It was standing room only in the City Hall Annex board room Tuesday as 70 people gathered to see Mayor Paul Winfield conduct his first board meeting, but most of the much-anticipated personnel appointments were not made.

Early in the list of jobs to be filled, North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield paused to explain why he would not vote on any replacements before Friday.

Winfield responded that he was going to go through his nominations for the record.

South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman stood by his statement that he believes all or almost all existing top officials should be reappointed.

Veteran City Clerk Walter Osborne, Deputy City Clerk Tashsa Wynn and several clerks in the municipal court kept their jobs on unanimous votes.

Winfield’s nominations for police chief, fire chief, city attorney and municipal court judge died without seconds as did Beauman’s nominations of the incumbents.

“I’m hoping by the (July) 10th meeting — this Friday — we will have decisions made,” said Mayfield, who had previously requested a 30-day moratorium on all appointments for complete personnel reviews.  He said Winfield had asked the officials for written self-evaluations and some had only recently been submitted.

The city charter specifies a slate of “corporate officers” to be elected by the board at the outset of each new term, with two votes needed for any appointment. The charter appointments and several others are usually made at a new board’s first meeting, but it is not required.

Mayfield, who will likely cast the swing vote on all remaining appointments, said he hoped to meet with Winfield’s nominees before Friday, too.

Winfield’s choices — as first announced last week — were Walter Armstrong for police chief, Charles Atkins for fire chief, Kenneth Daniels for assistant fire chief (emergency medical services), Mark Hale for assistant fire chief (firefighting), Lee Davis Thames Jr. for city attorney and Allen Derivaux for city judge. Winfield on Tuesday also nominated Bobby Robinson for reappointment as city prosecuting attorney. No other nominations were offered by the aldermen.

Beauman moved to reappoint Police Chief Tommy Moffett, Deputy Police Chief Richard O’Bannon, Municipal Court Judge Walterine Langford and Assistant Fire Chiefs Rose Shaifer and Mark Ettinger. Current Fire Chief Keith Rogers, whom Beauman has also said he will not vote to replace, did not receive a nomination.

Besides Osborne and Wynn, the board also reappointed Associate City Prosecuting Attorney Julianne Decker, Municipal Court Judge Pro Tem Lewis Burke, Community Court Judge Toni Walker Terrett, Municipal Court Clerk Janice Carter and Deputy Municipal Court Clerks LaFreida Kaiser Lee, Natalie Erves and Regina Prentiss.

As a formality, Osborne also was given the title tax assessor and collector, though, by contract, the city employs county officials in those jobs to work for the city, too.

Winfield said he would like to see Langford take on a role as assistant city attorney, a position she held before being promoted in April 2008 to head the entire city court’s services and staff.

The meeting began and continued on cordial terms. Mayfield was selected as mayor pro tem for the new four-year term, replacing Beauman, who served in the role for the past four years. The mayor pro tem is responsible for conducting meetings and making executive decisions when the mayor is out of town or otherwise unavailable.

Also Tuesday, the board approved spending $24,509.55 for a new Chevrolet Tahoe for Winfield. Beauman, who voluntarily gave up his city vehicle about a year ago, abstained from voting on the matter. Winfield said he had done his “homework on the matter” and the Tahoe is as efficient as the Ford sedans often purchased at state contract prices for city officials. The Tahoe cost about $1,000 more than a sedan.

Among the appointments, the police chief is perhaps the most controversial. Although Winfield did not make Moffett’s removal a part of his platform initially, it has been a hot-button issue among voters since before the May 5 primary when Winfield said he would vote to replace the chief. The board accepted into the official record on Tuesday a petition with 81 signatures from local citizens who want Moffett to keep his job. Mayfield has said his phone has been ringing off the hook from citizens weighing in on the issue, with most of them calling for a change.

Moffett, 59, was brought to Vicksburg by former mayor Laurence Leyens in 2001, shortly after he retired from the Biloxi Police Department as chief of 16 years and with 28 years total experience. Armstrong, 48, is a Batesville native and 25-year veteran of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol, where he holds the rank of lieutenant. Armstrong has lived in Warren County for about 20 years, Winfield said.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com