Statements from Ocean Springs mayor, alderman on special meeting regarding city attorney

Tonight, we are hearing from one of the Ocean Springs aldermen who did not attend Monday night’s special meeting called by Alderman Karen Stennis and Shannon Pfeiffer regarding their concerns about City Attorney David Harris.

Ward 1 Alderman shared a statement with WXXV regarding his absence from the meeting. Tillis says he had a scheduled medical appointment and had already planned to attend a state representative town hall that event. His full statement is as follows:

“Just six days prior, the Board voted 5–2 to affirm the City Attorney. Yesterday’s special called meeting would have been the fourth similar vote in just a few months. From the first day of my inauguration, both the Mayor and the City Attorney have consistently instructed all aldermen not to share sensitive or confidential materials that could impact ongoing or potential litigation involving the City. Despite those repeated warnings, confidential information has continued to appear outside of executive session. If such leaks are occurring, they could expose the City to substantial legal and financial risk, potentially costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. The strain this has created among board members is reaching a breaking point.”

“Additionally, just four days before the special called meeting, at the Tree Advisory meeting, one of the alderwomen left the meeting abruptly without announcement. This occurred shortly after the discussion shifted away from her expectations, and incidents like this have contributed to a growing level of frustration in trying to conduct consistent, productive city business.”

“Regarding last night’s meeting specifically, it was posted with less than five hours notice by email.  I had already notified City Hall and the two alderwomen who called the meeting that I had a scheduled medical appointment, followed by attendance at a previously planned State Representative town hall. Both commitments directly conflicted with the short notice meeting call.”

“My priority remains serving the citizens of Ocean Springs responsibly, respectfully, and with full commitment to transparency and good governance. I am committed to working alongside other board members but these shenanigans have to stop.”

Mayor Bobby Cox did attend the meeting and also released a statement this afternoon. His statement is as follows:

“On Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, Alderman Karen Stennis and Alderman Shannon Pfeiffer issued a press release announcing a Special Call Meeting for Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. The Special Call Meeting was officially noticed on Nov. 24 at 9:29 a.m. Although the required three-hour notice was met, the standard coordination process for scheduling Special Call Meetings could not be followed due to the limited time available.”

“Under normal procedure, the City Clerk contacts all aldermen in advance to confirm availability and ensure that a quorum can be established before a meeting is scheduled. During this coordination, a quorum could not be confirmed. Stennis and Pfeiffer were notified of this and chose to move forward with the Special Call Meeting.”

“As a result, only the two aldermen who initiated the call and the mayor were present. Without a quorum, the mayor could not convene the meeting, and no action was taken.”

“It is important to note that the aldermen who were unable to attend remain fully dedicated to serving their constituents. Four of the five remaining aldermen work full-time jobs, and another had a previously scheduled personal appointment that cannot always be adjusted with only seven hours’ notice. Their absence should not be interpreted as a lack of concern for city matters, but rather as a consequence of the limited scheduling window.”

“The matter the two aldermen intended to address, the status of the city attorney, has previously come before the full Board. On each occasion, a majority of the Board voted to retain the city attorney. Any further consideration of this issue should follow established procedures to ensure full Board participation.”

“The City of Ocean Springs remains committed to transparency, adherence to proper process, and ensuring that all elected officials have the opportunity to fully represent the residents they serve.”

Alderman Julie Messenger told WXXV in a statement. “I was unable to attend the special call meeting yesterday as it was called with very short notice. I was first made aware of this meeting late Sunday night from a press release. This was not the typical method of delivery for a special call meeting with the official announcement being made the next morning.  As a full-time nurse practitioner, my patient schedule is booked months in advance and holiday weeks are especially busy as we’re working within an abbreviated work week. I was not contacted in regards to what day or time would be feasible for me to attend and this would’ve been helpful and ensured better turn out.  I have voted on this matter multiple times with the most recent time being less than one week prior to the special call meeting.  Finally, the amount of vitriol and lack of teamwork that surrounds the Board of Alderman meetings and associated ongoings to include social media posts is both disheartening and discouraging and at times embarrassing.  As a community I think we can show a little more mercy and patience with one another before casting stones.”

Alderman Shannon Pfeiffer also released a statement regarding the mayor’s statement. In full, she said, “Earlier today the mayor issued an official press statement on behalf of the Board of Aldermen that misrepresents both the scheduling of Special Call meetings and the scope of his authority. That statement must be corrected on the facts and on the structure of municipal government.”

“First, the Mayor claims there is a normal procedure of polling all aldermen before scheduling a Special Call. That is not accurate. In my time on the Board, I have rarely been contacted by the City Clerk to coordinate availability in advance. Many Special Calls initiated by the mayor have been noticed under short timeframes and without outreach to some individual aldermen. A practice that appears only when two aldermen exercise their legal right to call a meeting is not a standard. It is selective enforcement.”

“The mayor also stated that Alderman Stennis and I were “notified a quorum could not be confirmed and chose to move forward” with the meeting. That is false. At no point were we notified that a quorum would not be present. We were informed early that morning by the city clerk we may not reach a quorum, but she said the plan for the meeting was moving forward. We acted fully within the law and with no further information that would suggest the meeting was invalid.”

“Mississippi law does not require precoordination. Under Miss. Code Ann. § 21-3-21 the requirements for a Special Call are simple. A lawful request by the required number of aldermen and proper public notice. Both requirements were met. Anything beyond this is optional. It cannot be used to delay, reinterpret, or discredit a lawful legislative action.”

“Where the Mayor’s statement becomes most inappropriate is in attempting to speak for the motives and intentions of aldermen who did not attend. Each alderman is an independently elected official who represents their own ward or the city at large. When the executive branch speaks for, speaks over, or explains the legislative branch, he oversteps his role and undermines the independence of the Board.”

“The structure of our municipal government is clear. The Board of Aldermen is the legislative branch. The mayor is the executive branch. The legislative branch sets policy and votes on matters of law, finance, contracts, and oversight. The executive branch implements those decisions. The executive does not guide the legislative branch, speak for the legislative branch, or referee which topics the legislative branch is permitted to address. Any attempt to do so erodes the separation of powers that protects the public interest.”

“The mayor’s statement also attempts to portray the city attorney matter as already decided. Those votes occurred before key ethical concerns, before recent disclosures, and before the full scope of the issue was understood. A prior vote does not insulate a matter from oversight or prevent the Board from addressing new information. This is especially true when the issue involves the ethical conduct of legal counsel whose role is to advise the Board, not financially benefit from Board decisions.”

“The purpose of a Special Call meeting is simple. It allows the Board to address urgent or time sensitive issues without the distraction of other issues in the agenda. No single alderman and no mayor has veto power over a lawful Special Call. When two aldermen request one, the meeting is noticed. It is not subject to executive approval or political reinterpretation.”

“The residents of Ocean Springs expect transparency and accountability. They expect a government that does not silence uncomfortable matters or shield officials behind process. They expect a legislative body that can do its work without executive interference. That expectation exists regardless of who calls the meeting and regardless of whether a quorum attends.”

“I was elected to represent the residents of Ward 4. I will continue to ask questions, demand clarity, and insist on transparency. That is my duty as a member of the legislative branch, and no statement from the executive branch will deter me from fulfilling it.”

We did reach out to the other aldermen who did not attend Monday’s meeting along with City Attorney David Harris, but we have not heard back at this time.

WXXV News 25 will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.