Columbus City Council gave its blessing Tuesday to hiring an interim city chief operations officer and approving a new vice mayor.
The unanimously approved Mark Alexander Jr. as interim COO, following David Armstrong’s retirement last month.
A Columbus native, Alexander, 38, previously worked for East Mississippi Community College as the special assistant to the president. He is a partner at Alexander, Covington, & Co., a mergers and acquisitions firm. He is also the COO and co-founder of Global Outdoors, an app and website for people interested in outdoor experiences and adventures.
Newly-elected Mayor Keith Gaskin told The Dispatch last week the search for a permanent chief operations officer will be reopened to gain a broader range of applicants. He said the search will take between three and six months to complete.
Council approved Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens as vice mayor by a 4-3 margin with Gaskin casting the tie-breaking vote. Ward 3’s Rusty Greene, Jacqueline DiCicco of Ward 6 and Mickens of Ward 2 cast their vote for Mickens as vice mayor. Pierre Beard of Ward 4, Stephen Jones of Ward 5 and Ethel Stewart of Ward 1 voted against Mickens.
Mickens has served on the council since 2009 and was elected unopposed in June to his fourth term. As vice mayor, he replaces former Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin, whom DiCicco defeated in the Republican primary in April.
The vice mayor steps in to preside over council meetings when the mayor is absent or fill in for other mayoral duties when the mayor is unavailable due to such things as absence or health.
Before Mickens was approved as vice mayor, Stewart nominated Jones for the job. That vote split 3-3 as well, with Gaskin casting the tie-breaking vote against Jones.
Gaskin said though there were two qualified candidates for vice mayor, he voted for Mickens because he has seniority as a member of council. Gaskin said his choice of Mickens was not a reflection against Jones’ service on council.
Mickens pledged “to serve with humility and fairness and do what is best for Columbus and its citizens.” He thanked the citizens who supported him for four terms, his colleagues who voted for him and the mayor for their faith in him to serve as vice mayor.
“I welcome this wonderful opportunity to serve,” Mickens said. “I recognize the weight of this responsibility and I do not take it for granted.”
In other business, Police Chief Fred Shelton presented a commendation to CPD Officer Lance Luckey for going above and beyond the call of duty when assisting two senior citizens in May.
Luckey helped a man who had locked himself out of his home. Shelton said while providing this aid, a woman was choking, so Luckey performed the heimlich maneuver on her and offered words of encouragement while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
“A former resident of Columbus, who was present, stated that people should realize that there are good officers at the Columbus Police Department to assist and not to harm us. Officer Luckey’s dedication to duty, selfless service, training and outstanding professional ability contributed to aiding these citizens,” Shelton said. “This outstanding performance is in keeping with our highest tradition of protect and serve while reflects greatly upon himself, Columbus police and the city.”
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