The Board of Aldermen today appointed Pelahatchie’s police chief to be Natchez’s top cop.
NATCHEZ, Miss. – The mayor and Board of Aldermen interviewed four police chief candidates in sessions closed to the public Tuesday.
Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong plans to retire at the end of December. A total of 36 people applied for his job, according to Mayor Dan Gibson.
After three hours and 30 minutes meeting behind closed doors, the mayor and aldermen emerged in open session for Gibson to say no decision was made on who to appoint as the new chief. He said later an “exciting announcement” could come soon.
Prior to the board voting 5-1 to cut the public out of Monday’s interview sessions, Alderman Billie Joe Frazier alleged “backdoor politics” is “undermining” the selection process. Frazier complained that all six aldermen were not involved in winnowing the list of police chief applicants down to the four to interview.
However, Gibson said he and the board are following the usual process and the one used by aldermen last week in appointing new city Fire Chief Robert Arrington. For the police chief position, only the mayor and a committee of the Board of Aldermen selected the four finalists for the full board to interview. Of the 36 applicants, seven prospects were put forward by the three-member Natchez Civil Service Commission for the mayor and the board’s police committee.
Frazier — a former Natchez police officer — said he and the aldermen not on the police committee should’ve been allowed to interview the seven semifinalists. He angrily left Tuesday’s board meeting and did not participate in the interviews of the four finalists.
Armstrong has been Natchez police chief since 2017 and is retiring after 36 years in law enforcement that included stints as a Mississippi Highway Patrol officer and Vicksburg police chief.
NATCHEZ, Miss. –City aldermen put off a decision Tuesday on whether to authorize a COVID compliance officer to roam local businesses to help ensure masks are being worn and other measures are followed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Adams County supervisors approved the hiring of such an officer Monday with city and county officials equally sharing the costs of paying the person.
While Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson noted the “compliance safety officer” would only be “educating and encouraging everyone in our community to do the right thing,” some aldermen said this is an unnecessary position.
In asking county supervisors Monday to approve the assignment of a COVID patrol officer, Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford said the person would not be authorized to issue tickets to violators of the mask law. He would simply tell business managers of the infractions and report them to Bradford, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, or the Natchez Police Department.
Natchez and Adams County since July have been under a locally imposed requirement for people to wear face coverings in public places where they congregate close together. Gov. Tate Reeves has in recent weeks phased-in mandates that are more restrictive for selected counties with COVID surges.
In addition to the state masking requirement in Adams and 53 other Mississippi counties, the governor is limiting to 10 the number of people for inside public or private gatherings where they can’t socially distance. The limit is 50 for outside get-togethers.
Violators of the various COVID restrictions and mandates can be fined up to $500, according to state law.
The state-imposed COVID regulations are set to expire Friday unless the governor extends them.
The Mississippi Department of Health on Tuesday reported a spike of 69 Adams County residents newly confirmed to be infected by the coronavirus since Dec. 1. The respiratory disease has killed 52 local residents since March. Of the 1,541 Adams County residents who’ve been diagnosed in the past nine months, 156 on Monday were classified as “active” COVID cases, according to Bradford. That’s up from 88 two weeks ago.
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Aldermen, Gibson noted how overwhelmed Merit Health Natchez and its exhausted staff have been with COVID patients since March. State Department of Health data Tuesday showed the hospital had 24 COVID patients, an increase from the 10 patients two weeks ago. The number of seriously ill coronavirus patients was seven in the hospital’s ICU, up from the four patients two weeks ago.
“We’ve got to do something to curb the numbers,” Bradford said as he recommended the hiring of the compliance officer.
Bradford is managing Natchez-Adams County’s response to the public health crisis.
In directing people to wear masks in public and not congregate close together, local officials said they’re trying to slow the virus spread and avoid the business closures other localities have ordered.
“We’re trying to keep our businesses from shutting down,” Bradford said.
The COVID compliance officer is to be paid $3,600 for four months on the job, with the county and city boards equally splitting the expenses.
