A Gulfport councilman announced plans to resign. A petition to have him removed is filed
Gulfport Councilman Myles Sharp plans to resign from office soon, saying he made the decision after accepting a new job as an attorney.
Sharp currently manages his own firm, the Sharp Law Office in Gulfport. He posted his decision to resign Tuesday afternoon on Facebook, later confirming to the Sun Herald that the post was his.
In the post, he said that his resignation would take effect Dec. 31, but he said in an interview that the date is not firm. He will solidify his plans and notify council president Rusty Walker by Wednesday evening, he said.
“I am leaving at some point between now and Jan. 7 because I start a new job next year,” Sharp said. “That’s all I know.”
It is unclear whether Sharp’s seat will need to be filled through a council appointment or special election. If the unexpired term exceeds six months, a special election will be held, while the council will appoint a Ward 5 representative if less than six months remains on term.
City elections scheduled
The general election for city offices is June 3, with newly elected officials set to take office July 1.
While Sharp said he resigned for the new job, Gulfport attorney Delaney Mecham filed a petition in Harrison County Circuit Court asking that a judge order the city of Gulfport to hold a special election to replace the councilman. Mecham claims Sharp vacated his seat when he moved outside the ward he represents, Ward 5, around July of 2023.
The council took no action when Ward 6 Councilman R.Lee Flowers brought up Sharp’s move at a September meeting. Flowers wanted the council to hold a hearing to determine whether Sharp had vacated his office and should be replaced. But Flowers couldn’t muster the votes to challenge Sharp.
Sharp said during the meeting that he could continue to serve because he keeps a condominium in Ward 5 even though his family sold their house there and his wife and father bought a house in another ward.
Sharp said Wednesday that he didn’t know about the court petition when he decided to resign.
“I was not aware of this petition when I made my decision to leave,” Sharp said. “I’m not the least bit concerned about whatever has been filed.”
In a news release about the petition Tuesday evening, attorney Mecham wrote: “This is an explicit, coordinated effort by our mayor and certain city council members to steal a fair election from residents because they have concealed the vacant seat and refused to call a special election.
“It is a stain on our local municipal government and its leadership. Laws matter, fair elections matter, and truth matters. Therefore, status quo, complacency and corruption must end in Gulfport.”
Under the law, Sharp said, a city council does not have the authority to declare a seat vacant or to order a special election until a seat is vacated.
This story was originally published December 17, 2024 at 7:29 PM.
