The scheduled meeting of the Winona Mayor and Board of Aldermen ended abruptly Tuesday night when three members of the board adjourned the meeting after Alderwoman Sylvia Clark refused to come to order when Mayor Aaron Dees sounded the gavel. Dees drew Clark’s ire after vetoing the board’s order to suspend City Clerk June Williams for two days without pay for alleged insubordination.
The meeting adjourned before the board could complete the meeting’s agenda, including issuing a resolution to allow the city to apply for a $72,000 grant to purchase patrol vehicles for the Winona Police Department and to pay the regular bills.
During the August 3 city meeting, in a closed-door executive session, the board voted to suspend Williams for two days without pay, upon a motion by Alderwoman Sylvia Clark and a second by Alderwoman Linda Purnell. Alderman Charles Harris, Jr. reportedly voted for the measure, while Aldermen Mickey Austin and Travis Johnson cast the dissenting votes.
Dees reasoned in his veto issued last Thursday, “The incident in question occurred on June 28, 2021. Clerk Williams was not a subordinate of the newly-elected board at that time.” (See full story on page 3.)
Dees did not elaborate on what Williams is accused of doing. However, according to Clark’s own words Tuesday evening, she was “offended” by something Williams did or said during an unofficial meeting of the newly-elected mayor and board members to discuss surety bonds required to be signed by all elected officials.
Tuesday night, when the veto was spread upon the minutes of the executive session from August 3, Clark addressed Dees, telling him he needed “consistency” in his support of the board.
“So I’m just saying you have to show some kind of consistency,” Clark said. “You need to set the tone on how we are going to be treated. You might let someone run over you but I’m not going to let someone run over me.”
From there an argument ensued between Clark and Dees.
“Sylvia, there are things on this phone of mine,” Dees said. “You said that I had [Williams] stuck so far up my rear end that I was vomiting her out my mouth.”
Clark responded, “That’s right. You told me that I was hateful because I’m standing up for my rights.
"You know what, they told Fannie Lou Hamer she was hateful. They told Rosa Parks she was hateful because she was standing up for her rights," said Clark, who is African American, in reference to two African American civil rights leaders. "Because I’m standing up for my rights, I’m being hateful. Then I’m being hateful.”
Dees then used his gavel to bring the meeting to order.
“Do you want me to have you removed from the meeting,” Dees asked Clark.
“I’ll escort you out,” Clark responded. “You cannot escort me out because I’m not being rude. Do you want to be escorted out? I can’t be escorted out because I’m not being rude. You might not like what I said because I’m telling the truth.”
Dees went on to tell those present at the meeting, “Look y’all, all this is a hidden agenda, and Ms. Clark will have her way until the end. That is just the way she is.”
Unsuccessful in restoring order, Dees asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Alderman Mickey Austin made the motion, followed by an Alderman Travis Johnson second.
Following the adjournment, Alderwoman Linda Purnell addressed Dees, “All of this is unnecessary. Because you, Mayor, you are the mayor, and you are not listening to what nobody is saying.”
He responded, “And that is the problem now, y’all two. Y’all are constantly running down the chief and everything else going on in the city," a reference to Police Chief Roshaun Daniels.
“How are we running down the chief?” Clark asked.
Purnell interjected, “We aren’t running down no chief. We are sure enough going to run him down now.”
Prior to the heated exchange between Dees and Clark, the board heard complaints from two women regarding Daniels.
Sheri Hill accused Daniels of having a “personal vendetta” against her due to claims she made during a Facebook Live stream in regards to his personal life. She did not provide any evidence supporting her claims that she made once again in Tuesday’s open meeting. She said his “personal vendetta” against her led to him arresting and charging her boyfriend for felony possession of a controlled substance. She also claimed that Daniels used illegal means to make the arrest.
That statement was followed by Clark saying, “Happens all the time.”
The man facing charges was not present at Tuesday’s meeting.
A second woman, LaKeisha Jones, shared with the board an unrelated complaint against Daniels.
According to Jones, she visited the Winona Police Department to get information on testimony given by or about her adult-age children in Winona City Court last Thursday.
Jones as well as other people present in the gallery without cause to be inside the courtroom were asked to leave by Judge Alan D. Lancaster due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. The Mississippi Supreme Court recently ruled that each judge could use his discretion regarding COVID protocols in his courtroom.
Jones said three Winona police officers were speaking with her about the hearing when Daniels entered the building and informed the officers that they did not have to provide any information to Jones about what happened in court.
“Her kids are grown,” Daniels said in response to Jones’ complaint.
Jones said, “[Daniels] is too disrespectful. To get respect, you have to give it.”
Clark asked for the board to close the meeting for executive session to discuss the matters further. However, after Purnell’s motion and Clark’s second to close the meeting, the motion failed with a 3-2 vote, with Harris, Johnson, and Austin casting the dissenting votes.
In other city business:
• John Seals introduced himself to the board of aldermen and provided information about his company CareMed EMS out of Grenada. Seals told the board he wanted his company to be considered to provide ambulance service to the City of Winona, and he would provide additional information at a later time.
• Sandra McCaskill inquired about when the city planned to commence work on a drainage issue adjacent to her home. Street Superintendent Tony Palmertree informed her that work would begin with a pipe he ordered was delivered.
• Earnestine Miller also inquired about work planned near her property to curb flooding. Palmertree informed her that the city is still waiting on an easement from a neighboring property.
• Wanda Haynes asked the board to address the drainage ditch that runs between North Union Street and Central Avenue. She said over the years, erosion has caused property loss, with the ditch growing bigger and bigger.
“My ask is if they would [repair] it properly,” Haynes said. “My land is washing away.”
Dees and City Attorney Adam Kirk informed her that they would visit the site with City Engineer Alan Scott in the coming weeks to make a determination on a solution.
• Haynes also asked the board to look into a recycling program for the city that involves having a recycling bin and a garbage bin for each resident in the city.
• Water Superintendent Frank Faulkner informed the board that he spent three days last week working to repair a collapsed drainage ditch on Stafford Wells Road. His crews also replaced water pumps and motors around the city.
• Purnell asked Faulkner if his department had an emergency telephone number residents can use. He said the department does have an emergency contact with someone on call.
Purnell said one of her residents called the emergency number, and the person answering the call was rude. Faulkner said he would look into the matter.
• The board accepted the resignation of Dre Bays from the Winona Fire Department. The board also approved Fire Chief Brad Mooneyham’s request to advertise in the local and regional newspapers for the opening at the department.
• The board accepted Chief of Police Roshaun Daniels’ request to terminate Officer DeMarcus Peeples. Clark asked Daniels for the cause of the termination. Daniels said he was not required to provide a cause.
The board voted 3 to 2 in favor of termination, with Clark and Purnell making the dissenting votes.
