Elected officials should be easily accessible

Published 12:00 am Sunday, March 6, 2011

Little doubt exists that Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield is a busy man. He has his duties in this city and nearby communities and he is an attorney who travels frequently.

Last week, he announced — via teleconference from New Orleans — that once a week, from 1 until 4 on Wednesday afternoons, he would commit to being in his office to answer questions and concerns from the citizens.

Each week is made up of 168 hours, 40 of those usually reserved for the “work week.” For three of those hours the mayor will meet with anyone without an appointment.

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Puzzling here is that, in the same report, the mayor was quoted as saying he always has an open-door policy. A photo that accompanied the story on the front page of this newspaper was taken the same day the mayor announced his new policy.

It was 2 p.m. on a Friday, and it was lights out. The door was closed and locked. It’s not the open-door policy one would expect to see three hours before most offices close.

After the same meeting, North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield and South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman were asked about their office hours. Both said they both have open-door policies — all week.

This is not New York or Chicago or New Orleans. Our population is not in the millions, or even the hundreds of thousands. There should be no need for Walk-in Wednesdays. There also should be no reason that the mayor’s office be down for the count at 2 on a Friday afternoon.

Winfield has many irons in many fires. We hope his priority over all priorities is the City of Vicksburg and the people who elected him.

Elected officials of this city should be easily accessible, at least during normal working hours, like Mayfield and Beauman. Scheduling three hours in the middle of a normal workday should be unnecessary.

It is, however, telling and leaves an impression that he thinks he is a big-city mayor with big-city hassles and big-city obligations.

The mayor of Vicksburg must be accessible, at least during the 8 to 5 that City Hall — or most of it — is open for business.