Starkville’s Board of Aldermen voted 5-2 Tuesday to override Mayor Wiseman’s veto of the two repeals the board made in a surprise executive session during the course of the board’s previous meeting on Jan. 6. 
During the closed executive session, which unofficial records state was called by Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins and supported by Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn, the board voted 5-2 to repeal the city’s equality resolution and plus-one insurance policy. Later that week, Wiseman vetoed the two actions, vetoes that the board has now overridden. 
The equality resolution stated    citizens of Starkville would not be discriminated against by city government, including LGBT citizens. The subsequent plus-one insurance policy allowed for city employees to extend their insurance coverage to domestic partners, boy or girlfriends, parents, siblings or spouses provided the additional person pay the insurance premium.  
Both motions passed last year without contest, and following Starkville’s example, seven other cities in Mississippi adopted similar equality resolutions. However, on Sept. 16, 2014, the board amended the plus-one insurance policy so that only legally married spouses could be added to a city employee’s insurance.
Four days later, Wiseman vetoed that action and the veto held. 
Now, in 2015, with the equality resolution abolished and the inclusiveness of the plus-one policy removed, Starkville is the first and only city in Mississippi to first pass and then repeal an equality resolution. 
“(Repealing the equality statement) means you are affirmatively stating that you no longer believe discrimination of this kind is wrong,” Wiseman said just before the vote to override his veto. 
Before the override vote was taken, the floor was open to citizen comments. This portion of the meeting lasted a couple of hours with over 30 people speaking out both for and against the veto. 
In addition to voicing concerns about the override, multiple citizens spoke out against the appropriateness of the board taking the matter to executive session, which was closed to the public, in the Jan. 6 meeting. The reason, the board stated at the time of the session, was the subject could lead to potential litigation against the city. A few citizen speakers mentioned this could be said about any board action.
Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver said that, in his opinion, anyone (at the meeting) could sue over the repeal and thus the session was justified, citing the city attorney.
The board’s actions come at an interesting point in time as state lawyers from Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas have met before a federal appeals court in New Orleans to present arguments on the subject of legally recognized same-sex marriage. 
Last Friday the Federal Supreme Court agreed to hear LGBT rights cases that call for the overturning of same-sex marriage bans for the entire nation. In 2013 the Supreme Court refused to take up the issue. 
If the courts rule in favor of overturning the bans, the Starkville Board of Aldermen’s repeals will be somewhat of a moot point as same-sex couples would then be able to become legally recognized spouses. If the courts rule in favor of state’s right to self governance, than the situation in Mississippi will remain the same – at least for the time being.
There are currently 36 states in the union that now support gay marriage, with Florida being the most recent, the decision ironically taking place on the same day as the Starkville repeals on Jan. 6.