On Monday, the Sunflower County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to submit a letter to Judge Carlton Reeves expressing their desire to keep Senate District 13, which encompasses the entirety of Sunflower County, intact.
Supervisor Riley Rice made the motion after District 13 Senate candidate Charles Modley made an appeal to the county lawmakers and voiced his disappointment that they had not done so sooner.
Referencing the proposal submitted to Reeves that would split the county and move three majority black voting precincts to District 22, Modley said, “If everything stays like they are, the county is going to be losing 6,000 voters/citizens going to Bolívar County and 6,000 going to District 22.”
He added that he felt that the likelihood of the Senate district lines changing should have gotten every citizen and elected official (both county and municipal) upset and angry. “Especially you Mr. Donald, Mr. Rice,” said Modley.
President Glenn Donald then responded with his discontent at Modley singling out him and Rice and asked Modley to keep his comments on the topic at hand. “If you want to talk about District 13 and District 22, talk about it,” Donald said.
He then suggested that it would be more appropriate for Modley to address the supervisors as a unit and not just the two of them to ask if they agree or disagree with the proposed change.
Modley implied that Donald and Rice, whom he alluded to as being larger stakeholders in the decision to move district lines, should have “protected” the citizens in their district. “The thing about it is, I felt like the Supervisor’s Board, last month, should have written a letter to Carlton Reeves on this particular issue because it is concerning the citizens who live in Sunflower County,” Modley said.
Donald maintained that none of his constituents have expressed any dissatisfaction over the proposed move. “Nobody, not one person black or white, Jew or gentile, Protestant or Catholic, Baptist or Methodist, nobody has said anything to me concerning them being in District 22,” Donald said.
In response, Modley said, “Basically it’s because they don’t understand.”
Donald then shared how he was approached by the state president of the NAACP who wanted to know his thoughts on the matter and Donald said he responded that he understood that the county would now have two senators looking out for its interests instead of one and it was yet to be determined who that would be.
Donald also mentioned Modley’s seemingly accusatory remarks towards Sen. Willie Simmons when Simmons spoke to the board last month. “You pointed out to him that he fixed the lines so his daughter would win and now you’re saying to me that I’m not protecting people that voted for me,” he said.
Donald emphasized that Modley’s remarks were essentially inequitable and would ostensibly insinuate to his constituents that he didn’t protect them so they won’t vote for him.
Addressing Modley, Donald said, “Now, can you win District 13, yes. What is it going to require? It’s going to require you going to Bolívar County campaigning, instead of campaigning in your back door.”
Rice stated that he was not concerned about any of the candidates, but simply wanted to remain in District 13. He prefaced his motion with a statement about how he did not understand from Simmons’ explanation that there were other redistricting options available that could possibly leave Sunflower County intact.
Rice said he had already spoken to Donald and District 5 Supervisor Gloria Dickerson and they had agreed to stand with him. “There are more options and this is what I wanted to do, I have a right to write a letter and then I want the support of this board because we are moved out of District 13 and we wanted to remain in District 13,” Rice said.
Donald reemphasized that Reeves had not reached a decision yet and encouraged Rice to get any other plan he has to the capital so it can be given to Reeves. He also stressed that having a senator that will work for the county will be what matters.
In light of comments made about Sunflower County being stripped of its power if the county was split, Donald said, “For the last 26 years you’ve had a senator representing Sunflower County from Bolívar County and he has done a swell job.”
