When McComb Mayor Zach Patterson took office four years ago, he proclaimed his administration would be “the dawning of a new day” for the city.
The new day sputtered into the sunset at City Hall Tuesday when — without a quorum — the current administration’s was unable to hold its final meeting.
The mayor attended the meeting, as did two of his supporters on the board, selectmen Melvin Joe Johnson and Robert Earl Smith, along with several city officials and about 20 audience members.
But the other four selectmen, Danny Esch, Wade Lamb, Bobby Maddox and E.C. Nobles — none of whom are returning to the board after either losing re-election bids or choosing not to seek another term — did not attend the meeting.
That brought the board’s last order of business, a relatively paltry 11-item agenda, to a halt.
“Remember, one of my first lessons in the city of McComb, I had to teach you how to read the charter, and figure out what it takes to be a quorum,” the mayor jokingly said, referring to a series of past debates over what constitutes a quorum, which he maintained includes the mayor, not just a majority of the city’s six selectmen.
“You shouldn’t have did that,” an audience member said.
Though a quorum did not materialize Tuesday, Patterson was upbeat and expressed optimism for the city and state in the coming year.
“It’s a great day. ... We’ve got 2011 coming in, and I’m just excited as I can be about it,” he said.
Patterson didn’t reveal any of his plans for the immediate future, but he noted that when the new year begins, he’ll hold his current title for a few days.
“I can’t think of a better place to be than to start my year off as mayor of McComb, Miss.”
Patterson, a Democrat who became the city’s first black mayor in 2006, did not seek re-election after serving one term.
Republican mayor-elect Whitney Rawlings will take office at 6 p.m. Monday in an inauguration ceremony at the State Theater.
Patterson said he is optimistic for the future of the city, predicting, “2011 is a year by which a lot of great things, I believe, will happen for the beautiful city of McComb, Miss., and the great state of Mississippi as well. And I just only want to be a part of it. Thank God I can be a part of it. And I’m going to be a part of it.”
With that, the mayor thanked the crowd for attending, dismissed it and shook the hand of each audience member as they left the room.
