OCEAN SPRINGS, MS – When Carter Thompson walked out of her position as the Ocean Springs Community Development Director last week, she left behind not just an empty office but a scathing indictment of the city’s leadership. Thompson’s resignation – which she attributes to systemic bullying and corruption – pulls back the curtain on a City Hall embroiled in infighting, questionable practices, and power struggles.
Skeptical from the start, Thompson began recording private conversations, meetings, phone calls, and even casual pow-wows with co-workers. Beyond the water cooler chatter of impending alien invasions and personal gossip, revealed a city being led by what she called a self-serving mayor and city clerk with delusions of grandeur.
What these recordings reveal is not just petty office banter or idle complaints, but a damning portrait of a city government consumed with personal ambition and political maneuvering. Among the most disappointing are discussions where officials openly strategized about using taxpayer-funded projects as campaign tools for incumbents.
‘Could Cost Residents Millions’
For months after her start in April 2024, Thompson repeatedly complained that she did not have the latest copy of the Unified Development Code (UDC), a document that contains the city’s zoning and planning ordinances. “I’m giving wrong information to the residents and developers,” she told City Clerk Patty Gaston. “We’re dealing with their finances and it could cost them thousands or even millions of dollars.”
In several recorded situations, Thompson is reporting to superiors a request for the document from colleague Carolyn Martin. “You’ll get it, but I’m busy, so it won’t be now,” Thompson recalled being told. “It’s been months. We need to have this conversation right now,” Thompson barked back to no avail. She would later theorize Martin was keeping her in the dark to make power moves at meetings, often correcting Thompson’s answers to questions by saying, “That information might be outdated.”
Gaston suggested Thompson tell the mayor, but Thompson explained the mayor was no help. “Yeah, he’s not a good communicator – the way he communicates with the public is a testament to that,” Gaston said.
(WARNING: The following recording contains NSFW language.)
Thompson said it was three months before she had the document she needed to accurately inform the public.
Mayor: ‘The Aldermen Can Use It, I Can Use It’
In one recording of a recent staff meeting, Mayor Kenny Holloway outlined plans to publicize millions of dollars in city projects, not for their public benefit – but for their political optics.
“I think we ought to get a list of what all we committed to last night projects,” Holloway told department heads. “And let’s put out a press release. It’s probably unprecedented in the city’s history that we have, you know, went out to bid for millions worth of projects, you know.”
A quick correction came. “Well, yes and no,” a staff member interrupted. “The only reason we’re doing it all at once is because we have to be obligated to spend the money by a certain time,” she added.
“I know that, but they don’t know why,” the mayor responded about the public’s ignorance of the matters. “All the Aldermen can use it, I can use it,” he added, displaying a clear intent to exploit infrastructure projects to curry favor with voters in the upcoming election.
The City Clerk echoed similar sentiments, describing election season as a time for “jockeying” to push through projects that could secure political gains for each of the Alderman.
One staff member asked the mayor to help control Alderman Jennifer Burgess, who had been “blowing up phones” at Public Works to get an electricity issue fixed at John Gill Park. The staffer attributed her urgency to the election, stating, “I think she’s just mad because [Steve] Tillis is running against her.”
‘They Wanted a Yes Man’
Thompson, who has over 26 years of experience as a city planner, claimed she was pressured by Mayor Holloway to push through projects that didn’t meet code. “He told me, ‘Make it work,’ even if it was improper or illegal,” she said. Thompson also alleged that the mayor often used his personal phone for business dealings to avoid public records laws, an accusation that, if true, could have significant legal ramifications. “They wanted a yes man, but they were disappointed with what they got.”
The tension in City Hall is not limited to Thompson’s department. She described an environment where employees are either “team Kenny” or risk being ostracized. “If you’re not with the mayor, you’re out,” she said. Thompson also recounted employees being encouraged to bypass her authority and report directly to Gaston, creating a breakdown in departmental cohesion.
Although not confirmed, Thompson says the culture of division led to two other high-profile departures. Thompson’s resignation follows those of the police and fire chiefs, who both announced their exits the same week as Thompson. “It’s no coincidence,” she said. “The staff is tired of the bullying and the chaos.”
