Hurray for the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen!

After years of arguing and struggling with the city’s charter, the three men found a way to come together and make much-needed changes, which will streamline city operations and provide a clear leadership path for city employees.

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. has advocated for these changes since taking office. He said on Tuesday after the board’s meeting that the change agreed upon by all three is “the most progressive policy change in the history of this city. It brought the charter into the 21^st century.”

The most profound change is that the charter will force the mayor and aldermen to clearly define responsibilities of each. While the changes won’t go into effect until after this summer’s municipal elections, the mayor and aldermen will have 30 days to agree upon what departments each will oversee.

The charter change also removes some obsolete regulations in the charter, like the setting of speed limits for horse-drawn carriages and leads the way for the mayor and aldermen to be involved in job creation through economic development activities. That’s something Flaggs said the charter prohibited before these changes were approved Tuesday.

In addition, the charter changes require that city department or division heads live within the city of Vicksburg. That’s a reasonable expectation.

This change in our city’s charter was necessary and the manner in which the mayor and aldermen went about making them was the easiest way for citizens and city employees alike.

These changes didn’t come about easily. It took a great deal of compromise and negotiation on the part of the mayor and each alderman. We think they have provided for this city a great example of what can be accomplished when our elected leaders simply listen to each other and choose to work together.

Our city’s leadership is strong, and Mayor George Flaggs Jr., and aldermen Michael Mayfield and Willis Thompson have earned our thanks.