However, Alderman Valencia Hall questioned how effective one person can be in making random visits to various businesses to ensure the COVID-prevention measures are being followed, and Alderman Billie Joe Frazier noted people “don’t want the government to dictate” to them.
NATCHEZ, Miss. — Adams County Public Defender Jeffrey Harness said his newly created office of criminal-defense attorneys is precariously “in limbo” as supervisors await guidance on whether it’s legal for Circuit Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders’ daughter and sister to be hired.
Harness was appointed by Sanders to be her court’s chief public defender, and he selected the judge’s relatives — Aisha Sanders and Lydia Blackmon – to join his staff along with two other attorneys.
Previous legal opinions from the state Attorney General’s Office and Ethics Commission indicate the appointment of the judge’s daughter and sister does not violate state nepotism laws. However, supervisors want specifically “something in writing . . . to make sure everything is legal,” said county board President Ricky Gray.
However, as they await more legal guidance from the state agencies, Harness said he faces “a massive caseload” of 50 to 100 criminal defendants who can’t afford legal counsel and must have someone representing them. This inaction is delaying criminal cases and “putting the defendants’ constitutional rights in jeopardy,” he told county supervisors Monday.
Gray said other attorneys could be assigned to represent the defendants in the meantime.
Harness did say in October that Blackmon and Sanders — to avoid any potential conflicts of interest — would not be representing clients in cases being heard by Judge Sanders. Circuit Court Judge Debra Blackwell also hears criminal cases in Adams County.
At Sanders’ request, the Adams County Board of Supervisors in September agreed to create the public defenders office to replace the previous practice of retaining nine private attorneys the court randomly called on to represent criminal defendants who can’t afford their own lawyers.
The new office of five attorneys would be more focused on criminal-defense practice to ensure accused criminals’ rights to effective legal representation are secured.
In addition to Sanders and Blackmon, Harness selected Natchez attorneys Tim Blalock and Zach Jex to staff the public defenders office, for which the Board of Supervisors allocated about $300,000 for the current budget year.
NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County supervisors agreed today to hire a COVID officer to make rounds at local businesses to help ensure they’re making customers wear masks and are following other government directives to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Being described as an educational or communications officer, the person would not be authorized to issue tickets to violators of the mask law. He would simply tell business managers of the infractions and report them to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and Natchez Police Department.
“We’re not trying to arrest people. We’re just trying to make sure they’re following the guidelines,” said Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford.
Natchez and Adams County since July have been under a locally imposed requirement for people to wear face coverings in public places where they congregate close together, but Gov. Tate Reeves has enacted a mandate that’s more expansive and restrictive, Bradford said.
In addition to the masking requirement in Adams and 53 other Mississippi counties, the governor is limiting to 10 the number of people for inside gatherings where they can’t socially distance. The limit is 50 for outside get-togethers.
Bradford is managing the city-county’s response to the public-health crisis.
In asking Adams County supervisors to hire someone to patrol Natchez and Adams County businesses to ensure COVID compliance, Bradford said the person would warn managers and not customers about any infractions. He would keep track of violations and report them to city and county officials.
All five county board members voted to hire the compliance officer, but Supervisor Wes Middleton recited his concerns about cracking down too hard on businesses that don’t enforce the mask-wearing mandate.
“I do not think it’s businesses’ responsibility to police this,” said Middleton, who expressed hopes this will be “an education (effort), and that they act cordially and that nobody gets aggressive.”
Adams County board President Ricky Gray pointed to the airborne virus’ rage in recent weeks as more people globally get infected. “It’s our job to protect our community by any means necessary,” Gray said.
The state Department of Health on Monday reported a spike of 85 Adams County residents newly confirmed in the past week to be infected by the coronavirus. It’s killed 52 local residents since March. Of the 1,532 Adams County residents who’ve been diagnosed in the past nine months, 156 on Monday were classified as “active” COVID cases, according to Bradford. That’s up from 88 two weeks ago.
Bradford said the county COVID compliance officer is to be paid $3,600 for four months on the job, with the county and city boards equally splitting the expenses. No name was mentioned at Monday’s county board meeting of who the officer would be or if someone has actually been selected.
