WEST POINT — Jasper “Peicy” Pittman, West Point Ward 5 selectman, passed away Monday at North Mississippi Medical Center in West Point.
Pittman, 51, was first elected to serve on the board in 2008.
He will be greatly missed in the community, West Point Mayor Rod Bobo said.
“The community is still grieving his loss,” Bobo said. “His absence will be felt definitely on our board. We just appreciate all of his years of service and hard work. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
Bobo said he and the board of selectmen will decide when to hold a special election to fill Pittman’s seat during the regular board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Ward 3 Selectman Ken Poole, who started working with Pittman after joining the board in 2017, said Pittman’s dedication to West Point was evident in his service as selectman.
“He loved taking part in things and helping grow the city,” he said. “… When he came along, he kind of lit a fire to the politics. Everybody was excited to have him, have new ideas and somebody who was willing to challenge the status quo.”
Politics or not, Poole said Pittman never missed the chance to share his advice with others.
“When he got an opportunity to impart wisdom, he liked … to do that,” Poole said. “That’s why you’ll hear stories of people saying, ‘He taught me this. He taught me that.’ It’s because he took those opportunities to do that.”
“I was one of those people that he loved to impart his wisdom on, give me advice and tell me how things are and how things should be,” 16th Circuit District Attorney Scott Colom told The Dispatch.
Colom first met Pittman in 2010, just after becoming an attorney. Pittman approached him after a presentation he gave to the board to say he’d like to get to know him better.
Pittman gave Colom, who said he needed a haircut at the time, the name of a local barber to visit. He also gave him another name, one that would play a much larger role in Colom’s life.
“He told me about my wife,” Colom said. “He was like, ‘You need to meet this girl. She’s really smart. She’s beautiful.’ And he basically put us in touch, and I ended up marrying her.”
One of Colom’s wedding photos features Pittman and him pointing at each other in what Colom called an “I told you so” moment as he and his wife, Nadia, stepped into their getaway car.
“He was just a great guy,” Colom said. “He really cared about the community and his ward.”
Robbie Robinson, who served as West Point mayor for two terms before retiring in 2021, agreed that Pittman’s love for his community guided the decisions he made as selectman.
“He was a good friend, and he was a heck of a good politician. That’s for sure,” Robinson told The Dispatch. “We sometimes weren’t on the same side of the argument on issues, but he always did what he thought was right. Then there were other times that he agreed with my opinion … and we would work together. Really, that’s what governing is all about.”
Funeral services for Pittman will include two visitations May 12 and 13 at 3 p.m. and 10 a.m., respectively, at Strong Hill Mission Baptist Church in West Point. The funeral, also held at Strong Hill, will be at 11 a.m. May 13.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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