[2/10/04]Bill Lauderdale Jr., who left office as a Warren County supervisor six weeks ago will return as a member of the Warren County Election Commission.

At a special Monday meeting, Lauderdale was the unanimous choice of his former colleagues and of Carl Flanders who replaced him as District 4’s delegate to the board of supervisors in January.

The appointment was needed due to the Jan. 29 death of James E. “Mac” McMullin who had served three terms on the election commission.

District 5 Supervisor Richard George made the motion to tap Lauderdale, and the vote was 5-0.

Lauderdale served 16 years on the county board before losing to Flanders in the November general election.

Also applying by the 5 p.m. Friday deadline supervisors set were John Rundell, former Warren County purchasing agent, and James Rucker, a retired mail carrier and former member of the Vicksburg Civil Service Commission.

Lauderdale will serve until the end of 2004. The post pays $70 a day, and commissioners are normally allowed about 100 days a year. Election commissioners are not eligible for the state retirement system and time served does not count toward a state pension.

Duties include enrolling and assigning voters to the correct polling places and preparing poll books, training poll workers and conducting general elections.

Election commission districts are the same as for supervisors and all five seats will be on the Nov. 2 presidential ballot. People wishing to seek any of the posts should file in the Warren County Chancery Clerk’s Office.

In other action, the board:

Approved a resolution to be sent to the local delegation to the Mississippi Legislature seeking a local and private bill to allow the county to contribute $16,000 to the Vicksburg Main Street Program for one year. The board had gotten a similar local and private bill passed in 2003 to contribute the same amount.

Approved a request to purchase a 60-camera and digital recorder surveillance system for the Warren County Jail for an estimated $60,000.

Approved a request to buy 25 in-car video cameras for the Warren County Sheriff’s Department for $93,625 on state contract.

Approved a request from L.W. Callaway III, director of the Warren County Emergency Management Office, to purchase a new car. He said the county had received a little more than $31,000 from the state under the emergency management plan from 2003 and $20,000 could be used to replace one that is eight years old.