Clarke County Democrat

Coffeeville Mayor Cox resigns post






Cox

Cox

Coffeeville Mayor Robert H. Cox tendered his resignation at what was to have been a town council meeting Tuesday night.

Cox, an employee of the U.S. Corps of Engineers, supervises the lock and dam operations on the Tombigbee River at Coffeeville and Demopolis. He told council members that the resignation is due to “personal issues and career opportunities” he has with the Corps.

Cox is in his third four-year term, having just been re-elected in August 2016.

While his work was the main reason cited, Cox made mention of those who have criticized him for local businesses closing. “Y’all know better than that,” he told councilmen Dwight Pugh and Roger Fore, the only two present.

Pugh, who is mayor pro tem and will take over until a new mayor is appointed, told Cox, “You’ve accomplished a lot. The downturn of businesses closing was put off on you and the council. We did all we could to save the school and businesses.”

Cox said the comments at the last town meeting showed him he “could stay here and take it or move on with my career.”

Fore said, “People don’t understand, businesses can’t stay open if you don’t support them.”

Mention was made of water system upgrades and the installation of the town’s first sewerage system. New street lights and sidewalks have been installed as well as other improvements made.

The closing of Coffeeville High School was a major blow and perhaps the catalyst for the closing of Village Pharmacy, the local drug store, First US Bank’s branch bank and most recently, Greer’s grocery store.

After the school closed, town hall moved into the old school and it is being utilized for other uses and c community events.

Townspeople were happy when a Dollar General Store was announced last year and constructed and opened this year. However, within weeks after its grand opening, the town’s Greer’s shuttered its doors as mentioned above, leaving the town without a grocery store for the first time in its 200- year history.

Cox said, “I appreciate everything everyone’s done…I love you all.”

Mayor Pro Tem Pugh could be named mayor, or another council member, or the council could appoint any eligible citizen from within the municipality. If Pugh is elevated, an appointment will also have to be made to his vacant council seat.

Tuesday’s meeting was to consider and adopt the budget for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. However, with three members absent — Ben Harper, Ambra Thigpen and Bessie Thomas — no quorum was present and no meeting could be held. Thomas was just down the hall, working as a poll worker for the special Senate election.

The budget to be considered was for $213,648, very close to last year’s, said Town Clerk Annie Latham. As of Sept. 5, the town had spent $203,173 this fiscal year.

Latham said the Dollar General store is doing well and the town’s sales tax income is keeping pace, or maybe doing better, even with the closing of Greer’s.

Roger Fore said managers there told him the store was doing better than they had expected. He said, “My wife and I shop there for just about everything. We do go to Walmart occasionally for meat and produce but for everything else, we buy right here.”


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