The question of whether a temporary lease between the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau and Duff Green Mansion owner Harry Sharp makes Sharp ineligible for VCVB board membership will be settled by the state Ethics Commission, not the Attorney General’s Office, District 4 Supervisor Carl Flanders said Thursday.

An advisory opinion from the attorney general initially was sought to settle the issue, but the handoff to ethics specialists follows a decision that the question did not involve interpreting state law.

&#8220This isn’t a question of legality, it’s a question of ethics,” Flanders said.

The Ethics Commission meets Jan. 5 to consider the issue, with an answer expected &#8220in under two weeks,” Flanders said.

Flanders presented Sharp as his nominee to the 11-member tourism promotion board in November, but questions arose about Sharp’s offer to allow VCVB staff to be housed at 1300 Washington St., which he owns, after the January collapse of the old Thomas Furniture building just up the block from VCVB offices.

Flanders briefly considered Horseface Harry’s and Klondyke owner David Day for the position, then decided later the same day to pursue an outside opinion to determine whether the nature of the lease disqualifies Sharp from rejoining the tourism development board on which he formerly served.

Normally, people serving on public boards and commissions may not be vendors or suppliers to those boards. In some cases, particularly keyed to people being chosen for public office, no relationship may have existed for a year.

The VCVB board consists of 11 volunteers, with the city of Vicksburg and Warren County splitting the appointments on 10. One person is jointly appointed.

Two county-appointed seats remain open, Flanders’ appointee and that of District 2 Supervisor William Banks.

The District 2 seat was held by restaurant owner Bobby Doyle until he resigned in August. Attorney Bobby Bailess declined another term in the District 4 seat upon his selection as president of the Mississippi Bar Association.