A Meridian law firm has been hired to represent the Greenwood Convention and Visitors Bureau in a racial discrimination lawsuit.
At the Greenwood Tourism Commission meeting Monday, Andrew McQueen, chair of the commission, said the bureau has retained Glover, Young, Hammack, Walton and Simmons PLLC.
Ashley Farmer, an employee of the CVB, has sued the bureau and the city of Greenwood, alleging that she was passed over for the position of executive director because she is white. She is seeking damages and asking to be installed as the new executive director over Patrick Ervin, who is Black and took the job in November.
McQueen, reading from an email, said attorneys from the Meridian firm will be in Greenwood on Tuesday and Wednesday to gather facts and meet individually with board members.
Steven Cookston, a member of the board, asked that this type of information be given to the board members in advance in the future.
Cyndi Long, another board member, agreed and said she had mentioned topics to McQueen that she wanted brought up at board meetings but weren’t.
“Once you’ve got it, we need to know these things,” she said.
“I tried to call you the same day to tell you that I found out, and you did not answer your phone,” McQueen responded.
McQueen, wielding a gavel in his right hand throughout the meeting, struck the table with it and said going further with the argument wasn’t necessary.
The board also approved a motion to advertise for diversity training from a consulting firm.
“When we first came on the board, I was kind of in awe at the lack of civility on this board,” said board member Betty Sanders.
She said she had mentioned the idea to the board before, and when no one said no, she decided to do her own research into firms that could provide the training.
“Since we have been sued and one of the main complaints is that we are racist, I thought the time was appropriate that we should really come back and look at this,” Sanders said.
Cookston asked whether they should consult attorneys before taking on diversity training, mentioning the lawsuit as a potential issue. Sanders said she had thought about the training before the suit. Long commended San-ders for what she had done but added that if the board takes on training, it must advertise because it is considered a consulting service.
Before the meeting, the board’s vice chairman, Ben Cox, sent an email announcing his immediate resignation from the board.
In the email, read by Long, Cox said that he is opening a new restaurant in Carrollton in March and that his work would conflict with his responsibilities in Greenwood. The board approved the nomination of board member Edward Cates as the new vice chairman. There were no competing nominations.
-Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@-gwcommonwealth.com.
