A special election for mayor of Eupora will be held next month.
The Board of Aldermen has adopted a resolution declaring a vacancy for the mayor’s position and ordering a special municipal election on Nov. 14. A runoff will be held two weeks later if no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast.
Candidates for mayor must qualify by 5 p.m. Oct. 25, which is 20 days before the election. They must return a petition with the signatures of at least 50 registered voters in Eupora; no qualifying fee will be required. The candidates will run without party designation.
Eupora voters will cast their ballots from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Election Day at the Community Center on North Dunn. The new mayor will serve through June 2025.
The vacancy in the office of mayor occurred by virtue of Blake McMullan’s resignation on Sept. 18, a little over two years into his first term. City aldermen voted to declare the vacancy and set the special election during their regular monthly meeting Monday night, Oct. 2, in the Community Center.
Alderman-at-large Jerry Gary presided as mayor pro tempore and as such could not vote on any motions. The other four aldermen were also present. The board authorized increasing the acting mayor’s salary from alderman to mayor retroactively from Sept. 18-Nov. 15.
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Alderman’s Comments
After the agenda and previous minutes were approved Monday,
Gary and Robert Gibbs (Ward 4) addressed a packed house during the respective periods set aside for mayor’s comments and Board of Aldermen comments.
Gary said he wished he did not have to be serving as acting mayor and that he wished McMullan would have reconsidered before he resigned. Alderman Gibbs then left his seat to address the audience about “how we got to the mayor resigning, in my opinion.”
Gibbs read a printout of a text message he had obtained that he said McMullan sent to someone with the Eupora Police Department earlier this year. The printout shows the initials “BM” above the name “Blake” on a screenshot of the phone message.
The text describes a vehicle coming into town from the Country Club of which the sender wrote, “we need to explore it.” The message also gives the name of the driver (which Gibbs did not read and was blacked out on the copy provided) and tag number of the vehicle.
“He is likely to bypass 182,” the text says of the driver. “So Family Dollar is the best place. He probably doesn’t have illegal pills but try everything you can.”
The board discussed the text message with McMullan during an executive session of a recessed meeting on Sept. 18, according to Gibbs. He said neither the mayor nor aldermen have the authority to tell a police officer to pull someone over.
“We should’ve impeached him (but) we did not do that,” Gibbs said of McMullan. The alderman also said he had filed a complaint with the Mississippi Ethics Commission asking it to investigate the matter.
“In my opinion, that text led to his resignation,” Gibbs told those in attendance.
The executive session for “personnel and possible litigation” was among amended agenda items shown on the Sept. 18 meeting minutes. Gibbs offered a motion to consider going into executive session, which was seconded by Gary and approved 5-0. Gibbs then offered a motion to go into executive session; Ricky Newton (Ward 3) seconded with all five aldermen voting aye.
After exiting the executive session, minutes state the board took up two motions. The first was one offered by Gary and seconded by Newton to ban James Payton from Gary Park, which was approved 5-0.
The minutes state that at the recommendation of the mayor, Billy Tabb (Ward 2) then offered a motion to terminate Police Chief Lawrence Caradine. Gary seconded with he and Tabb voting aye. Aldermen Gibbs, Junior Shaw (Ward 1) and Newton voted no, so the motion did not carry. The board then adjourned and did not meet again until an agenda work session on Sept. 29, which was followed by Monday’s meeting.
The Sept. 18 minutes do not mention McMullan’s resignation but City Clerk Gail Newton said he wrote out his resignation immediately after adjournment.
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McMullan’s Response
McMullan, who did not attend this Monday’s meeting, provided this statement to the Progress-Times when informed of Gibbs’ comments and shown the text message the alderman cited:
“I stepped down because of personnel issues within the Police Department. As you can tell by the 60 or so that was in attendance, the citizens hold our Eupora Police Department to a high standard. The Board of Aldermen continue to deflect responsibility and issues at hand.
“I love Eupora and look forward to continue to be an asset in our community.”
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Public Comments
Three people addressed the board during the time period allotted for public comments. Olivia Agnew said her son was attacked and beaten Sept 24 at the basketball court, referring to Brantley Park on Gifford Street. She claimed nothing was done about it and that Caradine would not come to the hospital to see her son to investigate the incident.
“It’s got to stop,” Agnew said.
The next two city residents read statements regarding the mayor’s resignation and Police Department issues. Monica Hubbard said McMullan had done many good things for the city and mentioned the board’s firing of two officers since July.
“What is going on in our Police Department?” she said. “It seems to be in shambles.” Hubbard also asked who is doing necessary background checks into police hires.
Last to voice her concerns about the conflict between McMullan and Caradine was Sherlyn Hughes. She also mentioned the resignation of Janet Cook from the Eupora Economic Development Committee after McMullan announced his resignation; Hughes said she is a member of the committee.
“All that’s stated above want to progress and advance our town, but there must be trust and faith in all the people that we work together for uniting our town and the vision will be successful,” she wrote. Hughes requested “a complete investigation in this matter of the breakdown that has occurred to get all facts of the misunderstanding to all concerned.”
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Police Hires
Before adjourning, the Board of Aldermen met in executive session about 50 minutes to discuss police personnel. Caradine did not remain in the boardroom initially but was called into the meeting later, as were two applicants for police officer vacancies.
Aldermen voted afterwards in open session to hire both men. Gibbs made a motion, seconded by Shaw, to hire Anthony Craig Nelson of Columbus as a part-time officer at $15.33 an hour. The motion was approved 4-0.
Shaw then made a motion, seconded by Gibbs, to hire Keith Johnson of Eupora, formerly of Tutwiler, as a full-time officer at $18.20 an hour. That motion was approved 3-1 with Tabb voting nay.
