LAWSUIT!

It wasn't more than a half year after my sister came up with both of us moving after I retired, to be closer to both her children and ours, that the NAACP filed a lawsuit against the city. They claimed that the black people weren't getting equal representation the way the Commission form of government was set up. The way the existing form of government was, that you could run for the office of Commissioner and all be living in the same area of the city.

They sued and won other cities, and their form of government was changed. Now it was our city that they were suing. They wanted an Alderman form of government, where there was an Alderman voted on from different sections of the city. My personal view on this was that they definitely had a point. I think each section of town should be represented by their own elected official. I think this is a fair way to proceed.

Our city settled out of court and the entire form of government was changed to an Elected Alderman instead of elected Commissioners.

My job just happened to get changed from an Appointed position to an Elective position. I did not want to run for the following reasons. My husband was already retired. I only wanted to work a couple years longer and then retire. It would be expensive to run for an elective position and then you wouldn't be sure that you would win. By running, one would be committed for a 4 year term in office. Taking all this into consideration, I chose not to run.

Wisdom--I felt that it was God who allowed me the privilege to be appointed to be City Treasurer for awhile, and that God was closing that door and opening up new avenues in my life. I like the prayer, "Lord help me to change the things that I can, and help me to accept the things that I can not change, and Oh Lord, grant me the wisdom to know the difference." Unknown source.