STARKVILLE — Alvin Turner has walked every inch of Starkville. He pays attention while he does it, too.
He knows which sidewalks are up to code and which ones need work. He knows which streets are the most pedestrian friendly and which are dangerous. He’s never owned a car. As he treks across the streets of his city, Turner hears and sees the challenge facing his fellow citizens.
On the first and third Tuesday of every month, he walks to City Hall on Lampkin Street where he monitors his city’s officials and offers his perspective during the citizen comment portion of the board of aldermen meeting. It’s a walk he’s made for four decades.
In the board room, Turner sits in the front row. He always wears a suit.
As aldermen, police officers, firefighters, department heads and shuffle into the board room, almost every one of them stops to shake Turner’s firm handshake. They all know him.
“I’ve been coming a while,” he says through his wide smile.
Turner, 65, has been raising his concerns to elected officials and department heads in Starkville since the mid-1970s. He has been coming to gatherings of the Starkville municipal government for around 40 years (even he is unsure exactly when he started).
“He walks everywhere, and he’s very observant of the condition of the infrastructure of every square inch he walks,” said Mayor Parker Wiseman. “So, it’s quite helpful for him to point out deficiencies as he sees them, because he probably provides the most comprehensive regular inspection of our city’s street, sidewalk and lighting infrastructure.”
He brings a notebook to record board actions and keep an eye on the city agenda.
“I think he takes seriously the responsibility of being a citizen,” Wiseman said. “It is ultimately the responsibility of every citizen to be involved and play a role in trying to make it a better place, and Mr. Turner is fulfilling his responsibility.”
Throughout his 40 years of attending board of alderman meetings, Turner has consistently fought for the people. He stood up to help get the SMART bus system passed through the board so that low-income residents can get around. He said he is concerned the aldermen will remove the free trash bags from citizens. He believes more needs to be done to address mental health.
“When he speaks for the citizens — whether it’s officially or unofficially — his message resonates,” said vice mayor Roy A. Perkins. “It is heard. It is loud. It is clear. And those who he speaks for generally get some relief as a result of Alvin’s appearance before the mayor and the board.”
On September 15, Perkins and ward 7 alderman Henry Vaughn presented Turner with a plaque they purchased, acknowledging his dedication to the city.
Perkins is the senior member of the board of alderman. He said Turner was there on July 6, 1993 when he was sworn into office. In the rare occurrence Turner misses a meeting, everyone notices.
“If he’s ever not at a board meeting, we worry that something has happened,” Wiseman said.
In June, police chief Frank Nichols started Starkville’s first Community Police Academy. Turner was named the assistant squad leader, and was the only one who never missed a class, Nichols said.
Nichols calls Tuner “The Commissioner” and said he helps the department communicate with citizens.
“Usually what happens is, somebody in the community contacts Alvin, because they know of his relationship with the city government,” Nichols said. “They contact him with their grievances, with their complaints, with their concerns. Alvin in turn brings those concerns to the council meeting.”
Nichols said many times Turner has relayed parents’ comments about speeding in neighborhoods, causing his department to set up and write tickets to discourage the behavior.
For his part, Turner said attending the meetings and voicing his thoughts on how to improve his home gives him a sense of purpose and community.
“It keeps me occupied and it keeps me strong,” Turner said.
Turner has battled seizures his entire life. He never married or had children. In 2005, he was struck by a car while making a familiar walk down Louisville Street. Injuries from the accident make walking a struggle, but Turner simply bought a cane and kept on marching as a citizen. It’s his job, after all.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.