Inglewood Residents Deserve More than Insults When They Choose Who Will Run Their City

The Southern Truth

By Gloria Zuurveen, Editor-in-Chief

INGLEWOOD — An insult is an insult, no matter who delivers it. Whether it comes from me or anyone else, the truth remains: an insult is an insult. Since my last article for The Southern Truth in PACE News, I have become even more vigilant about what happens in Inglewood. This newfound attention is not merely due to the Public Notices contract I recently secured, which was awarded through a Competitive Bid process and approved by a Super-Majority vote of the Inglewood City Council.  The only opposition was District 1 City Councilwoman Gloria Gray, who cast a dissenting vote with no discernable reason. I remain grateful to Mayor James T. Butts, Jr. and the three other councilmembers who supported the recommendation/selection process overseen by the City of Inglewood Purchasing Department.

However, this is not the insult I refer to. No, it’s the one from 2UrbanGirls and one of its writers. The headline alone caught my attention—it was unmistakably an insult.

As someone who has covered all levels of political news over the years, it is disheartening when an insinuation is made that the electorate is incapable of making informed decisions about their community. Inglewood is not the place to question the intellect or collective decision-making of its residents. In a democracy, when the majority speaks, the community wins.

Each qualified candidate followed the proper procedures. Yet, the 2UrbanGirls article presents a distorted narrative. In an article entitled “Why Gloria Gray Will Become Inglewood’s Next Mayor,” the writer disparages Inglewood’s electorate, which selects their leaders in each district and city wide for the Mayor, City Clerk and City Treasurer positions. The piece is a backlash against the salary increase granted to newly-elected City Treasurer Angela Allen. This occurred on the same day that Councilwoman Gray expressed her objections to PACE News’s contract award. Gray also opposed the pay increase for Treasurer Allen, deeming it excessive, especially when compared to the salaries of former treasurers.

Despite the vote being open and transparent, the article raised the question: “How can anyone of integrity and moral compass conclude that the newly elected treasurer warranted a pay increase significantly higher than her predecessor, Dr. Wanda Brown, who served in this role for over 30 years?”

This argument is not only flawed but also misguided. A little research would have revealed the answer. A similar issue arose in 2004, when The Wave newspaper reported on a lawsuit filed by former State Senator Ed Vincent regarding illegal salary increases for city officials. The suit was based on an ordinance passed in 1999 by voters, which sought to reduce salaries that had been raised in 1996. However, the case revealed that the city charter could not be amended without a formal process.

Today, a similar debate is heating up online, particularly on the 2UrbanGirls website, and while the article may be attracting attention, I believe its argument is unsound. As we reported during the campaign, Treasurer Allen was already performing many of the tasks traditionally assigned to the Treasurer’s office. In her former role as Deputy City Clerk, she and City Clerk Aisha L. Thompson efficiently managed the city’s functions without receiving comparable compensation for their significant responsibilities.

Therefore, the argument against Allen’s pay increase is unsubstantiated, and like many arguments of the past, the city charter remains the governing rule.

Unfortunately, I’m not surprised. It seems that these divisive tactics have been part of Gloria Gray’s political playbook for years. From her opposition to Inglewood mayoral candidate Curren Price to her manipulation of political dynamics to secure her own ambitions, Gray has consistently shown that she will do whatever it takes to win. Encouraging others to follow her lead only perpetuates this narrative of insults and false accusations.

However, the true target of these insults is not just the Mayor or the City Treasurer; it is the people of Inglewood—residents who have made an informed choice to elect qualified, dignified leaders committed to the city’s prosperity today and into the future. The dismissive rhetoric about Inglewood’s next mayor is a fever dream of the writer with no basis in objective reality.  Mayor Butts is in his 4^th term as leader of Inglewood and the longest serving mayor in City history.  In his reelection in 2018 he received almost 20,000 votes; the most of any mayor in Inglewood’s history.  He based his dream on his feelings about the treasurer’s salary, in an insult to the electorate who have made their decision through the democratic process.

The unmitigated gall for Melissa Hebert also known as Emile St. John to continue spewing out negative rhetoric as two people when in actuality there is only one yet she calls herself  the 2URBANGirls unless Mr. McCoy is one of the two girls along with Ms. Hebert like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde scenario? Maybe. I’m just saying. Fishy looking to me when eyes can see the willful intent for these two to hinder the tremendous  progress with an aim to sow discord and to undermine the collective efforts to create a prosperous future for Inglewood. It is disheartening that these two individuals choose to attack rather than collaborate on solutions as the City of Inglewood grips with the challenges of prosperity.  Unemployment down – Check; Crime down – Check; Property values tripled – Check; Streets paved, trees trimmed, water system renovated – Check; Parks renewed for our children – Check. The words spewed in these writings of Melissa Hebert and Marvin McCoy are vile and vindictive.

At the heart of the matter is that Inglewood residents elected the City Council and Treasurer, not selected them. The people made their choice to ensure that decisions about appropriate and equitable salaries are made with the city’s best interests in mind.

Gloria Gray, who was once instrumental in attempting to increase her own salary during her campaign for District 1 City Council in 2001, should remember her defeat in that race. Like Humpty Dumpty, she experienced a great fall, and now, despite her continued efforts to position herself as Inglewood’s next mayor, the decision remains in the hands of the Inglewood residents. In 2026, it will still be the residents’ call.

The Southern Truth