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.”

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.