NATCHEZ, Miss. – City aldermen appointed Robert Arrington as Natchez fire chief on Friday.
An experienced Natchez firefighter, Arrington will lead a force of about 50 staffers at the city’s four fire stations that respond to more than 300 calls a year.
Arrington takes over for David Freeman, who was acting fire chief in place of Ventris Green, who retired in September.
A 16-year veteran of the Natchez Fire Department, the 38-year-old firefighter was an NFD battalion chief before today’s promotion.
Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson and the six aldermen interviewed three candidates Tuesday in sessions closed to the public. The aldermen unanimously voted in open meeting today to select Arrington. No public discussions among the mayor and aldermen took place to specify their reasons for picking him.
The NFD in recent years has suffered a workforce shortage as it struggles to recruit firemen not interested in such a low-paying job. The manpower shortage and substandard equipment has imperiled Natchez’s state fire rating, which influences how much homeowners must pay for their property insurance.
Arrington said the city’s purchase of a $938,000 fire-ladder truck acquired last year, along with radio-communications upgrades, provided much-needed improvements.
Arrington took his oath of office at City Hall immediately after being formally selected by aldermen with the mayor saying they “look forward to your continued service.”
The Natchez Fire Department has had three fire chiefs since 2015. Green stepped into the job on an acting basis in 2018 when then-fire chief Aaron Wesley was suspended by aldermen for undisclosed complaints lodged against him. Wesley, who became chief in 2015, subsequently resigned. Green took over permanently in 2019
NATCHEZ, Miss. – The city has an industrial prospect interested in occupying the old Armstrong tire plant, said Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson.
“We may actually see some new jobs come and new life at that tire plant,” Gibson said Tuesday.
The tire-making factory on Kelly and South Concord streets in north Natchez closed in 2001. As the 81-year-old facility is now owned by Natchez, city officials have been struggling for years to find new use for the vacant property.
Meeting with the Board of Aldermen on Tuesday, Gibson said “an industrial prospect is interested in that plant.” He didn’t provide more details except to say he wants to revise his earlier proposalfor it being converted into a vocational training center. The Board of Aldermen did agree Tuesday to assess and develop workforce-training programs with the Adams County Board of Supervisors, the Natchez-Adams School District and Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
Getting the Armstrong property rehabilitated for new use is a top priority for Gibson. He took office as mayor in July.
The tire factory was constructed for Armstrong Rubber Co. in 1939 with state financing. The property was deeded to the city. The Natchez tire manufacturer once had more than 1,000 employees. After Armstrong left, the property was used by successor tire-making tenants Fidelity, Condere and Titan. Titan took over in 1998 but shuttered the factory in 2001. It continued to lease the dormant buildings and land from the city until 2017.
During the past 20 years, the site has been monitored by the state Department of Environmental Quality for pollution caused by gasoline and cleaning solvents seeping into groundwater from the old factory. City and county officials have been trying to get federal funds to further analyze the pollution and determine what the cleanup costs would be for the property’s rehabilitation.
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The Board of Aldermen and mayor on Tuesday interviewed applicants to be Natchez fire chief, but no decision was made who to appoint.
Gibson and the six aldermen interviewed candidates during a meeting that was closed to the public, as allowed by state law to discuss personnel issues. The names of the applicants were not made public.
David Freeman is currently acting as Natchez fire chief in place of Ventris Green, who retired in September. It’s uncertain when the aldermen will decide who to appoint on a permanent basis. Their next scheduled meeting is Dec. 8.
Searches also continue for a new city police chief and tourism director. Walter Armstrong plans to retire as Natchez’ chief law-enforcement officer at the end of December. Jennifer Ogden Combs resigned in September as executive director of Visit Natchez, the city’s tourism and convention promotion agency.
“I hope that people believe me when I say this is a time when the virus is extremely present,” Reeves said Tuesday. “It is all around us right now, more than almost any time before. Please continue to be careful and safeguard yourself and your loved ones.”