She described a workplace culture where fear, intimidation, and favoritism were the norm. “Patty [Gaston] is the lynch man,” Thompson said. “If the mayor needs someone to get in line, Patty does the dirty work. She either gets dirt on them or scares them into silence.”
Thompson recalled Alderman Burgess, who she once considered a friend, repeatedly bullying her to push improper variances for voters within Ward 1. “It was definitely for votes,” Thompson stated. “She was like Oprah: ‘You get a variance, you get a variance, everyone gets a variance.'” Thompson said the relationship went further south when Burgess called to let her know that she’d be voting for Kenny Holloway, a move Thompson believed was all about intimidation.
Not Without Flaws
While Thompson’s recordings and allegations shine a harsh light on the dysfunction and questionable practices within Ocean Springs City Hall, her own behavior and reputation weren’t without controversy.
Last September, this reporter published an article that showcased some of the complaints coming from residents about Thompson’s abrasive ways. The comments were remarkably similar to complaints arising from the last city she was employed by.
The article, published in the Ocean Springs Weekly Record, stated:
Thompson’s tenure in Ocean Springs comes with some previous controversy. Prior to her role on Holloway’s staff, she was terminated from her position as Community Planning Director in Elizabeth City, GA. The termination letter from City Manager Eddie Buffaloe to Thompson cited “numerous complaints about your management, your attitude, your interaction with the public and community at large,” and stated that “these complaints had been consistent and frequent enough” to merit Thomson’s dismissal.
Within hours of the article going live, Ocean Springs city officials went into full retaliation mode to defend their new hire. City Clerk Patty Gaston led the charge with repeated calls and texts to the editor, demanding retractions, making vulgar statements about this reporter, and threatening to expose personal information publicly. Alderman Burgess wasn’t far behind, with a phone call lecture and a public tongue lashing riddled with defamatory statements.
Thompson jumped in on the action, too.
In her secret recordings, she spoke of her disdain. “I walked up to him at the meeting,” Thompson described to a co-worker. “I’ve got to stay away from him, because I’m about an inch hair away from killing him.”
A public records request revealed a text message sent by Thompson to Gaston falsely accusing this reporter of barging into her office to demand an interview. “Thank God Hannah caught him at the [door],” she wrote. This untrue accusation was parroted by several others at City Hall, including the mayor.
Holloway used the fake accusation as justification to install cameras in Thompson’s workspace. “You had Brian Rose come and barge in, you know, and people coming in there,” the mayor said to Thompson. “You were all upset about that. So you know we got to have some protection up there.”
But the mayor knew it was a lie and was later caught stating as much. “She lied about Brian going up into that office, Mayor Holloway said. “He never went up in that office.”
The story would soon take an even more ironic twist.
Egg on their Faces
In what could only be seen as poetic justice, the very complaints reported from Thompson’s previous employers would soon be echoed by Ocean Springs officials.
Last week, Holloway and Gaston let Thompson have it with a scathing review that resulted in her ultimate departure.
“Your attitude stinks,” the mayor told Thompson. “And it’s not just me [who says it]. It’s everybody.” Gaston piled on. “You lack people skills,” she barked. “You’re the victim. Everywhere you go, you’re the victim.”
The same administration, who just three months earlier unleashed wrath on those who questioned their hiring choice, found themselves reiterating the very complaints they once said was “cruel and unkind” to talk about.
Ulterior Motive?
It wasn’t all meanness and attitude with Thompson. Sometimes she was happy and high. And she recorded it. “I want to tell you, so you can laugh,” she said over the phone to her planner. “I was pretty much a little buzzed through that whole meeting… I just wanted to tell you.”
Only Thompson knows her true motives for beginning to record city officials and colleagues on day one. After two days of interviews and listening to tapes, she began to focus on her finances. Thompson demanded “teasers” be posted to social media. She stressed the importance that City Hall would know the recordings exist. Was money a motivator? Only Ms. Thompson knows that answer.
But there’s still that burning question many have been asking: Why hand the secret recordings over to the very person she recently said she was an inch hair away from killing? Perhaps Thompson thought she had found an ally – someone she believed was anxious to find a smoking gun on the administration. Sorry to disappoint, but that’s not me.
This reporter, while often critical of city officials, has no axe to grind. Journalists don’t create the news. They just report it.
And today, this one is reporting that City Hall has problems – deep, troubling problems.
