Williams out as Hernando Parks Director

Hernando aldermen terminated Dewayne Williams as the city’s Parks Director in a special meeting Friday morning.  

In the public portion before the board went into a closed session concerning the personnel matter, Ward 2 Alderman Andrew Miller strongly questioned the urgency of holding a meeting on the issue, a meeting that was called late Thursday night to be held the next morning. Miller said the Parks personnel matter was to be on the agenda for Tuesday’s regular meeting.  

While City Attorney Steven Pittman said the board was within its right to take up the matter of Williams as Parks Director as called, Miller asked Pittman to get an Attorney General’s opinion on the speed of a meeting requested by two other aldermen, one of which was Ward 6 Alderman Ben Piper. Miller couldn’t get a specific reason from others why the meeting had to be made Friday morning and not wait until Tuesday evening.

“Were we afraid of the public outcry to pack the room?” Miller said. “Was that the reason?” To which Piper replied, “No sir, that was not the reason,” but Piper would not expand any further.  

Piper did say he had spoken with the person involved and said he had made his decision about the matter.  

Williams had been Parks Director in Hernando since 2006 and also serves as Executive Director of a Christian outreach organization called Restoration Now, a position he has had since 2014.  

An effort to reach Williams late this week did not get a response and no one else has issued a statement, other than Ward 4 Alderman Chad Wicker, who did send DeSoto County News the following statement after the meeting, which is shown below.