Sardis aldermen not backing mayor’s wish

By Rupert Howell
A tense moment at a Sardis City Board meeting Tuesday almost pitted the mayor and an alderman into a confrontation after she asked the police chief to remove Alderman Boo-Boo Jones.
“Do and he is fired tomorrow,” Jones replied after other aldermen joined in saying, “No, no, no.”
The dispute came as Mayor Lula Palmer was ready to end the meeting but Aldermen-at-Large Michael Price and Jones wanted to discuss why the mayor’s office had been moved to the rear of city hall from the front of the building and other issues.
Police Chief Steve McClarty rose and approached the board table but never touched or addressed Jones after Mayor Palmer’s request for his removal.
Palmer then asked Board Attorney Tommy Shuler, “Attorney, can you make a rules change and add to the agenda?”
Shuler replied that items could be added, “in this case,” if the board agreed.
Aldermen then named Rosalyn Wallace to the Housing Commission and asked Palmer why the board was not informed that the mayor’s office was being moved.
Palmer explained the front office is “very noisy,” noting that residents coming in to pay bills have to talk loudly to communicate through protective glass located in front of clerks working in the lobby office across from the mayor’s office.
Veteran aldermen explained the mayor’s office was moved to the front of City Hall by board order when a former mayor had been censured and aldermen wanted him more visible to the public.
“If we made it (the order to move the office to the front), it shouldn’t have changed without us knowing,” Jones said.
Price said, “Town people are asking about it. They want to see the mayor in the front office.”