By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Members of Chiefland’s black community and the city commission agreed Monday to a month-long process of gathering community input to identify the street or highway in the city that will be named in memory of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mayor Chris Jones said he went above and beyond to speak to everyone in the community that wanted to provide input as well as reaching out to leaders in the black community. The one resounding comment he heard from many elderly black people was to get the street named for King before they passed away.
Among some of their elderly, Jones said the naming of a street for the civil rights leader was something they had looked forward to for many years. They are aware the issue came to the city commission years ago but nothing was accomplished. This was many years before Jones became a commissioner.
“I’m aware of that situation,” Jones said. “The one thing the elderly people expressed to me is that it’s something they didn’t want to drag out for any lengthy period. That’s why a majority expressed to me that they didn’t have a desire to fight for a state road, that they were just content with any street along the south end that had some type of connection to the black community. That is something they would like to see take place while they still have life in their body.”
Chiefland residents are the only people who can participate in the process of choosing a street to be named for King. Residents of the city are asked to send a signed letter to City Manager Laura Cain listing their name, street address, phone number, and the street they want named for King, or they can pick up forms in the lobby of City Hall or at the drive-through window that can be filled out with the same information.
Cain said she won’t accept emails because she wants a signature on the letter or the form residents return to City Hall. The city manager plans to take out a display advertisement in the local newspaper calling on residents to submit the street they want named for King. The advertisement will appear next week and the deadline for submitting a signed letter or form is July 23.
Commissioners agreed to Cain’s suggestion to place an item for the Aug. 8 city commission meeting on the agenda to announce the results of the letter-writing campaign and discuss what street should be named for the civil rights leader. Members of the public present at the meeting can participate in the discussion.
Discussion of the street naming process was emotional at times Monday. Jones said he could see the strong feelings among those in attendance. But there had been a miscommunication about whether a committee had been formed to tackle the issue of naming a street for King.
City Commissioner Lewrissa Johns had brought the street naming issue to the forefront and made an attempt to seek opinions from black leaders about which street should bear King’s name. She wasn’t present for Monday’s meeting but called on the city commission to table the issue.
“There seems to be quite a bit of confusion concerning this. I feel it’s best to pause and regroup before presenting any to the board for approval,” Johns said in a written statement read by Cain.
Johns said she had been in contact with the Chiefland MLK group and asked the person with whom she was familiar in the organization to work on the project. She suggested advertising a meeting for discussion and ideas concerning the dedication of a King memorial sign. When an agreement was reached, she said, the group could present its proposal to the commission.
She said that she and Commissioner Lance Hayes wouldn’t be involved in the decision-making process and would only participate when a proposal was given to commissioners.
Resident Alice Monyei opposed tabling the issue. She said it wasn’t fair to the community.
“This is something we’ve been trying to do for a long time. I really don’t agree with that. Whatever committee she has, I think they can go forward. Don’t table it,” Monyei said.
Commissioners broke free of Johns’ recommendations except for holding a meeting to gather input from residents.
Turns out there was no committee discussing the issue. Cain took the blame for describing the black residents who met with Johns, a committee. She said there was no committee. Johns said she had met with Carolyn Cohens, Eddie Jean Williams, and Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox about naming a street for King but there was never a committee formed.
Hayes advocated in a past city commission meeting for naming SW 2nd Street for King from State Road 345 to Manatee Springs Road, but Hayes, who is a member of Chiefland MLK, said the organization itself hasn’t been involved in trying to name a street.
Jones said he wants to see a “mass majority” of the Chiefland residents weigh-in on where the memorial sign should be mounted, but based on his discussions with community residents, most people don’t want SW 2nd Street named for King from State Road 345 to Manatee Springs Road. He said that’s not what a majority of residents want.
“I can assure you that’s not the consensus of the entire community, by no means,” Jones said.
Resident Michael Dockery said he felt the King memorial sign should be mounted at the crossroads of U.S. 19 and a city street to give the sign maximum exposure to traffic traveling through Chiefland, not just local residents. He said he is aware that renaming a portion of U.S. 19 would involve the Florida Department of Transportation and would require the introduction of a bill in the legislature to make it happen.
Dockery said the naming of a street or highway for King is of extreme importance to the black community in Chiefland. He said placing the sign on U.S. 19 would send a message that the entire community was united behind the project.
“The elderly people who lived through a lot of the stuff back in the day, I’m telling you, money couldn’t come close to doing what that would do for them,” Dockery said. “The pride it will send through them and this community with a chance to do that; that’s a powerful message – that’s what I’m pressing.”
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City of Chiefland Regular Meeting June 12, 2022; Posted June 14, 2022
