Two people nominated for city board-appointed seats addressed McComb officials Wednesday after three selectmen questioned the process of making the appointments.
The board voted 3-2 Oct. 11 to table votes to appoint Fran Holloway to a three-year term on the planning commission and Ramona Patterson to a six-year term on the civil service commission. Selectmen Bruce Mullins, Tommy McKenzie and Matt Codding — attending by phone — voted in favor and selectwomen Tabitha Felder Isaac and Terri Waterman-Baylor opposed. The selectmen who voted to table said they did not have enough information about the candidates.
Holloway, the lone applicant for the planning commission seat, said Wednesday that she moved back to McComb four years ago and wants to be a part of making the city better.
“I wanted to come tonight to say that I moved back to McComb and hoped to be a person who could make a positive impact,” she said. “I’ve never been on a board before, but I do work well with others. I thought it was a good idea for you all to meet me and see me as a person.”
City Administrator David Myers said the position has been vacant for several years.
“She is filling a vacancy that was already there,” he said. “She is the only one that submitted an application for this position, this particular vacancy. There is another vacancy on the board as well, but no one was in this spot. She was in the only one that applied for this.”
Maureen Clark, who previously served on the Planning Commission, is the applicant for the other seat.
Myers said three people expressed interest in filling the seat on the Civil Service Commission, but one lives outside of city limits and the other is a Magnolia resident. He said Patterson lives within city limits and is an elector in Pike County.
“She meets qualifications of the appointment,” he said.
Myers said he advertised for the position for three months and Patterson was the only qualified candidate.
“I’ve lived in McComb for most of my life,” Patterson said. “I do a lot of things in the community so I just wanted to be a part of this board and I hope you all accept me.”
While Codding said he agrees recommendations should come from Myers, he said applications for each candidate should be given to board members at the prior to work session, giving everyone a week to review them.
“We can or cannot give them the opportunity to talk and then, at the board meeting, you make your recommendation and we vote it up or down,” he said. “At the work session before, I’d like to see all the applicants, applications. I don’t mind if they talk or not.”
Myers said he presented Holloway’s and Patterson’s applications to the board.
Codding said it would be good if Myers always gave the board the applications, but if not there should be a written policy requiring it.
Mayor Quordiniah Lockley said it would be better for the board to vote for or against having a written policy where the city administrator provides applications to the board.
