NATCHEZ &045; Municipal Judge John Tipton told aldermen Tuesday he won’t run again after 28 years in office.

While he said his years in office haven’t been perfect, &uot;I’m proud that Š I have been honest and impartial Š both with the popular and the unpopular decisions,&uot; Tipton said.

Tipton said he appreciated the support of the mayor and board, whom he said have a difficult job to perform.

&uot;My decisions affect individuals; yours affect the city as a whole,&uot; said Tipton, who said

he plans to continue to live in Natchez.

Tipton also said he won’t endorse or even work behind the scenes for any municipal judge candidate.

Tipton said that when he first ran for municipal judge in 1976, older, more experienced politicians worked against him during the campaign.

Besides, he said the law prohibits him from backing another candidate while still in office.

He did express surprise at the number of people that have expressed an interest in running for the post of municipal judge.

As of Tuesday, two candidates had already qualified at the City Clerk’s Office: Claude &uot;Buck&uot; Pintard and Jim Blough.