Sunday focus: Voters to determine a quarter million in salaries May 10

Published 12:32 am Sunday, May 1, 2016

NATCHEZ — More than $250,000 in annual public salaries will be up for grabs when Natchez voters cast ballots May 10.

The upcoming primary election for Natchez mayor, the board of aldermen and municipal court judge could decide who will earn or continue earning up to a combined $250,600 a year, if newly elected or re-elected candidates retain the base salaries of their predecessors.

Mayor

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Typically, the mayor makes the highest salary among the candidates on the ballot.

Natchez Mayor Butch Brown earns $37,000, though normally the position pays $62,800 a year.

Brown receives retirement income from the state already, which requires him to accept a reduced salary for being mayor. He formerly worked for Mississippi Department of Transportation.

The Mississippi Municipal League, in conjunction with the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University, conducted a volunteer survey in 2015 to determine what cities pay their elected and appointed officials.

Natchez did not participate in the study, but the 2010 census reported the population of Natchez was 15,800.

The nearest comparable participants in the 2015 study are Ocean Springs, with a population of 17,000, Corinth, with a population of 14,500 and Brookhaven, with a population of 13,300.

Ocean Springs, Corinth and Brookhaven pay their mayors $84,600, $75,000 and $70,300, respectively, the Mississippi Municipal League reported.

The average income of mayors in the state of Mississippi is $30,000, which is less than Brown’s reduced salary.

Former Natchez mayor Jake Middleton said the board of aldermen cut his salary during his administration, but he believes the long hours required of a mayor deserve more than he was paid.

“It’s like running any other business — a very serious business,” Middleton said.

“It’s an eight to five — and sometimes a lot more than that — job. I got a lot of work done after 5 p.m. when people were gone. If you’re going to do it as a part time, then the salary is enough, but not if you’re going to work the hours I was.”

Middleton said being mayor also requires a thick skin.

“It’s a tough job,” he said. “That’s what you gotta do. Work hard and smile and take your lumps, because you’re going to get them.”

Aldermen

The members of the Natchez Board of Aldermen are paid at various rates.

In the previous administration, the aldermen voted to reduce their own salaries by 10 percent. When Brown was elected, the aldermen returned their salaries to the previous level.

Ward 3 Alderwoman Sarah Carter Smith and Ward 5 Alderman Mark Fortenbery did not accept the salary increase.

Smith said she did not feel comfortable with the increase at the time because she was a brand-new alderwoman.

As she is running unopposed for her second term, she said she might ask to go to the standard alderman’s salary in the new administration.

A salary change would require an aldermen vote.

“I wouldn’t think about changing things until after the election,” Smith said. “We’ll probably look at a lot of finances and salaries at that point.”

Smith is the only alderman running unopposed.

Two of the six Natchez aldermen —Tony Fields and Dan Dillard — earn the standard $22,300 a year.

Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis earns only $17,000, because she already receives a retirement income from the state. She was a teacher for 30 years.

Ward 2 Alderman Mary Lee Toles is a retired judge, and has received $6,800 to date since being appointed in December 2015 to fill the seat of former alderman Rickey Gray, who was elected to serve as Adams County Supervisor for District 2 before his alderman term was finished.

The average elected member of a city council or board of aldermen in Mississippi is only $9,000. Ocean Springs, Corinth and Brookhaven pay their aldermen $20,000, $13,500 and $18,000 respectively.

For former Ward 2 Alderman Rickey Gray, the salary really isn’t important.

“This is my third time running for a position, and each time I ran, I didn’t even know how much it paid,” Gray said. “If they’re running for money, they’re definitely running for the wrong reason.”

An ideal candidate, Gray said, would be a good communicator and a team player.

“It is a 24-7 job,” Gray said. “It’s not a part time. They’ll call you all times of the night.”

Gray said he owes his successes as an alderman to mentoring he received from more experienced officials and careful study of the city charter.

“Whoever wins, if they want me to, I will be there for them,” Gray said. “Whatever they need to know, I’m willing to help them.”

Municipal judge

Next to the mayor’s job, the next highest elected earner is Natchez Municipal Judge Jim Blough, who is not running for re-election. He earns $54,000 annually.

Blough said his salary is set by the board of aldermen, and his successor can expect to earn the same amount.

The MML did not collect data on the salaries of municipal judges across the state.

Blough declined to comment on whether he feels his salary is competitive or fair.

Appointed positions

The City of Natchez formerly elected its city clerk, but the position will not be included on the May 10 ballot.

Donnie Holloway has served as city clerk since 2000, and was most recently re-elected in 2012.

In 2014, city aldermen voted to convert the position from an elected position to an appointed one. Holloway’s term as clerk will end in July. Currently, Holloway earns $50,500 yearly as city clerk.

The average city clerk in Mississippi earns $37,500, with Ocean Springs and Corinth paying their appointed clerks $55,800 and $63,900, respectively. The city clerk of Brookhaven is elected, and earns $66,600 annually.

Police Chief Daniel White and Fire Chief Aaron Wesley are also appointed, and earn $59,000 and $52,900, respectively.

Ocean Springs pays its appointed police chief and fire chief $66,400 each. Corinth pays its elected police chief $70,000 and its appointed fire chief $56,300, and Brookhaven pays its elected police chief $66,000 and its appointed fire chief $59,000.

The average police chief in Mississippi earns $46,000 a year, while the average fire chief earns $47,000, the MML reported.