SaveOS was started after a group of concerned citizens found themselves meeting regularly at Board of Aldermen meetings, month after month, to express concerns with aggressive over-development and threats to the historic charm of our town by planned actions by our Mayor and Board of Alderman. For some of us, it started after the Cinco de Mayo downtown shootings in May 2023. After numerous attempts to get the city to enforce current ordinances for noise nuisance, citizens tried to convince the city to adopt a maximum decibel sound ordinance with no success. Many were shocked by the then Mayor's plan to use eminent domain via the Urban Renewal Plan (URP). The lack of transparency in enacting the URP, especially with those directly impacted, ignited a small group to action.
Frustrated by the lack of empathy and ongoing actions by the Mayor and Board of Alderman, a growing group of concerned citizens decided to organize. The initial group consisted of a dozen or so citizens who had met at City Hall: retired schoolteachers, small business owners, former managers in large companies, nurses, engineers, attorneys, and stay at home moms; all full-time residents of Ocean Springs drawn together for their concern with the direction of the City. These citizens became the directors and an advisory group of SaveOS.
The mayor and aldermen were not responding to the people that were showing up at City Hall. They were dismissed as a “small fringe group”. A proposed marina and the absurdity of commercializing Front Beach, a planned development on a toxic waste site on Pine Drive and prioritizing aggressive development over the interest and safety of residents gave us total determination to inform all residents of what was going on in our city.
Anticipating the upcoming election, SaveOs focused on making information available on incumbent voting records, apparent conflicts of interest, and the platforms and priorities of all candidates for election including incumbents. All candidates were invited to interview with SaveOS. Some accepted. Using information from the interviews as well as that from candidates published material, SaveOS contrasted all candidates' priorities with those of SaveOS.
The citizens of Ocean Springs turned out and made a historic statement during the April 2025 primary. The sitting Mayor and all challenged incumbent Alderman were soundly defeated in the primary election. Voters made a clear statement that they were very displeased with the direction the Administration was attempting to take our historic City.
SaveOS remains committed to protecting the character and charm of our town for future generations of residents and visitors.
SaveOS is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization and a registered Mississippi Charitable organization. incorporated on 17 March 2024, with 5 directors and no officers. The current directors are Jeff Hall, Michael Illanne, Julia Illanne, Roland Creel, and Denise Cuevas. They, along with an advisory group and many volunteers work together as a team with no compensation. We depend solely on the dedicated volunteers who serve each ward and the generous donations of like-minded parties. In the initial three weeks of establishing our website, hundreds of persons joined via email subscription with thousands visiting the website. Interested persons can reach us by emailing info@saveos.org.