Thompson: Right people in right roles more important than quick picks

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Mayor Willis Thompson said the city’s recently released organizational chart is meant to show the functional structure of Vicksburg’s government, not to announce department head appointments — a distinction that has caused some confusion among employees and the public.

On Friday, August 8, the city board approved the city’s organizational chart as is and while some of those roles and responsibilities may change, the city charter requires an organizational chart to be approved within 30 days of taking office. However, Thompson said that it’s important to match interests and skill sets with the current board.

“The simplified way of doing that is probably matched on interest and skill set, who’s going to manage what departments on the day-to-day basis.,” said Thompson.

Speaking Tuesday with Vicksburg Daily News, Thompson said he understood why residents assumed the announcement of the chart would include names of department leaders, particularly the police and fire chiefs, but that the process of filling those positions remains underway.

“The organizational chart is really a functional tool,” Thompson said. “It just shows the City of Vicksburg, all the divisions, and how the board works together to manage them. It’s not the same thing as naming who’s over each department.”

Under state law, the city board must appoint five corporate officers — the police chief, fire chief, city attorney, city clerk and municipal judge — within 60 days of taking office. In recent years, additional positions such as public works, human resources, IT, and parks and recreation were also made appointed roles, expanding the list to as many as 13.

Thompson said that expansion, adopted under the previous administration, has created uncertainty for employees who now face a reappointment process for the first time.

“In the past, only those five corporate officers had to be appointed,” he said. “Now you have [8] more people going through that same process, and that’s new for them. You have to look at each department and understand their function and make sure that that function is serving the citizens.”

Thompson said all current department heads are serving in interim roles while the board completes its review, and he intends to announce all appointments at the same time to avoid creating speculation about who might keep or lose their job.

“If I named the police and fire chiefs first, everyone else might assume they’re out,” Thompson said. “It creates more uncertainty.”

Thompson said the decision to hold off on department head appointments is part of a broader review of city operations, stating that every position in the city plays a role in delivering services and that the process should ensure the right people are in the right roles before announcements are made.

“The main thing was to get in and interview employees and candidates,” said Thompson. “Making sure the right people are in place getting started.”