City Hall now open for business
GLUCKSTADT – The Lucky City officially opened its first City Hall with a ribbon-cutting this week in the company of local and state officials including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hoseman.
Gluckstadt held the ribbon cutting on the morning of June 6 to mark the anniversary of becoming a city on June 6, 2021.
This adds another milestone to the young city as it continues to grow and flourish with new businesses and a police force.
Hoseman said he occasionally attends St. Joseph Catholic Church and Germanfest and commented on how much Gluckstadt has grown.
“Congratulations to every single one of you,” Hoseman said. “This is a very special day. You all continue to attract great people and great schools. Thank you very much to all of you.”
Mayor Walter Morrison said a year ago the city did not have a single cent, bank account, checkbook, electricity, or computers.
“We didn’t have a building or city hall to hold our meetings and had little knowledge on how to form a city,” Morrison said.
“We were, in actuality, very rich. We had a board that wanted to do the absolute best for the city. They trusted me and gave me things to help form the city. I want to thank all the alderman for their cooperation in doing everything I have asked them to do.”
He noted that since the city was formed, there have been around 300 votes taken by the board, and apart from two or three decisions, the votes have all been 5-0.
“If that doesn’t tell you how cooperative these folks are, nothing else will,” Morrison said. “The disagreements we had were done professionally and respectfully. We also have a wonderful legal team and city planners, people like John Scanlon and Jerry Mills. Guys, we couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
“We were able to hire Lindsay Kellum as city clerk, and for a lady with a short stature like her, she is about ten giants tall when it comes to helping run this city,” Morrison said. “We’ve also hired Chief Wendell Watts and Assistant Chief Barry Hale, and we’re working on forming the Gluckstadt Police Department.”
Morrison also pointed out how active Gluckstadt citizens have been, with people showing up to every board meeting, whether it’s a controversial issue or not.
“When I think about what we’ve done in one year, I’m amazed, and then I’m humbled by what we need to do over the next year,” he said. “We’re beginning construction on a new police department, with aid from the state of Mississippi, and one of the first people to help with it was Rep. Jill Ford. It was a no-brainer for her to make sure this happened.”
Robin Covington of State Farm presented a plaque to Morrison on behalf of the Gluckstadt-Madison Business Alliance.
“Thank you so much for your trust and partnership,” Covington said. “We can work together and strengthen our community.”