When Maxine Coleman accepted a position with the City of Hattiesburg in 2003, it was her intention to make an impact on her city – in particular, by growing several neighborhood and community initiatives aimed at bringing the city’s residents and officials together.
After spending the last decade and a half with the city, including the last 11 years as its Neighborhood Coordinator, Coleman is heading into retirement confident that she’s done just that.
“I’m just ready for another chapter,” said Coleman, whose last official day is Dec. 28. “I tried to do my best, and I always tried to do it right the first time, so that I didn’t have to go back and re-do it.
“I’ve tried to be nice to everybody and create relationships with the neighbors and officials. But you know when it’s time to leave, and I just feel like this is my time.”
Coleman’s first position with the city was working with the Community Development Block Grant, one of the longest-running programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant helps to fund local community development activities, including anti-poverty programs, infrastructure development and affordable housing.
Coleman was named Neighborhood Coordinator in 2007, where she was responsible for setting up the city’s annual Night Out Against Crime, a national event aimed at enhancing the relationship between residents and law enforcement. To coordinate the event, Coleman worked closely with committees, representatives from first responder agencies, local churches and neighborhood associations to make sure the city’s Night Out met the mission of the national initiative.
In part because of events like Night Out Against Crime, Hattiesburg was ranked last year as the 4th safest city in the nation among cities with a population of 50,000 to 100,000.
“I’m not naïve enough to think it was me; it was me and partnership with the community, and partnership with city and county officials,” Coleman said. “All of us came together to make Night Out what it is.”
Coleman also helped head up the City of Hattiesburg Mayor’s Financial Education Initiative, which was started by former Mayor Johnny DuPree to educate taxpayers on the Earned Income Credit that many people were not taking advantage of. The initiative later teamed with tax partners around Hattiesburg and Petal to prepare free tax returns for individuals who earn less than $54,000 annually.
Throughout the years of the program, volunteers from AARP Tax-Aide, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program and Christian Services Facilitated Tax Assistance have prepared taxes for free at locations including the Sigler Community Center, Petal-Harvey Baptist Church and the C.E. Roy Community Center.
In Coleman’s first year with the Mayor’s Financial Education Initiative, the program helped taxpayers in Hattiesburg and Forrest County receive $867,773 – a number that had risen to a total of $16,535,475 by 2016.
“Every year I’ve been a part of that initiative, we have made a huge economic impact in the city of Hattiesburg,” Coleman said. “And not just in the city of Hattiesburg, but in the surrounding communities as well, because people from outside of Hattiesburg come into Hattiesburg to get their taxes prepared.
“That means they’re also coming back at refund time to spend those dollars here. Each year, we do over $2 million dollars in tax refunds, and that’s just federal – not state. And that has been consistent because of our partners.”
Hattiesburg City Council Vice President Mary Dryden said the city will miss Coleman’s community efforts.
“Maxine is greatly admired throughout our city by people of all ages,” she said. “We are all grateful for her enthusiasm, knowledge and strong work effort. She is going to be missed in every neighborhood.”
To honor her time with the city, members of the Hattiesburg Council of Neighborhoods and other city officials held a retirement party for Coleman last Thursday at Jackie Dole Community Center in downtown Hattiesburg. Friends, family and acquaintances showed up for cakes and Hors d’oeuvres, and to spend some time with Coleman during her last weeks as a city employee.
“The biggest (accomplishment) of everything is all the relationships that I’ve formed here,” Coleman said. “You see those people in (the retirement party), and it warms my heart that they came for me, to say bye, and for me to say bye to them.
“But like I told them, I do plan to stay active after a separation period. But I’m blessed to have made it to this point.”
For the near future, Coleman plans to help out her niece, who has an event coordinating business in the former University Handbags building in Hattiesburg.
“I texted her and asked her if she had a hostess,” Coleman said. “So I’m going to go and host her events when she has people come into her facility.
“And I’ll do some volunteering – not so much with the initiatives that I’ve been a part of, but I’m just going to be spirit-led as to what’s next. There’s always another chapter.”
