It Is What It Is and You Need To Know

Again, those in control have managed to paint Mayor Holder as Cruella Deville; the villain of Lumberton. It was stated time and time again that she does not care about the City of Lumberton and its employees, but nothing was said about the fact that Mayor Pro tempore has the authority to sign checks as well. Bobby Gibson stated that he was out of town on Thursday, but Friday morning, he and Tim Johnson were riding around the city and at no point did he stop by city hall to sign the payroll checks. How interesting. Timothy Johnson stated on News 7 that the members of the board do not disrespect Mayor Holder, but the fact that her salary was set at .99/per month is the embodiment of disrespect. So much has been said about the fact that the mayor did not want to sign the payroll checks, but I gave her a call to get an overview of all the work she performs as Mayor of the City of Lumberton.
As soon as the agenda for the regularly scheduled meeting arrives, she reviews the agenda. After reviewing the agenda, Mayor Holder begin researching Mississippi laws, attorney general opinions and city ordinances regarding the items placed on the agenda in order to inform the board of the legality of certain issues. Generally, she spends over 12 hours researching law books, attorney general opinions and reading over various ordinances in order to pass this information on to the board members. Usually, this is something that is done by either the city clerk or city attorney, but Mayor Holder stated that she like to have the information at her finger tip in case the facts are disputed. Bear in mind that anytime a citizen submits a request for research at city hall, they are charged $7.25/hour to cover the cost of research, but .99 is not a sign of disrespect. In addition to researching the information, Mayor Holder prints out the information, from home, at her own expense, and makes copies for each of the five alderpersons. Those of you that buy printer cartridges know that they are not cheap. With her salary of .99/month, Mayor Holder should be able to purchase a ream of copier paper by the end of next year. In addition to the research and documentation of various laws and ordinances, Mayor Holder must proof read all the minutes, make corrections and proof again before signing them. Mayor Holder also spend several days throughout the week review the budget, payroll, the detailed trail balance, reports from municipal court and a slew of other items. (Are you convinced that she’s done at least .99 worth of work yet?) And despite the fact that gas is currently $3.39/per gallon, Mayor Holder must travel to city hall every week to review and sign payroll, but the aldermen think .99 is sufficient for all of this ripping and running. Mayor Holder went into a list of other duties she performs, but I became somnolent just listening to the exhaustive list.
Our mayor needs your prayers as well as your support because she is fighting an uphill battle. Through prayer, Mayor Holder will be able to face the challenges ahead. Mayor Holder—you are a daughter, sister, mother, teacher, advisor, and friend. As the first African-American woman to hold this position, there are principalities that don’t want you to succeed, but you must press forward and reach for the stars. In the words of Pearl Cleage, “because you are a wise woman born of wise women we celebrate your wisdom. Because you are a strong woman, born of strong women, we celebrate your strength. We are here to speak your name because you taught us that the search is always for the truth.” Mayor Holder, when all is said and done, it is you that people will look upon and say that you were different; that you’re peculiar. Do the things that God wants you to do that some people don’t expect.