As Brookhaven prepares for its general election on June 5,municipal officials are awaiting word of the city’s involvement ina Mississippi NAACP lawsuit challenging elections following releaseof 2000 Census data.

The lawsuit, filed April 25 in U.S. District Court inGreenville, challenges municipal elections in 98 Mississippi citieson the grounds that black voters were disenfranchised because warddistricts drawn after the 1990 Census were used. Census 2000 werenot released until after the filing deadline for municipalcandidates.

City Attorney Joe Fernald spoke with attorneys in surroundingmunicipalities about the lawsuit last week. The attorney saidBrookhaven officials have not been served with court papers, but hefully expected the city to be included.

“Any city having an election now would be party to it, and we’reone of them,” Fernald said.

The lawsuit contends current ward lines in the cities minimizeor dilute black voting strength.

The lawsuit seeks a new round of elections in December after newward lines are drawn. Fernald questioned whether that wasfeasible.

“We can’t do it in six months,” he said.

Brookhaven currently has three predominantly white and threepredominantly black wards. One alderman is elected at large.

Fernald said it could take two years to get U.S. Department ofJustice approval of any new ward lines. He envisioned elections infour years under new ward lines, although there is another issueinvolving Brookhaven.

“Our problem in Brookhaven is it would change if we annex,”Fernald said.

Another issue involving Brookhaven’s situation is new censustotals that dropped the city’s population under 10,000 to 9,861.State laws says cities with populations under 10,000 are to havefive aldermen instead of seven.

Fernald mentioned efforts to get the city efforts regarding thecensus and the city’s population.

“We’re going to try to see if there is a margin of error withthe census,” Fernald said.