HubCityMan1912
07-20-2005, 08:27 PM
All these people who wanted to get rid of Ward 4 Councilman Red Bailey and replace him with Jerome Brown (so that DuPree would then supposedly have a 3/2 "rubber stamp" Council), why don't they simply re-petition the Feds to change Hattiesburg's municipal form of government back to the "Mayor-Commission" form--like Hattiesburg operated under from 1912-to-1985? (Until the Feds--responding to petition for change from [primarily] "minorities"--ordered the change-over to this present "STRONG" Mayor/Council form...State Law also allows for a "weaker" Mayor/Council form.)
For those 73 years we had a Mayor and 2 Commissioners (one "Outside", one "Inside") elected "AT LARGE" (i.e. by voters of the entire City--which in that era resulted in only "white" men ever getting elected)...
However, now--with the "dynamics" seemingly changed, by going back over to the Mayor/Commission system, these pro-DuPree folks could apparently get all they covet and more! [i.e. A 5-0 "pro-DuPree" Council.] Just "food for thought"...BTW, easily the superior municipal form of government allowed by our State is the "Council-MANAGER" form, whereby the Council is elected by "ward" and then HIRES a [business] "Manager" to run the INCORPORATED "City of Hattiesburg" just like what it is: a BUSINESS! (corporation)...I believe that currently Picayune in South Mississippi and Grenada in North Mississippi are the only cities of any size and note who operate via this superior system...
For those 73 years we had a Mayor and 2 Commissioners (one "Outside", one "Inside") elected "AT LARGE" (i.e. by voters of the entire City--which in that era resulted in only "white" men ever getting elected)...
However, now--with the "dynamics" seemingly changed, by going back over to the Mayor/Commission system, these pro-DuPree folks could apparently get all they covet and more! [i.e. A 5-0 "pro-DuPree" Council.] Just "food for thought"...BTW, easily the superior municipal form of government allowed by our State is the "Council-MANAGER" form, whereby the Council is elected by "ward" and then HIRES a [business] "Manager" to run the INCORPORATED "City of Hattiesburg" just like what it is: a BUSINESS! (corporation)...I believe that currently Picayune in South Mississippi and Grenada in North Mississippi are the only cities of any size and note who operate via this superior system...