I believe history will be made again before the end of the year. Over 3 years ago, McComb elected its first Black mayor. This year, I am predicting that McComb will elect its first woman selectman. The first woman selectman ever! Now, that by itself is significant. But, what makes this even more interesting to me is the political change that this will most seriously bring about. The woman is Tammy Witherspoon and the she is running for McComb Ward 3.

Yes, that is the same ward of current selectman E.C. Nobles. I am not sure if Nobles is planning on running for selectman in ward 3 again. But, if he does, I am convinced that he will lose. I predict that it won’t even be close. Last year, I stated in an editorial that I wrote in this newspaper that Nobles couldn’t beat my five year old son in a re-election attempt. I stand by that statement. Nobles has not only done a horrible job as a selectman, but he has turned on his own people, his own community in the process. He has allowed himself to be used by people who apparently don’t care much about what happens to the Black community. Nobles has spent his time as selectman, carrying the water and the ‘chair’ for the white community.

Bernadine Welch, a 36 year educator with the McComb School District, passed away on Monday, March 1, 2010. The McComb School District is deeply saddened by the news of Mrs. Welch’s passing. Mrs. Welch was loved and respected by all those who knew her, and the students who had her in class have been profoundly touched by this tragedy. Mrs. Welch began teaching with the McComb School District in 1973. She touched the lives of so many students, faculty and staff members.

Sissy Burris, long time friend and colleague said, “I did my student teaching under Mrs. Welch. She was my mentor, my teacher, and my friend – a # 2 wash tub would not do.”

Senator Kelvin Butler is Chairman of the Local & Private committee. He also serves on the Business & Financial Institutions; Finance; Judiciary, Division A; Municipalities; State Library; Highways & Transportation and Tourism committee.

Senator Kelvin Butler’s Weekly Report: This week we approved changes to Senate Bill 2495 that restored $82 million to state agencies for the current fiscal year, including $37 million to K-12 education and $2 million that ensures National Board Certified teachers receive their $6,000 annual stipend. The bill also provides $16 million to the Department of Corrections to prevent mass layoffs, $1.49 million to district attorneys so they can continue to prosecute cases and $4 million to the Department of Mental Health. Another $4 million will be given to community and junior colleges.

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 This week members of the McComb board of Mayor and Selectmen were meeting together. Not in the board room of City Hall, but in a courtroom in Magnolia, the county seat of Pike County. And, I was there to witness what has to be, so far, the trial of the decade. The lawsuit by McComb Mayor Zach Patterson against the selectmen of the McComb city board was played out over two days at the County Courthouse in front of Judge Michael Taylor.

I am convinced that the trial was a result of a “runaway freight train.” That runaway train is those four selectmen (Danny Esch, Wade Lamb, E.C. Nobles, and Robert Maddox) and their good-ole-boy network that includes their defense lawyer, Dennis Horn. What a show. What a picture. To see them all there, testifiying and being made to answer for all the mess they created at city hall.

Tuesday and Wednesday, those selectmen had to answer, not only for their actions on August 26, 2009 when they held an improper and illegal meeting to authorize themselves to sign and issue checks to pay the city payroll and other approved city bills; but, they also had to take responsibility for their actions on June 9, 2009, when they stripped Mayor Patterson of his duties as mayor and gave that authority to themselves and their appointed city administrator. I’ve coined a statement that Mayor Patterson uses to describe what those selectmen did: “A nullification of an election.”