by Ezabelle Janssen, Staff Writer

GULFPORT (GG) — With a new city council comes new goals, not only for the council but also for the people. A wave of initiative radiated from the Isiah Fredericks Community Center during the NAACP Gulfport Branch #5289’s first meeting with the city’s newly elected officials on Tuesday, July 29th.

This day marked a fresh start, free of grudges inflicted by past instances. Gulfport Mayor Hugh Keating, Ward 1 Councilman Kendal Lamar Buckner, Ward 3 Councilwoman Ella Holmes-Hines, and Ward 6 Councilwoman Carrissa Corbett were in attendance and ready for the people. The meeting was open to public questions and educated the attendees about the city’s protocols, future goals, and how to make oneself heard.

The city and its officials must work together; therefore, among their goals is to enhance transparency and urge the people to attend meetings and report issues. The city’s progress and success depend on community support and involvement, because ‘closed mouths don’t get fed.’ 

A major issue affecting the core of Gulfport is a lack of representation on all accounts. Gulfport needs qualified members of society willing to volunteer for the people.

For example, the current school board is lacking, as not all wards are represented, and the city has experienced lackluster volunteers unbothered by citizens’ complaints in the past. This lack of volunteerism extends beyond Gulfport; it has affected the world.

The 2023 national volunteering rate remains 1.7 percentage points below pre-pandemic levels. Volunteer rates reached an all-time low during the pandemic and are slowly rising. Communities have been plagued with “Volunteer Fatigue,” a term used to describe when individuals tire of participating due to repeated requests or perceived lack of impact. However, this lack of avid volunteering results in a lack of impactful change, as Gulfport has shown.

AmeriCorps Data highlights a continual decrease in volunteerism in Mississippi since the pandemic, with 26.0% of the population volunteering in 2019, to 21.2% in 2021, and most recently, 20.9% volunteering in 2023. A city can not prosper without community, and what is a community without volunteerism? 

The council was humble enough to admit where they need to improve, but that does not mean the community is without fault. The city itself also needs to change through self-reflection and action, as Mayor Keating and Councilman Buckner agreed.

Councilman Buckner would like to focus on the beautification of Ward 1, but that can start within the homes of Gulfport. The city is a council of humans, and it cannot all be hastily fixed, especially with the city’s projected budget estimated to be significantly lower due to the rise of internet sales. This trend has a specific impact on the city’s budget.

Consequently, the city yearns to bring in new business, but needs to heal and improve to achieve these goals.

(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette)