Tempers flared among Magnolia officials last week after the board continued the discussion of renaming a street after former mayor Melvin Harris, with one alderman walking out.
In December, the board unanimously agreed to rename part of Garland Street to Melvin O. Harris Street and the fire station after longtime alderman and fire commissioner Bud Flowers.
Mayor Anthony Witherspoon said that after the board vote, the city sent out letters explaining to residents their addresses would change.
“We notified everyone we were supposed to on that letter — 911, postal service ... all knew of the change,” Witherspoon said after Tuesday’s meeting.
Witherspoon said the board initially agreed to rename only part of Garland Street, but after receiving no objections from residents, the city renamed the entire road.
However, Witherspoon said he learned not everyone was in favor after someone e-mailed a petition to him.
“There has been a movement afoot by the aldermen sitting here to undermine me and this board,” he said.
Witherspoon said aldermen opposed to the name change now are contradicting the unanimous decision they made in December.
Alderman Joe Cornacchionne said he drafted the petition and distributed it.
“Yeah, I did it. I’m the one who sent out the petition,” he said.
Cornacchionne said he did not do out of disrespect, but he did not understand why the entire street was renamed instead of just the portion the board originally chose.
“Because there were no objections, that’s why,” Witherspoon said.
Cornacchionne said residents had 30 days to decide if they were in agreement with the change. He said the city did not give the people time to do so.
Witherspoon said the city did give people time to object and no one came forward until the petition emerged.
Cornacchionne and aldermen Lonnie Cox and Mercedes Ricks said Garland Street residents came to them to express their concerns.
Witherspoon asked why residents could come to them but not to city hall to talk to him.
Ricks said some may feel intimidated and feel like they cannot approach the mayor.
“But they can come to you, huh?” Witherspoon shot back.
She, Cornacchionne and Cox went on to say some residents did not feel like they can approach them, either.
“Just like your side, sir, you would be surprised,” Ricks said.
“My side?” Witherspoon said. “The whole damn city is my side.”
Cornacchionne said it’s common sense for residents to address aldermen about issues.
“No, it’s not,” Alderwoman Becky Magee said. “Common sense would tell them to contact city hall because that’s who sent out the letter.”
Witherspoon said he can’t assume people have objections if they don’t tell him, and when he perceived that there were none, he moved forward with th renaming of the street and fire station.
“If there were any objections, we wouldn’t have done it,” he said.
Witherspoon said after the meeting that the city went back to the original plan of only renaming a portion of Garland Street after Harris.
The mayor said this is the first time a name change has brought such tension.
“I have never, ever heard, in the history of Magnolia, this much opposition to a simple name change,” he said. “There is an atmosphere, around this table, of divisiveness.”
He noted that McComb officials recently renamed Avenue H in honor of Kansas City Royals outfielder and McComb native Jarrod Dyson.
“How did y’all think we got Leggett, Fortenberry, Lampton and Prewett Streets? They were all renamed,” he said.
Witherspoon then turned to residents at the meeting: “If people who are sitting around this table do not have the best interest of Magnolia at heart, get rid of them, because I need people who are going to help me,”
Witherspoon then apologized to several of Harris’ relatives in attendance.
He then said Mississippi has a race problem, as does Magnolia and its officials, and that prompted Cox to walk out of the meeting.
The mayor concluded by commending Harris, the city’s first black mayor, and Flowers on their service.
Noting that Harris was in office for more than 40 years, Witherspoon said, “Sometimes I can’t take 40 minutes sitting around this table.”
After the meeting Fire Chief T.J. Bowman said he’s been coming to board meetings for more than 10 years and he has never seen a board meeting like this.
“I want everyone to remember it’s not about black, white or Hispanic. We are all God’s children,” he said.
