The Greene County Democrat

Tag: John Cashin

  • Eutaw City Council meets to discuss contracts for city improvements

    Eutaw City Council meets to discuss contracts for city improvements

    By Maya Quinn, editor

    Eutaw City Council met for a regular session on September 8th, 2026, at 5:00 pm in City Hall. Mayor Corey Cockrell, administrators, and council members were present. Councilman Woodruff established decorum before the council entered an executive session for approximately fifteen minutes. The agenda was amended to include items 7 and 8 that were discussed during the executive session; no other decisions were made. 

    Mayor Cockrell began his report by thanking the councilmembers for their diligence and vigilance within their respective districts. He implored citizens to continue discouraging littering and “speak life into the city of Eutaw.” He reported that construction on City Hall’s roof is on schedule and the city’s workers are striving to ensure Eutaw is “looking good.” He also assured Councilmembers Valerie Watkins, Carrie Logan, and Lorenzo French that staff is working on locating the owners of properties in every district that violate Ordinance No. 2024-20-06 # 6: Ordinance Regulating Grass and Weed Nuisances, Accumulation of Rubbish, Abandoned and Inoperable Vehicles, Abandoned/Dilapidated Structures, and other Nuisances. Councilman French requested that they urgently start ticketing properties with hazardous debris. Councilwoman Watkins named a home on O’Neal Street in such condition. Property owners, business and residential, who reside outside of the city are still held liable. The ordinance will be reposted on greenecodemocrat.com along with enforcement procedures.

    Eutaw City Council met for a regular session on September 8th, 2026, at 5:00 pm in City Hall. Mayor Corey Cockrell, administrators, and council members were present. Councilman Woodruff established decorum before the council entered an executive session for approximately fifteen minutes. The agenda was amended to include items 7 and 8 that were discussed during the session; no other decisions were made.

    Mayor Cockrell began his report by thanking the councilmembers for their diligence and vigilance within their respective districts. He implored citizens to continue discouraging littering and “speak life into the city of Eutaw.” He reported that construction on City Hall’s roof is on schedule and the city’s workers are striving to ensure Eutaw is “looking good.” He also assured

    Councilmembers Valerie Watkins, Carrie Logan, and Lorenzo French that staff is working on locating the owners of properties in every district that violate Ordinance No. 2024-20-06 # 6: Ordinance Regulating Grass and Weed Nuisances, Accumulation of Rubbish, Abandoned and Inoperable Vehicles, Abandoned/Dilapidated Structures, and other Nuisances. Councilman French requested that they urgently start ticketing properties with hazardous debris. Councilwoman Watkins named a home on O’Neal Street in such condition. Property owners, business and residential, who reside outside of the city are still held liable. The ordinance will be reposted on greenecodemocrat.com along with enforcement procedures.

    During councilmember reports, Councilwoman Tracey Hunter asks citizens to keep Branch Heights uplifted in prayers, especially regarding the safety of their youth. Councilman Jonathan Woodruff complimented the work done on Robert Young Community Center’s Roof and reported that a meeting with the Finance Committee will be scheduled soon.


    The following agenda items were approved during the session

    1. Grover and Frazier General Contracting for Shutters to be installed at City Hall; racing commission funds will cover the amount agreed upon

    2. Revised Supplemental Loan #1 Application Form-Revised on August 17, 2026

    3. Quote from Red Clay Concrete Company LLC for National Guard Armory

    4. FY27 American Red Cross Campaign Pledge

    5. Registration, travel, and per diem for Councilwoman Watkins to attend NLC in Nashville, TN, November 19-22, 2026

    6. Payment of bills

    7. Approval for hazard mitigation plan as devised by the Greene County EMA

    8. Disciplinary hearing for Officer Chief Kendrick Howell

    During public comments, multiple citizens echoed concerns about big trucks damaging roads and road signs in their districts. Ms. Faye Tyree has observed trucks continuously passing through undesignated areas, creating holes in the asphalt. One citizen asked if the city will enforce designated areas for big truck traffic; no confirmation was given.

