Vicksburg finalizes department head appointments in swearing-in ceremony

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — The city board finalized the remaining department heads in a swearing in ceremony this afternoon at the Vicksburg Convention Center.

In a previous interview with Vicksburg Daily News, Mayor Willis Thompson said the decision to hold off on department head appointments prior to today’s announcement was 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 were made.

“It’s been a long process, but I just wanted to be responsible and take the diligence and really find out what everybody does and really review the needs of the city in each office,” Thompson said during today’s ceremony. “We’ve got more work to do, this is just part of it. I’m glad we were able to get to this part of the process and move on to other things, but today was a good day. I’m looking forward to working with each individual who was sworn in today and moving the city forward.”

The following is the list of department heads and appointed positions:

• Deputy Police Chief: Charlie Hill
• Director of Finance & Administration: Doug Whittington
• Director of Human Resources: Carla Sullivan
• Director of Public Works: Dane Lovell
• Director of Community Development: Jeff Richardson
• Director of Recreation: Roosevelt Brown
• Director of Airport: Ron Davis

Court Services Department

• Municipal Court Judge: Angela Carpenter
• Municipal Court Judge Pro Tem: Penny Lawson
• Municipal Court Clerk: Roslyn Gates
  • Deputy Court Clerks:
    • Marilyn Bradford
    • Eugena Henderson
    • Wanda Mason
    • Amanda Ramsey
    • Vonnae’ Simmons
  • City Clerk Department:
    • Deputy City Clerk: Lisa Palmertree
  • Deputy Clerks:
    • Jasmine S. Dillon
    • Brian Sessums
    • Aryiana Dotson

Additionally, the current Information Technology Director Pam Newton is set to retire at the end of the month. The mayor is currently in the process of interviewing applicants, and will not make an appointment at this time. The mayor also plans to appoint Kim Walker Nailor as the City Attorney, however, Nailor was available to attend today’s meeting and will be sworn in at a later date.