SaveOS was started when concerned citizens randomly met at City Hall, at Board of Aldermen meetings, month after month. 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, we tried to convince the city to adopt a maximum decibel sound ordinance with no success. Then we were shocked by the mayor's plan to use eminent domain via the Urban Renewal Plan (URP); the secrecy of it all really ignited us to action.
Frustrated by the lack of empathy or action by the previous mayor and board, we decided to organize. The initial group consisted of a dozen or so citizens who met each other at city hall meetings; retired school teachers, small business owners, former managers in large companies, stay at home moms; all full time residents of Ocean Springs drawn together for their concern over the direction of the City. These citizens became the directors and an advisory group of SaveOS.
The 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's going on. The mayor and aldermen were not responding to the people, and we were convinced Ocean Springs deserves representation that listens to its residents.
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 the advisory group and many volunteers all work together as a team with no compensation, and depend solely on the dedicated volunteers who serve each ward and generous donations of our members. In just three weeks, hundreds of members joined via this website, with more joining every week. There is total team commitment where communication is key, and by emailing info@saveos.org, we can be reached instantly.