Mayor Paul Winfield, North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield and a handful of other city employes are to return today from Biloxi, where they’ve been participating in the 78th Annual Mississippi Municipal League Conference since Monday.

“There’s a lot of excitement in the air. A lot of changes took place all over the state (on the June 2 election). There’s a lot of newly elected officials here, and Republicans and Democrats are sitting down together during break-out sessions to talk about a number of issues and opportunities,” said Winfield, a Democrat who won his first bid for public office and has been mayor for two weeks and two days.

The MML conference, themed Helping Cities and Towns Excel, was expected to draw an estimated 1,300 elected officials and employees from nearly 300 cities around the state. Established in 1931, the MML is a private association representing 288 municipalities in the state. Among other things, the league lobbies for municipal-friendly legislation and serves as a networking platform for municipal officials. County supervisors across the state, including those in Warren County, belong to a separate association, the Mississippi Association of Supervisors.

Joining the mayor and alderman on the trip to the coast were City Clerk Walter Osborne, Deputy City Clerk Tasha Wynn, new City Attorney Lee Davis Thames Jr. and Walterine Langford, the former municipal court judge who is returning to a role as city prosecutor — a position she held before taking over the city court in April 2008. On Friday, former City Attorney Nancy Thomas was chosen by the board of mayor and aldermen to become the new municipal court judge, while Thames was selected to replace her.

A wide variety of educational seminars was offered at the MML conference, and Winfield said he sat in on about 10 during his four days at the conference. He said he’s working on becoming a certified municipal officer, an accreditation offered by MML for those who earn enough credits by attending the seminars. This year, Wynn completed her CMO requirements and was awarded a certificate, said Winfield.

“It really raises your level of consciousness and awareness of what you’re required to do as a public servant,” said Winfield. “You don’t have to do it, but I’d recommend it to everyone.”

Winfield said he had some advice to share with Mississippi mayors and aldermen who have not yet made crucial appointments of city officials — as the Vicksburg board did last week.

“A lot of them haven’t made their appointments yet. I told them from a practical perspective, you don’t have a timeline to make any changes, but if you have somebody in place who is not in line with your vision they can retard your ability to achieve the goals you’ve set,” he said.

Mayfield — who recently was selected as the mayor pro tem — did not return calls. South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman did not attend.  

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com