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By Jeff Moore

Contributing writer

 

Cordele City Commission’s meeting turned contentious as its chairman called one member a liar and another racist at its Tuesday, March 18 meeting.

Chairman Joshua Deriso verbally attacked Commissioners Vesta Beal Shephard and Wesley Rainey at different points in the meeting.

It began after speaker Davontae Hunt presented a petition with 489 online signatures and more than 60 on paper asking the commissioners to move meeting back to evenings so the public can attend.

Hunt said citizens opted for the petition after the last meeting when Shephard said one should have been brought and presented when Hunt made his request to move meetings to 5:30 p.m. or 6 p.m.

“I’m not here representing myself, I’m actually here at the request of some 500 or so people, which is interesting because Mr. Chairman, we have more supporters on this petition than you have for your previous election,” Hunt said, adding that this is the case for all commissioners.

He said the people expect a motion both on changing the time back to evening meetings.

Hunt also presented documents addressing the open seat on the commission with the governor’s suspension of Commissioner Royce Reeves Sr. after he was indicted on charges related to drugs and gang activity.

Hunt said he believes it was “kind of disrespectful” having the people go through creating a petition when one wasn’t needed last year when the meeting was moved to 9 a.m.

Deriso said he can attest to the fact that people want the meeting move back to evenings as it originally was.

He went on to say this is the people’s meeting and if the commission is going to change towards the right direction of coming together to be more accountable to the people that this needs to be done.

“The people have asked for a meeting which they can attend,” he said.

Deriso then called for a motion to change the meeting time.

Commissioner Issac Owens said he first wanted to say that he has never been opposed to having the meeting at 5:30 p.m.

“I want to be clear on that fact as I’ve spoken to others who talked to me about changing, as I said to them then and I stayed in the meeting

before and I say now, the 5:30 meeting time was fine with me,” Owens said.

Owens them made a motion to move the commission’s meeting time back 6 p.m.

Deriso’s request for a second to the motion was met with silence from Shephard and Rainey. The motion died due to lack of a second, which was followed by Deriso calling this petty politics and launching an attack on Shephard.

“Commissioner Shepard has constantly not gone with the people,” the chairman said. “I expect Commissioner Rainey not to do it because he serves a different block, a different interest, and that’s just how politics works.”

Deriso said Rainey has to answer to his people, stating that are “a little bit different.”

“They have different interests or what have you,” he said. “But on the other side of town, what we have seen is a disrespect for what the people ask for.”

He pointed to the fact that Shephard voted with Reeves and Rainey to move the meeting in the first place.

Deriso said he believes if commissioners don’t do what the people want that they should vote them out.

“It blows my mind that someone will have the audacity to spit in the face of the people that they represent,” the chairman said. “Cause that’s what it is. It’s metaphorically spitting in the people’s face.”

In a democratic society, Deriso said it’s important to hold elected officials accountable. When they are not doing the public’s bidding, then they should not be in office.

“This commission has almost been a worthless, do nothing commission I‘ve ever seen,” he said.

Deriso went on to say it’s not often that three people that “look like us,” referring to the three Black members, ever have power and authority to make some changes for people that also have been oppressed and “look like us.”

“That don’t happen in many places because of population,” he said. “It’s not about racism or discrimination or reverse discrimination. What it’s

about is equity and equality, meaning right the wrongs.”

Deriso said a person doesn’t have to look a certain way to care about racism or what supremacist philosophy.

“The role of government is to serve the people, liberally,

ethically and feasibly as we can,” he said.

Deriso said that this is not a personal attack on Shephard, instead it is against her in her role as a commissioner.

“I personally like you,” he told her.

Shephard then had a chance to speak pointing to many of the accomplishments she has brought to Ward 1 in the city.

Then addressing Hunt, she raised concerns about the accuracy of the 489 online petition signatures, noting that there were only 50-plus putting in their handwriting.

“I love people,” Shephard said. “Oh yes, I work in the churches. I work in the community. I volunteer. But as your commissioner, I try to give the best of me to everyone.”

Shephard added that she doesn’t use these meetings to campaign, that she does that outside where it should be done.

She went on to say she doesn’t trust anyone sitting on the commission.

“With that being said, I vote my conviction every time I vote for what I feel is best for the city,” Shephard said.

Deriso then responded to her comments saying that she takes credit for what others have accomplished, such as the city manager and other department head.

“You say you don’t trust anybody, but yet, you see the most corrupt, convicted felon is the smartest person up here (a reference to Reeves), and you vote with them all the time. So saying that you don’t trust anybody up here, your voter record says differently.”

Deriso said that while the Black side of town was torn down, Shephard and Reeves were paying $300 and $400 for dinner and lunches, while not getting anything done in their wards.

“Cordele is like a person with a broken leg,” he continued. “Until the west side get repaired, we cannot walk toward progress at a good speed. So you don’t have to see it, but you have to have your eyes open and it really goes against the creative social work to not advocate for oppressed people. That’s the cream of social work to empower and advocate for the oppressed.”

Deriso said he doesn’t to sit in the meeting and talk about Black and white every day.

“But I didn’t make it this way. History made it this way,” he said. “People that sit in these seats made it that way. And I’m gonna talk what I believe is the truth.”

As Deriso continued his comments about Shephard, she at one point turned her chair so its back was facing the chairman.

Later in the meeting, another exchange was only got heated but turned into a shouting match.

It began after Deriso was selected by the commission to serve on a committee that deals with loans to fill a spot that was held by Reeves, who is suspended from holding office. Rainey voted against his appointment, while Shephard and Owens voted for it.

The commission was preparing to vote to go into executive session to discuss a legal matter.

Deriso said he wants the commission to move forward together in a way of working together.

Then Deriso pointed out that Rainey had cast his vote against appointing him to the committee.

“That was petty not to vote for me to go on the committee,” Deriso said. “I think it’s hatred and I think part of it is racist because you’re not used to a black person that speaks to you like an equal or what have you, not beneath you. That’s the actions that I’m talking about, that right there. Every time that’s when you have two votes, you usually just vote alone and your reason don’t make sense. But you have shown that you could not get over the pettiness in the politics in the past.”

He this is why he can’t work with Rainey.

“It’s downright hatred,” Deriso said, saying that it doesn’t change things that he puts on a professional look because it comes down to going the right thing.

“It’s just ridiculous,” Deriso said to Rainey.

Rainey said he voted against Deriso because he has never had to make a payroll and he doesn’t believe he is qualified.

Deriso again said Rainey was acting petty. He went on to say that Rainey and Reeves have been architects of a game that he gets.

“Your have come out of hate and racism,” Deriso said to Rainey. That’s

what yours have. Yes, it is a black man. I’m telling you it’s racism.”

At this point the shouting began.

Rainey told Deriso that he was not qualified for the committee.

“That’s what a white supremacist thinks, that I’m best qualified to do things,” Deriso shouted at Rainey.

The shouting eroded into comments about family members and phone calls during meetings, which in one case led Deriso to ask Rainey’s wife to take a call outside because she was disrupting the meeting.

“I even told my own mother she had to take a phone call outside and don’t let the phone ring,” Deriso said. “I just told Mr. Hunt that he could not speak. I am fair in these meetings, whether you like it or not. Don’t matter if you’re related or I like you. So at the end of the day, you can save all that bull crap.”

Deriso said that Rainey just hates that the people chose someone to represent them “that don’t look like you this time. That’s your problem.”

He said that has been Rainey’s problem the entire past three years, hatred and racism.

“You don’t have to wear a sheet for me to know it,” Deriso said. “It’s your actions and attitude.”

With that he called for the motion to go into closed session, which was approved.