    John Cashin from the Eutaw Airport Authority Board also provided a progress update. The board is working to remedy the airport’s remaining two violations, resurfacing the runway and moving a beacon. Cashin is seeking permission to move the beacon and renovate a fire engine into a parade vehicle, as the land and vehicle are under city jurisdiction. Administrator Joe Powell explained that under the agreement between the board and the city, he would be allowed to do so using Airport Authority Board funds.

    The next city council meeting is scheduled for September 22, 2026, at 5:00 pm in City Hall and will be live on the City of Eutaw Facebook.

     

  • Courthouse Commemoration ensures Civil Rights legacies carry on

    Courthouse Commemoration ensures Civil Rights legacies carry on

    by Managing Editor Maya Quinn

    This past Sunday, April 5th, Spiver Gordon held a commemoration program to honor civil rights leaders in observance of the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination. The program was held in the William M. Branch courthouse, a building rich with its own civil rights history. Dr. Carolyn Branch set the occasion with her passionate talk about local, national, and international connections to MLK’s legacy to our nation’s current political struggles, such as voting rights.

    John Zippert began the presentations by introducing the audience to Joanne Bland. Bland is known as the youngest civil rights activist to have ever been jailed at eight years old alongside her grandmother, who was attempting to register to vote. After this instance, Bland was jailed thirteen times by the age of eleven during further demonstrations against the administration keeping Black adults from voting. Zippert highlighted her remarkable activism in Selma, Alabama, during Bloody Sunday and for bringing MLK and the SCLC into the Selma Voting Rights struggle. She’d been honored for her commitments to civil rights by Representative Terry Sewell on the House Floor when she passed away on February 19, 2026. 

    Rev. Dr. William M. Branch, III, spoke about his father, William Branch, the namesake of the courthouse. He honored him for his kindness towards White citizens, even during the height of the Voting Rights Movement in Greene County. Branch was certain that kindness toward everyone would ultimately result in a civil and peaceful path forward in today’s political climate.

    Dr. Monty Thornburg gave remarks about Dr. Brown by providing a photo booklet titled “50 Years of Exile”. The document highlighted foot soldiers like Robert Brown, Spiver Gordon, and Lorenzo French, who were attacked in an attempt to erase Black History. Dr. Thornburg also reminded everyone that Elder Gordon made Brown’s monument and the renaming of the Robert Brown Middle School possible in 2016, fifty years from when Dr. Brown was “exiled” to Tishabee. “We wouldn’t  be here if it weren’t for Spiver preserving all this history.”

    Elder Spiver Gordon recounted the work of Dr. Bernard Lafayette, a Baptist minister and civil rights leader who also played a role in the Selma Voting Rights Movement. Lafayette founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to mobilize students with peaceful and direct action protests like those demonstrated during Freedom Summer of 1964. Elder Gordon recalled moments where Lafayette was called derogatory caricatures like Uncle Tom, yet he maintained his composure and prayed for those disgruntled. 

    The final presenter was John Cashin, the son of the National Democratic Party of Alabama (NDPA) founder John L. Cashin, Jr. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, John Cashin Jr. was a dentist, civil rights campaigner, running for governor against George Wallace.  He led the NDPA to respond to regular racism in the Alabama Democratic Party that prevented Black citizens from running for office. His lawsuit against the Alabama Democratic Party was brought to the U.S. Supreme Court, which allowed a special election on July 29, 1969, to give Black citizens the freedom to become political leaders. Several presenters fondly remember Cashin for giving them their first airplane ride with an airplane that would buzz Spiver Gordon’s house to be picked up at the Eutaw Airport when he came to Greene County. The legacy of the Cashin family and pre- “Jim Crow” segregation was highlighted, along with John’s mother being a substantial civil rights leader as well.

    State Assemblyman Curtis Travis gave finishing remarks about carrying on the work of the civil rights leaders who were honored, and Rev. Dr. William M. Branch III gave a final prayer. This program and many others organized by Spiver ensure civil rights legends in Alabama are not forgotten. The tradition of sharing stories is essential in inspiring the current generation to continue the great work of their ancestors.

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