As Mayor Johnny Magee embarks on his new term, he has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of Laurel and Jones County. Some have to do with the outstanding young people in this community and their dedication to service.
In his remarks during the city’s inauguration program last month, Mayor Magee shared a moving story about how two of the city’s youngest residents helped restore his optimism.
Mayor Magee explained that running a campaign has its highs and lows and some days are quite low indeed. “If you have never run a campaign, you don’t know what those days are like,” he said. “On May 23rd, I was having one of those days.”
His gloomy day was turned upside down when two young ladies, Diana Peffley (11), and her sister Claire Peffley (9), dropped by to pay him a visit. He explained that he has always maintained an open-door policy and that day, the siblings, accompanied by their grandmother, came to visit because the homeschooled girls were interested in seeing City Hall and meeting the city’s mayor.
During their meeting, they presented him with a drawing they’d made featuring a rainbow and the words “Best Mayor Ever” and made each girl made a cash contribution to his campaign to show their support.
“I couldn’t argue with her,” Magee said as he held up the artwork during his inaugural address. He was moved by their kind words and support. “When this happened, it was like somebody just poured onion juice in my eyes,” he said.
To show his appreciation for their words of kindness and encouragement, he invited them to join him and his daughter, Bernadette Magee Henderson, onstage as he took his oath of office.
Also, in May, Mayor Magee presented a Key to the City to Jayden Olson, 17, who has been working diligently to learn more about local government and encouraging his peers to do the same. Olson received the honor on May 22, the day after graduating 5th in his class at West Jones High School.
The plaque presented by Mayor Magee read:
Key to the City of Laurel, Mississippi presented to Jayden Olson May 22, 2025 By Mayor Johnny Magee in recognition of your dedication to youth engagement in local government. Your commitment to community involvement exemplifies the spirit of Laurel. As you embark on new endeavors, may this key be a symbol of the doors you will open and a reminder that Laurel will always welcome you home.
In addition to completing over 300 hours of volunteer work outside of church duties, Olson has served on the student council and created the Mayor’s Youth Council for the City of Laurel.
Olson brought his idea for a youth council to Mayor Magee this spring and Mayor Magee recommended it to the city council. They approved it on May 6th.
The MYC will feature two students from each ward and one student as a member at-large who will meet to learn about things that are going on in the city and to provide their feedback to the mayor about all things Laurel. Students selected must be in grades 10-12th and must be in good standing in their communities and school.
Olson explained that he got the idea when he attended Loblolly with his family. “I had a lot of fun at Loblolly. I noticed that we had a lot of fun but that was only one day a year. There’s nothing for young people to do,” he said. This observation, led him to think of creating a group designed to provide feedback to community leaders about the concerns that young people in Laurel and Jones County have about the quality-of-life issues that matter most to them.
In the fall, Olson plans on attending the University of Mississippi to major in business.
Receiving a key to the city is a symbolic gesture that dates back to medieval Europe when cities were fortified and a key to the city signified that the bearer, usually a guest to the city, was free to enter and exit at will. Today, cities bestow keys on individuals to recognize a special service or a notable accomplishment.
Kind, thoughtful, and service minded young people like Olson and the Peffleys continue to give Mayor Magee optimism about the future.
“This is the reason that Laurel continues to grow,” he said during his inauguration remarks, pointing out that the city has some of the best people in it. “This is the reason that Laurel continues to prosper. Laurel will continue to be the best City in the State of Mississippi.”
