Jackson Free Press

Last week saw a flurry of resignations from Mayor Frank Melton's administration, starting with City Administration Director Peyton Prospere, whose resignation became public Wednesday. On Friday, Deputy City Attorney Herb Irvin and grant writer Lisa Lucas also resigned. These resignations came only days after Melton vowed to WAPT that he would fire some members of city government.

Prospere, who was essentially the chief financial officer of the city, was one of the pillars of the Melton administration. He is known for his service as state treasurer and as chief legal counsel for Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, and he led Melton's transition team. Prospere is widely regarded as a methodical professional who was largely disinterested in politics.

Prospere's resignation caused alarm among some members of City Council. Council President Ben Allen and Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon said they were devastated after learning of Prospere's decision. Allen compared hearing of Prospere's resignation to learning that somebody "got killed in a car wreck."

"We tried to talk him out of it, but he wasn't willing," Allen said. "This is his decision. This is what he thinks is best for him."

Barrett-Simon worried that Prospere's departure showed instability in city government. "I don't think there's any way that you could look at the last two days and not believe that there is instability here," Barrett-Simon said. "For the sake of the city, and the sake of our employees and our citizens, we need to get back on an even keel. We need to make sure that if any employees are to be terminated then they need to be met with one-on-one. That is the appropriate way to do it—not leak these stories to the press and then have people walk in and have the person be stunned."

Ward 6 Councilman Marshand Crisler joined in this chorus, and last week he expressed anxiety about the then-rumored departure of Lucas, who was the city's only remaining grant writer. "I'm concerned about the predicament of the staff right now and the directors in the administration," Crisler said. "There needs to be something concrete in place in that department. I don't think people understand that you can't have holes like this. It causes problems."

Neither Prospere, Lucas nor Irvin has returned calls.

In his resignation letter, which did not explain why he quit, Prospere wrote: "I appreciated the opportunity to serve both Mayor Melton and this City in which we all have a stake. I wish for him and the administration success, because it is important for the City of Jackson that they succeed."

Legislative lobbyist Gary Anderson, who worked with Prospere during his time in the state treasurer's office, said Prospere was not prone to hasty decisions. "This departure was nothing he made an abrupt decision on. This is something that I'm sure he had already been contemplating," Anderson said.

Allen insisted that Prospere left on his own, with no hard feelings. However, Barrett-Simon's comments suggest that Prospere was asked to leave, and there was tension between Prospere and City Attorney Sarah O'Reilly-Evans. Last month, the Jackson Free Press broke the story that O'Reilly-Evans, whose base salary is $113,000, would receive an additional $45,000 for her work on a $65 million convention-center bond proposal. O'Reilly-Evans' contract allows the payment, but several members of City Council say they would not have approved her contract had they realized the clause was there. Another clause allowed O'Reilly-Evans to start with 154 hours of accrued vacation time, apparently a holdover from her previous employment with the city during the Johnson administration.

A Nov. 9 story in the Jackson Advocate described a heated exchange between Prospere and O'Reilly-Evans when they went to New York to sell the convention-center bond. Prospere, the Advocate reported, "has been heard to say on numerous occasions that, 'Sarah will be publicly embarrassed' if she tries to collect on any bond fees." According to the Advocate, O'Reilly-Evans told them: "Prospere got so enraged during their conversation that he admits that it was him (sic) who asked the council to review her contract some 15 months later."

Administrative Services Deputy Rick Hill will temporarily replace Prospere, but former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said replacing a city's chief financial officer is not easy, especially if the city hopes to find a replacement of Prospere's caliber.

"It's going to be hard to replace someone with his credentials for $74,000," Johnson said. "That's a very underrated position. Public Works and police chief get lots of press because their services are so visible, but the financial management system is the fuel that makes the engine run, and if you start blowing out gas there, the whole city closes down—there are no police officers or money to pave streets."