NATCHEZ, Miss. – The dispute that’s been displayed the past two months by city aldermen and Mayor Dan Gibson in appointing the new Natchez police chief continued Tuesday, a day after a 4-3 vote that had the mayor breaking a tie to select Lee Best to lead the Natchez Police Department.
Gibson broke another tie Tuesday as the three dissenting aldermen tried to appoint long-serving NPD Commander Justin Jones as assistant police chief. They’ve argued that Best doesn’t have enough experience at the NPD to be chief.
In voting against making Jones an assistant police chief, Gibson said there wasn’t enough discussion among aldermen about giving him a position currently not in the NPD hierarchy.
Best joined the NPD in 2024 and has been the chief enforcement officer of city regulations for maintaining private properties. He’s considered by the mayor and three aldermen the most-qualified of four candidates interviewed Monday in sessions that aldermen closed to the public.
In supporting Best’s appointment, Gibson said: “We have an individual who’s served this community for many, many years.” The mayor said he’s “seen that work in this community expressed in his work ethic and in the way he respects and works with everyone regardless of their background and regardless of their color.”
Best worked for the Adams County Sheriff’s Office before becoming a Natchez police officer.
Dissenting aldermen appeared to favor Jones, who has more NPD experience than Best.
Gibson on Monday joined Aldermen Valencia Hall, Sarah Carter Smith and Curtis Moroney in voting for Best. Aldermen Billie Joe Frazier and Ben Davis – former Natchez police officers – were joined by Alderman Felicia Bridgewater Irving voting against Best.
Irving complained that appointing a NPD newcomer as chief is “a slap in the face” to the more experienced Natchez police officers bidding for the job.
Meeting Tuesday, aldermen split along the same lines when Frazier attempted to get Jones appointed assistant police chief. While Gibson said he has the “utmost respect” for Jones and his 26 years at the NPD, he broke Tuesday’s 3-3 tie to sink his appointment as assistant chief.
The mayor has been thrust into making tie-breaking votes throughout the police chief search process that began in January, when Green announced her plans to retire.
Gibson and aldermen closed the public out of their meeting Tuesday to discuss Best’s salary.
Green, appointed in 2023 as Natchez’ first female police chief, has said she’s ready for the pension-paying retirement she’s earned after nearly 29 years with the NPD and Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
Gibson said there was no such position [Assistant Chief of Police] in the department’s hierarchy and it had not been discussed with the new chief Best. He is woefully wrong!
But Part 1 of our City Charter Sec. 7 says differently.
https://library.municode.com/ms/natchez/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTICH_S7ELOFTECHPOCLBEAPASCHPO
*Effective January 1, 1969, there shall be created the office of assistant chief of police and he person to serve in said capacity shall be appointed by the mayor and board of aldermen of the City of Natchez, Mississippi, by majority vote but the mayor shall not vote except in the event of a tie.
(d) The duties of the assistant chief of police shall be similar to those of the chief of police and the assistant chief of police shall be in charge of the Natchez Police Department in the absence of or due to the disability of the chief of police so to act. The assistant chief of police shall serve under the direction of the chief of police but may be removed by the mayor and board of aldermen after notice and hearing upon the affirmative vote of four members of the board of aldermen present and voting.
(Ord. No. 1968-2, § 1, 10-22-68; Ord. No. 1971-5, § 1, 12-27-71; Ord. No. 1976-2, § 7, 2-6-76; Ord. No. 1987-5, § 4, 10-27-87; Ord. No. 2014-1, § 4, 8-26-14)
Editor’s note(s)—Ord. No. 2014-1, § 4, adopted August 26, 2014, amended § 7 to read as set out herein. Previously § 7 was titled “Election of officers; terms; chief of police to be appointed; assistant chief of police.”
Note(s)—The date of general municipal elections is provided in MCA 1972, § 23-15-173.