NATCHEZ — In a meeting that may have set a record for its brevity — just 40 minutes long — the Natchez Board of Aldermen approved hiring a new city planner.

In a five-to-one vote, aldermen agreed to hire Mississippi native  Charles Mingo Tingle. Tingle replaces Frankie Legaux, who retired in December 2024.

Tingle is currently the Historic Preservation and Fine Arts Specialist and Project Manager of the Region 7 U.S. General Services Administration based in Little Rock, Ark. However, Tingle spent the bulk of his career — almost 20 years — working with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as the chief of its Technical Preservation Services division.

Tingle earned an associate’s degree from East Central Community College in 1997 and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Ward 1 Alderwoman Valencia Hall said Tingle was chosen among 10 applicants.

Ward 2 Alderman Billie Joe Frazier cast the lone nay vote on hiring Tingle.

He said he voted nay because he felt like the decision had been made prior to the vote.

“They had already picked this guy,” Frazier said. “I don’t go along with the process.”

Frazier said he preferred another candidate who applied for the job, one who held a doctorate in urban planning from Jackson State University.

Former City Planner Rico Giani has been running the department in the interim from Charleston, S.C., where he is a senior planning associate with MRB Group Engineering, Architecture & Surveying. Tingle’s first day will be May 7.

Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson was out of town on city business. Mayor Pro Tem Sarah Carter Smith ran the meeting.