Holloway makes surprise appearance at State of City

A.J. Holloway hasn’t missed a State of the City presentation for more than 20 years now, and despite leaving office for health reasons earlier this month, he didn’t miss today’s either.

The longest-serving mayor in the history of the city, who officially resigned Tuesday to spend more time with his family, walked from behind the curtain at the Beau Rivage as Acting Mayor Kenny Glavan was introducing a video presentation detailing the city’s program of work. It was Holloway’s first public appearance in more than month.

The former mayor, who was accompanied by his wife Macklyn, walked to the podium and presented Glavan with a baseball cap that appeared to say “Mayor,” but removed a strip of tape to reveal the word “Acting.”

Glavan, in turn, presented Holloway with his “Reserved for Mayor A.J. Holloway” parking sign from City Hall.

Holloway received two standing ovations, the first of which came before the crowd even knew he was in attendance. During her remarks, Biloxi Bay Chamber President Robin Killeen asked the crowd to express their appreciation for Holloway’s 22 years of service as mayor, and the room stood in unison to applaud his accomplishments. The second ovation came when the curtain was opened to reveal the mayor and his wife.
See the video of the presentation below
See dozens of Facebook photos
Read the text of the State of the City