Natchez city officials said they are &uot;on track&uot; with a self-imposed Sept. 26 deadline to appoint a new school board member.

The position has been vacant since the death of board member Dr. David Steckler in June.

&uot;(The aldermen) are hopefully doing what I asked them to do and what we agreed to,&uot; Mayor F.L. &uot;Hank&uot; Smith said, referring to the aldermen’s task of collecting the resumes of possible school board nominees.

Smith said he asked each of the six aldermen to submit at least one name to the appointee pool. So far, he has received four names along with resumes or listing of qualifications, he said.

Ward 4 Aldermen Theodore &uot;Bubber&uot; West said he had turned in one name to Smith, which he would not reveal.

&uot;I think it is premature to give any names yet,&uot; West said.

Other than submitting resumes, the aldermen and mayor have not discussed the appointment since the July 25 meeting when the deadline was set, West said.

&uot;(Smith) has assured us he wants the most qualified person,&uot; West said.

&uot;Qualified&uot; can be defined as having a background in either education or business, or both, Smith said.

&uot;If you could get both, that would be a perfect fit,&uot; he said.

While he has not set a deadline for submitting possible appointee names, Smith said he is waiting until all the names are in before compiling them and distributing the complete list to the aldermen.

&uot;I think, so far, we have some qualified people,&uot; Smith said. &uot;But that’s just my opinion.&uot;

Ward 3 Alderwoman Sue Stedman said she has &uot;someone in mind&uot; for a recommendation and is waiting on the individual’s resume at this time.

While it is not necessary for possible appointees to be notified of an alderman’s recommendation, Stedman said prior approval would make the process smoother.

&uot;We want someone who is going to be willing to take the job,&uot; she said.

One Natchez man, Henry R. Gaud\u00E9, has made it clear to the mayor and the aldermen that he is willing to serve.

In June, Gaud\u00E9 threw his name into the hat with a letter to the mayor and aldermen listing his qualifications and desire to serve on the school board.

A product of local schools himself, Gaud\u00E9 has a bachelor’s degree in science and a master’s in business administration. After retiring from 21 years of military service, Gaud\u00E9 earned a temporary teaching certificate and taught in area schools before returning to a business career at Conrad Anderson Company.

Although he has not been contacted by city officials, Gaud\u00E9 said he is still interested in the position.

Ward 6 Alderman Jake Middleton agrees a willing candidate is necessary. &uot;You’ve got to have someone that wants to serve,&uot; Middleton said. &uot;That’s a big part of it.&uot;

While he has not turned in any paperwork on a candidate yet, Middleton said he has been approached by three people about the position, two who were personally interested and one individual with a recommendation.

Middleton said the unidentified person seems to be qualified. &uot;It sounded like a very, very viable candidate,&uot; he said.

Ward 5 Alderman David Massey said he still supports Dale Steckler, Dr. Steckler’s widow, for the position, and intends to submit her name as a qualified candidate. Friday, Steckler said she has not been contacted by any aldermen or school board members, but would be interested in the position. &uot;I would still be willing to serve, and if I were appointed, I would be delighted,&uot; she said.

Ward 2 Alderman James &uot;Ricky&uot; Gray said he received a memo from the mayor asking the aldermen to consider only qualified candidates, but has not yet submitted any names.