Tupelo City Council names Davis president, Gaston vice president

TUPELO — For what is believed to be the first time in Tupelo's history, two women sit at the helm of the city council.

Earlier this week, the council members appointed Ward 4 Councilwoman Nettie Davis as council president and Ward 6 Councilwoman Janet Gaston as vice president. The votes on both appointments were unanimous.

Davis replaces Ward 3 Councilman Travis Beard after previously serving as his vice president.

"You have two women leading the city for the next year, can you handle it?," Davis said, with a laugh. She praised Beard for his service over the last year. "We have worked together for years as a teacher, ... so he is almost like my brother. I hope I will be able to fill his shoes."

The role of city council president shifts to a new member each July. The council president is charged with leading council meetings and acts as mayor pro tempore in cases that the mayor is out of the city, ill or otherwise unreachable.

Davis and Gaston and Davis will stand as president and vice president until the end of their terms in July 2025.