Brooks, Sanders clash over board presidency, accuse each other of being ‘racist’
John Holliman is banging the gavel, his face red.
But the sound of the wooden mallet repeatedly landing on the boardroom table, where most supervisors now sit, is barely calming anyone down.
Holliman, acting president of Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and representing District 3, is trying to call for order as the Monday board meeting quickly degenerates into a shouting match, with supervisors Leroy Brooks of District 5, Black, and Harry Sanders of District 1, white, accusing each other of being a “racist.”
Lowndes tables decision on mask requirement
Lowndes County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Wednesday morning to table the decision to mandate mask-wearing countywide until its Aug. 3 meeting, citing the need for more information on the severity of the spread of COVID-19 in the county and concerns about enforcement.
NAACP letter gives businesses deadline to support, condemn Sanders
The Columbus-Lowndes NAACP has sent letters to several hundred businesses in the community asking business representatives to publicly state whether they support the effort to have District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders resign from the county board of supervisors.
Lowndes supes vote to move Confederate monument to Friendship Cemetery
The Confederate Monument that has sat outside Lowndes County Courthouse for more than a century is moving to Friendship Cemetery.
‘I think he should get another chance’: District 1 voters in Caledonia show little appetite for wanting Harry Sanders off board of supervisors
In the two-plus weeks since Lowndes County District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders made his now-infamous comments following a board meeting about Black people remaining “dependent” since slavery ended, the voices calling for Sanders to resign from the board have been thunderous.
Supes grapple with how to move forward with Sanders still on board
Dissatisfied with District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders’ decision to only step down as board president during a Tuesday meeting over his recent racist remarks, many of his fellow supervisors and other local leaders vowed to continue pushing for his full resignation from the board.
How does a removal petition work?
With District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders refusing to resign from the board over his recent racist remarks, some officials who have urged him to step down, including Supervisors Trip Hairston of District 2 and Leroy Brooks of District 5, say one way to force his removal is through a citizen petition.
‘We’re going to smoke him out’: Protesters undaunted by Sanders’ refusal to resign Tuesday
Fifteen minutes before the start of Tuesday’s Lowndes County Board of Supervisors meeting, Johnny Hampton stood in the entrance of the courthouse, using a bullhorn to lead a crowd of about 70 protesters in chants of “Harry Must Go.”
Sanders steps down as supes president, does not resign
Harry Sanders opened Tuesday morning’s Lowndes County Board of Supervisors meeting by stepping down as board president.
He did not resign from the board entirely.
‘It’s quite late to do that’: Many say Sanders’ apology for racist remarks ineffective
Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Harry Sanders says he’s sorry for comments he made more than a week ago saying Blacks have been “dependent” since slavery and that they are the only ethnicity that has not assimilated into American society.
Lowndes County supervisors at standoff over Sanders’ refusal to resign
Lowndes County supervisors have reached a deadlock over their stances on embattled Board of Supervisors President Harry Sanders, with two supervisors hoping to discuss Sanders’ removal as president, and two others urging for his resignation from the board.
‘It hurt me to my core’: Protesters, local officials gather at courthouse to call for Sanders’ resignation over racist comments
Sherry Ellis had everything she needed: a sewing machine and fabric she saved for cloth masks.
Within five minutes, Ellis said, she fashioned herself a T-shirt instead. It read, “Racism is wrong. #Resign.”
Local leaders slam Sanders for racist remarks
Local officials and community leaders are condemning Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Harry Sanders for comments he made about African Americans being “dependent” since slavery ended and not assimilating to American society like other ethnicities.
Irreconcilable differences?: Funding issues, ‘Type A personalities’ at forefront of ongoing feud between Columbus and Lowndes County leadership
Harry Sanders drives down Military Road late Friday morning on the route he takes into Columbus most days from his home near Caledonia.
From the driver’s seat of his red pickup, he starts pointing out toward street-side gutters and rights-of-way grown up in grass — all of which are the city’s responsibility to maintain.
Supervisors agree to tax compromise
As late as Saturday, Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Harry Sanders said he intended to urge fellow supervisors during Monday’s meeting to stick with their February resolution calling for the floor to be removed from the county’s 2-percent restaurant sales tax.
Our View: Harry Sanders’ sure-footed stewardship
When Lowndes County Supervisors sold the county hospital it 2006, it produced a $30-million nest egg and a world of temptation.
Sanders, Smith appoint Moore to CVB
The city and county’s tourism board has a full nine members for the first time in nearly 16 months. The newest member of the Columbus Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Trustees is Thomas “Tango”
Sanders talks upcoming, finished projects
Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Harry Sanders is eager for the Riverwalk expansion to begin.
No progress on replacement for CVB member ousted in June
Today marks six months since the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors was reduced to a membership of eight.
It’s unlikely a ninth member will be named anytime soon.
Two firms will manage hospital money
Two firms will watch over Lowndes County’s $30 million nest egg for a 30-month trial period.
After a day of hearing presentations from three financial consulting companies, the Lowndes County Reserve and Trust Fund Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to select Stephens Capital Management and Renasant Wealth Management to manage and invest the money from the county’s hospital sale.