Mayors, boards right to business
New officials seated in cities
Recently elected mayors and aldermen in DeSoto County’s five incorporated municipalities met for the first time Tuesday evening, with new faces at the helm everywhere except Hernando.
Mayors presiding over their first meetings were Allen Latimer in Horn Lake, Scott Phillips in Olive Branch, Darren Musselwhite in Southaven and Patti Denison in Walls. Only Chip Johnson in Hernando, who won re-election unopposed in June’s general election after defeating a Republican challenger in the May primary, returned to lead his city for another term.
Each city also welcomed new aldermen to their boards Tuesday, dealing with a wide range of issues to begin their tenures as elected officials:
Hernando: Newly elected Board of Aldermen members Cathy Brooks and Michael McLendon joined the rest of the board in authorizing advertising for bids for 18 Ford Interceptors with police equipment already installed for patrol duties. Financing options will be aired later along with a bid recommendation.
John Wilkinson, a resident on Green T Lake West, told the board of problems with speeding motorists and said his property has been damaged twice by drivers who went off the road and into his yard.
Mayor Chip Johnson told him that City Atty. Kenneth Stockton, City Engineer Joe Frank Lauderdale and Planning Director Jared Darby would work on solutions.
The aldermen also approved baseball and softball fees of $50 for DeSoto County residents and $65
for nonresidents in the city leagues for 5- and 6-yearolds.
Horn Lake: Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Ann Lamar of Senatobia swore in Latimer and the seven returning aldermen — all won re-election — before the board got down to a full agenda before a full auditorium of spectators there for the swearing-in ceremonies.
The board, with Latimer’s backing, voted 6-1 against making Friday a holiday for city employees, citing budget issues. Alderman Tim Smith said the day wasn’t budgeted as a holiday by the city and taking it would result in overtime that wasn’t accounted for.
Only Alderman Chris Sheley voted in favor of following the state’s lead and making Friday a holiday.
Also citing budgetary reasons, Latimer asked the board to cut his base pay by 15 percent, from $87,880 to $ 74,698. Aldermen unanimously approved.
The board also OK’d July 23 as the date for its second meeting of the month because aldermen will be at the Mississippi Municipal League summer conference when the second meeting would normally have been held July 16.
Olive Branch: Olive Branch elected officials were sworn in and then appointed people who would oversee city departments.
DeSoto County Youth Court Judge Celeste Wilson conducted the ceremony at the municipal courthouse, packed with friends, family, supporters and city employees.
Phillips was sworn in first, and then the aldermen.
In closed session, aldermen voted on statutoryrequired appointments to city departments. All of the positions were filled by existing appointees. They hold the offices of city clerk, deputy clerk, police chief, court clerk and Municipal Court jobs.
No changes were made in nonstatutory positions, such as those of fire chief, city engineer and parks director.
Southaven: Musselwhite and the seven-member Board of Aldermen made it clear new leadership was in place when they eliminated several people from appointed positions within city government during their board meeting.
Municipal Court Judge B.G. Perry, City Prosecutor Mark Sorrell and Deputy City Clerk Candice Duncan were not reappointed.
Perry was replaced by David Delgado and Sorrell by Robert Hayes. The board said it would name replacements for Duncan and the judge pro tem position in city court at a later date.
Reappointed to their positions were: Southaven Police Chief Tom Long, City Administrator Chris Wilson and City Clerk Sheila Heath. The firm of Butler Snow will continue to serve as the city’s legal counsel.
Also reappointed were Municipal Court Clerk Thomas Mastin, Asst. City Prosecutor Bill Seale, Public Defender Benjamin Murphy and Asst. Public Defender Nancy Liddell.
In other action, the board voted to hire the Hernando accounting firm of Williams, Pitts & Beard to conduct the city’s audit for the current fiscal year. During the public comment session, resident Samuel Williams admonished the mayor and board for not naming any African-Americans to any of the appointed positions.
Walls: Denison and the five-member Board of Aldermen spent their first meeting scheduling a session to work on the town’s 2014 budget.
They also discussed the new board attending the Mississippi Municipal League annual conference in Biloxi July 15-17.
The new mayor and board were sworn into office June 25. Staff reporters Henry Bailey Jr. and Yolanda Jones, freelance reporter Toni Lepeska contributed to this story.