Before the City of Natchez interviews final tourism director candidates next week, the city’s leadership must agree on an organizational chart first.

Not having that clear, basic outline of responsibilities led to the debacle the city faced earlier this year.

Early in what was to be the city’s tourism triumphant during the 300th anniversary of the city’s founding, the wheels fell off the city’s tourism efforts.

The former tourism director was fired and the entire commission that oversees tourism operations was asked to resign.

Effectively, no one seemed to understand the complex and complicated relationship between the city’s government and the convention and visitor bureau — which is a quasi government entity.

At the time, all involved vowed to get to the bottom of the mess to avoid a future meltdown of the critical entity in the city’s most important industry.

Instead, as the months have passed, the city still does not appear to have a clear plan for how to resolve. As of last week, aldermen seem split on how best to handle the hiring of the tourism director.

The mayor has suggested the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission – members of which are all appointed by the board of aldermen — have hiring and firing oversight.

But some aldermen seem to want more direct control in the process.

We tend to agree with the mayor’s suggestion. Let the people who have been asked to lead the commission also collectively lead the director as well. Having that organization in place before anyone is hired makes much more logical sense than pursuing an approach which seems to be one of worrying about the iceberg before the collision is imminent.