have acted unilaterally like Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree did and ordered the flag removed on his own.
“It’s a decision I could have made on my own. I decided to take it to the board. I wanted to bring it to the board’s attention. I wanted to get their input. We have a diverse board in Magnolia, which I think represents a wide spectrum,” he said.
Of the five Magnolia aldermen, the board has three female and two male members. Two are white, two are black and one is Hispanic.
Key to the aldermen’s boardroom vote was the requirement to replace the state flag with a city flag. The mayor said he would like the entire city of Magnolia to be involved in its design.
The mayor said he plans to put the state flag in a museum.
