By Echo Menges
The City of Gorin hosted a City Council meeting on Thursday, February 22, 2024, at the Gorin City Hall.
A video of the meeting was recorded by an attendee, uploaded to YouTube, posted and shared on social media, which attracted the attention of the surrounding communities. As of Tuesday, February 27, the recording acquired nearly 1,000 views, which is notable considering only 62 people reside in the City of Gorin, according to 2020 US Census data.
Attendees of the meeting were shown standing along the walls of the small City Hall building. City Council members and a few others were shown seated at a table in the center of the room, and Gorin Mayor Teresa Norton led the meeting from behind a desk near the Council table.
The presumed City Council members in attendance included Mayor Norton, and Council members Katy Lamb, Frank Nicholson, and Britt Crawford. Glen Davis was noticeably absent as one council chair remained empty throughout the meeting.
Scotland County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Moss was also in attendance to help “keep the peace” between the factions of angry community members and angry Council members.
From watching the video, the meeting was an emotional rollercoaster including outbursts by Council members and attendees alike.
Several Gorin residents were loosely allotted three minutes to speak to the Council, and Council members took time to respond. Many of those responses were expressed loudly.
Though actual City of Gorin business was not conducted during the open session of the City Council meeting, the gathering served as an opportunity for members of the community and members of the Council to express the frustrations and challenges they are dealing with.
The Mayor’s husband, Rex, also spent time defending the Mayor, and members of the community expressed their frustrations in not knowing how the Council was operating, not having access to public documents, and the Council not holding regular meetings.
The only vote taken during the meeting that was recorded in the attendee’s video was when the Council voted to go into closed session roughly 40 minutes into the recording.
The City of Gorin remains a hot topic of discussion throughout Scotland County and beyond. The Memphis Democrat is following this story. More information will be released as it becomes available.
