The Milledgeville City Council listened to citizen’s comments and honored the late Betty Ruth Brown Aug. 26 during its regularly scheduled meeting.
The first half of the meeting was covered by citizen’s concerns regarding water drainage and the council’s reaction to Councilman Walter Reynold’s proposal of the “The Milledgeville Transparency and Accountability Act.”
Then, Sandra Worsham of Robins Circle approached the podium to close comments and give a speech on her childhood in Milledgeville and what she learned through the change from segregation to desegregation within the city.
As a former educator and someone who lived through that time, she believes the best way to understand a person is to “hear their story.”
This represented an indirect response to the recent backlash that Mayor Mary Parham-Copelan has faced from a Facebook livestream that some citizens found to be “supportive of segregation” and “racist.” In multiple public responses to the livestream, Parham-Copelan has stated what she discussed of Milledgeville during that era was not to say it would return to segregation but to try and teach about the Milledgeville she grew up in and the progress that the city has made and should continue to make.
“I believe that the only way Blacks and whites can truly come together is not to bury the past but to bring it out in the open and talk about it together,” said Worsham at the end of her speech, which was followed by a round of applause by the audience in the council room.
Moving into the normal agenda, Parham-Copelan read a proclamation in honor of Betty Ruth Brown, who passed away July 22, to mark July 22, 2025, as Betty Ruth Brown Day. Brown dedicated her life to faith, ministry, and family and “opened her heart and home to those who had nowhere to go, extending refuge and compassion without hesitation.”
Brown and her husband founded the Stars of Glory Gospel Group and the Brown Family Gospel Group, ministering to the sick, shut-ins, and incarcerated youth for over 45 years. Her family also recorded two gospel CDs that the public could listen to.
“The reason we are hearing it so late is because Mrs. Brown’s daughter, Etta Gray, is a beloved major at the Milledgeville Police Department and had to take time off for her passing. She is back with us, and we are so glad to have her back,” said the mayor.
During the mayor’s comments, she honored District 2 council member Jeanette Walden and District 6 council member Steve Chambers for their service to the city. She then announced the mayoral race between herself and Councilman Walter Reynolds.
“I wanted to share that so you all know we are still obligated to do our job, whatever the case may be on Nov. 4.
We are still an intact council until Dec. 21,” said Parham-Copelan.
“Whether I am sitting in this seat or not, I will always be the mayor of the people.”
The Milledgeville Police Department Chief Dray Swicord then came forward to present on the set-up of a 501(c)(3) foundation, the Friends of the Milledgeville Police Foundation, Inc., for the Milledgeville Police Department in connection to the 2023 state legislation that was enacted. That state legislation allowed Georgia taxpayers to claim tax credits for supporting local public safety efforts.
“We have been trying to find ways to help with the budget and we wanted you to be aware of what we are doing,” said Swicord.
The next council meeting will be held Sept. 9 at 5:30 p.m.