Below is the governor’s press release announcing the extension of the state mask mandate to Adams and 12 other counties:
NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Board of Aldermen does not need to enact a panhandling ordinance cracking down further on people asking for money on Natchez streets, said city attorney Bryan Callaway.
Aldermen earlier this month asked him to draft such an ordinance after Police Chief Walter Armstrong expressed concerns about beggars posing traffic hazards at busy intersections as they solicit money from motorists at stoplights. However, Callaway said Tuesday that current law already forbids people from interfering with traffic. He also noted courts have deemed limited forms of panhandling as free speech protected by the constitution.
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The board revised the city’s noise ordinance Tuesday to ban large trucks from “jake-braking,” which uses engines’ exhaust valves to help slow down and produce loud machine gun-like sounds. Alderman Sarah Carter Smith said this is especially a nuisance for her Glenwood neighbors near John R. Junkin Drive, a busy thoroughfare for tractor-trailer trucks coming through Natchez and stopping at the intersection to Seargent Prentiss Drive by Merit Health hospital.
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Natchez aldermen agreed Tuesday to use $500,000 from a tax-anticipation loan to help pay city bills and employees in the next few months while revenues are at a low ebb.
As routinely done in recent years, city officials will use the short-term bank loan to carry Natchez over until property taxes due early next year flow into city coffers. The tax-anticipation loan is expected to be paid back in March. The city can use up to $1 million from the loan.
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City workers and prison inmates have begun picking up Natchez residents’ yard debris left by recent storms, said Mayor Dan Gibson.
While the city normally limits how much its crews and contracted garbage collector haul away, those restrictions are being temporarily canceled. Residents with fallen limbs and other vegetated rubbish should place the storm remnants on their street curbs “in manageable amounts” to be picked up, Gibson said..
Residents wanting yard debris collected can phone the city Public Works Department for more information: 601 445-6652.
Gibson said about 10 inmates from a McComb detention facility are being transported to Natchez on a daily basis to help the city’s short-staffed Public Works Department gather the debris. Hurricane Delta’s strong winds roared through Natchez Oct. 9.
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The state’s new state flag had its first staffing at a Natchez Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday. “It’s a new day,” Gibson said. Mississippi voters Nov. 3 adopted the banner that replaces the controversial state flag with the Confederate emblem that the state Legislature outlawed in June.
NATCHEZ, Miss. – Interim Natchez Fire Chief David Freeman said COVID and other staffing complications have depleted the city’s fire-fighting force in recent months.
Meeting Tuesday with the mayor and Board of Aldermen, he said a total of eight firemen since March have been forced off the job for a period of time as they must stay home when infected or exposed to someone with the virus. He said two are currently are quarantined.
“One of the problems that I’m facing right now is to have an employee positive for COVID that exposes two other employees — and I’ve lost an entire shift at the station,” he said. Freeman noted each fire truck needs three firefighters, who live together at the fire stations during their shifts.
Other firemen in recent months have had to step in during manpower shortages to work overtime, but “we’ve pretty much worn them out,” Freeman said.
The Board of Aldermen adopted a policy Tuesday to follow federal Centers for Disease Control guidelines for allowing firemen to return to work when symptom-free a prescribed number of days. Previous city policy required them to return only after testing negative for the coronavirus. The regulation will still ensure the city employees impacted by COVID-19 have “a proper and safe return to work,” said Mayor Dan Gibson.
With a force of about 45 firefighters, the Natchez Fire Department in recent years has suffered a workforce shortage as it struggles to recruit firemen for a low-paying job. Freeman said the NFD continues to have “staffing issues.”
Freeman is acting as Natchez fire chief in place of Ventris Green, who retired as chief in September. Gibson said he and aldermen will be interviewing applicants for the job in early December as they decide who to appoint on a permanent basis.
The mayor noted searches also continue for a new city police chief and tourism director. Walter Armstrong is retiring as Natchez’ chief law-enforcement officer. Jennifer Ogden Combs resigned in September as executive director of Visit Natchez, the city’s tourism and convention promotion agency.