An Itta Bena citizen who depends on his service dog to help him keep his diabetes under control appeared before the Board of Aldermen on Tuesday to declare his right to bring his dog into public buildings.
Vincent Widdows and his large, red-vested dog sat through the 90-minute meeting awaiting a chance to approach the board.
Widdows said he had been stopped repeatedly by Chief of Police James Stonewall whenever he attempted to enter City Hall with his tethered dog in tow.
“I come here about once a month, to pay my utility bill,” Widdows said.
He explained to the board that his dog, before becoming his service animal, was trained in search and rescue for children in manmade or natural disaster circumstances.
“He doesn’t chase anything until I tell him to,” Widdows said. “He’s not aggressive.”
Most importantly, the dog alerts Widdows, a diabetic, to dangerously high or low blood sugar levels. If Widdows becomes woozy or unstable on his feet when he has let his blood sugar level get out of whack, his dog steadies him on his feet, he said.
Widdows presented registration papers showing his dog’s training credentials to board attorney Willie Perkins.
“Why didn’t you just show those papers to Mr. Stonewall in the first place?” Mayor J.D. Brasel asked.
“Because he didn’t ask nicely,” Widdows said. “Mr. Stonewall and I do not get along.”
Widdows claimed Stonewall had declared his authority repeatedly and loudly.
When board members questioned Widdows’ right to bring his dog with him inside public buildings, he told them they would be violating federal law, the 1994 Americans With Disabilities Act, and his civil rights.
Stonewall was present for the discussion and was not asked by the board to respond.
Widdows did not reveal his dog’s name because the animal is working and might lose concentration if called by his name.
The board approved several matters at the last meeting of the year, including providing term life and dental insurance to city employees, to be paid for by the city, as part of Itta Bena’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance program.
Alderman Derrick Hart asked the board to approve giving city employees this Friday off but was met with opposition. Instead the board agreed to a compromise, releasing city employees at 2 p.m. Friday.
In other business:
nThe board discussed the city of Itta Bena’s Personnel Handbook and determined that a review of the handbook is needed to remove outdated policy. An example was the inclusion of a Confederate holiday as one of several holidays recognized by the city. The board voted to approve a proposed amendment to the handbook removing the Confederate holiday from the list.
nA representative of Southern Communications of Greenwood approached the board with lease and purchase plans for surveillance cameras to be placed both inside and outside City Hall. The matter was tabled until the next meeting on Jan. 2.
nThe board agreed to meet on Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. to interview candidates for the newly formed court clerk position. With the police department reinstalled in Itta Bena after a period in which the department was not operational, the city is planning to install a court to handle locally issued citations.
nThe board approved transportation and meal expenses for City Clerk Edna Beverly and three election commissioners to travel to Jackson for training in election procedures. This follows a decision at a previous meeting to replace two existing election commissioners with new appointees in anticipation of a special election in January. Results of the June 2017 mayoral race between Brasel and William McGee were disputed in court for irregularities in the ballot boxes, and it is expected the issue will be settled with a special election.
•Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
