NATCHEZ &045; Both Chancery Clerk Tommy O’Beirne and former Natchez Mayor David Armstrong confirmed they’re interested in Adams County Administrator Charlie Brown’s job if he retires.

Brown, who has served in that position for 16 years, said Monday he will let county supervisors know in as little as one to two weeks if he will retire from that position in the foreseeable future.

Armstrong &045; who previously served as administrator of DeSoto County, a Memphis suburb &045; was terminated last month from his position as administrator of Forsyth County, Ga.

Now back in Natchez, Armstrong said he talked to county supervisors three or four weeks ago about his desire to take on the job if Brown decides to retire.

&uot;I’ve thought about that, and I’ve thought about going to back into the practice of law,&uot; Armstrong said, adding that he’s exploring his options and taking a little time off.

O’Beirne, who has served as Adams County chancery clerk for 18 years, said he would be interested in the job because &uot;it would be a challenge.&uot;

However, O’Beirne did say he is somewhat familiar with the county administrator’s duties already, having worked with Brown to some degree on the county’s annual budget in past years.

But O’Beirne reiterated what Brown stated earlier this week &045; that Brown might stay on for at least a few more months to help county officials formulate the budget for the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.

&uot;The Board of Supervisors has chatted out (the possible vacancy), but we haven’t gone into salaries or anything else about the position in great depth,&uot; O’Beirne said.

For his part, supervisors President Darryl Grennell said Armstrong’s interest in the position is not anything new.

&uot;He said four or five years ago he was interested in that position,&uot; he said. &uot;Then he called all the supervisors about it about three weeks ago after he was terminated in Forsyth County.&uot;

Grennell said that termination doesn’t concern him overly, however, &uot;because you’d have to do background checks of some kind on all the candidates.&uot;

The Adams County administrator oversees the business operations of a county of more than 33,000 people, one whose latest budget tops $16.7 million.

Mississippi law states that, under the board’s supervision, administers all county affairs falling under the board’s control and carry out the board’s policies &045; within the limits of the county’s latest revised budget.