Jackson Mayor John Horhn issued the following statement.
Mayor John Horhn today thanked Chief Administrative Officer Pieter Teeuwissen and Human and Cultural Services Director Pam Junior for their service to the City of Jackson. City Attorney Drew Martin will serve as interim Chief Administrative Officer, and Kahrna Stimley will serve as interim Director of the Department of Human and Cultural Services until both positions are permanently filled.
"When I took office, I needed someone who could hit the ground running, and Pieter did exactly that," said Mayor Horhn. "He took on some of the hardest problems in City Hall, from our budget to projects that had been stuck for years. He made tough calls, and he always kept the residents of Jackson in mind. I am grateful for his work and for the foundation he helped us build."
"I would like to thank Mayor Horhn for asking me to assist with the start of his Administration, and also thank the City Council for their unwavering support," said Teeuwissen. "Together, we have eliminated a $25 million budget deficit without layoffs, furloughs, or new taxes while addressing long-stalled projects such as Thalia Mara Hall, the MLK/Shaw/Beasley bridges, and merging departments to promote efficiency. Jackson is rising, and my hope is everyone will continue supporting Mayor Horhn and the City of Jackson."
Junior returned to the City of Jackson after serving the city for 28 years and later working with the State of Mississippi.
"Pam didn't have to come back, but she did, and Jackson is better for it," said Mayor Horhn. "She knows this city and she cares deeply about its people. Her staff believed in her, and she believed in them. Her leadership is hard to replace, and I thank her for giving us this past year."
"In my former life, I had the privilege of serving the City of Jackson for 28 years before moving on to serve with the State of Mississippi. To be asked to return and serve the Department of Human and Cultural Services as Director was truly a gift,"said Junior. "The staff members were amazing, hardworking, and committed. They believed in my leadership, and together, we worked to make a difference. I see the future of Jackson, and I see it very clearly. Hope is around the corner. I believe the right person is at the helm, and that person is John Horhn."
As City Attorney, Martin works closely with every city department.
"Drew already knows how every part of this city works, and he knows the people doing the work," said Mayor Horhn. "I appreciate him stepping up to take on this role on top of his duties as City Attorney. I have full confidence that he will keep us moving forward."
"I want to thank the Mayor for entrusting me with this position," said Martin. "Having worked closely with all of our City departments, I know both the challenges we face and the dedication of the people working to meet those challenges. I am looking forward to this new challenge of working with the City Council and everyone in the City to continue our efforts of improving the quality and efficiency of City services to all of our residents."
Stimley has served the City of Jackson in the Department of Human and Cultural Services, the Office of Economic Development, and the Department of Housing and Community Development. She serves on the Executive Committee for the 82nd and 83rd National Folk Festivals and leads Jackson's Fresh Collective, which connects fresh food access, health, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and different generations. She holds a master's degree and an Education Specialist degree in Counseling Psychology from Mississippi College.
"Kahrna has worked in several parts of city government, and she understands how culture, community, and economic growth go hand in hand," said Mayor Horhn. "She has been part of this department's work, and she is ready to lead. I thank her for being willing to serve."
"My mission is to lead with purpose, inspire collaboration, and strengthen services that help residents thrive," said Stimley. "I envision a Jackson where every neighborhood can access meaningful support, participate in arts and culture, and help shape a vibrant future for the city."
The city will share more information about permanent appointments when it is available.
16 comments:
I was forced to call the mayor's office after the people who answered the phone at 311 and Public Works were useless and rude. Cathy Northington was great. The problem is that the vast majority of city employees are worthless.
Why did people from fondren love Jackson so much?
The nice rats are jumping from a sinking ship.
311 number doesn’t work. Constituent Services will take your info but there is no follow up.
Pieter has always been good for Jackson.
RMQ
Close the zoo-
Fondrenites march to the beat of a different drum-
Why do people in Madison think the sun only rises and sets there and ignore the fact that they are rednecks from 50th place shithole state of Mississippi.
2:24 Deflection doesn't look good on you. Sorta grasping.
I would be too afraid to live in fondren.
Just left a child centric running event at the district and there was no parking to be had for the bars and food. Fondren and jackson are pretty good if you don’t want to get crack on west
The comments from the Mair, those departing and the incoming remind me of Bobbie Gentry's "Just be nice to the gentlemen, Fancy, and they'll be nice to you".
Fondrenites march to the beat of a different tuba, more like.
John trying to do what makes sense. Appreciate his efforts. Jackson can not afford to fix or maintain what it has based on the tax revenue coming in. Each Ward needs to justify its existence tax revenue based on revenue brought in. If that Ward can not generate enough tax revenue to justify its existence then the city needs to tell the State and the County we can’t afford to take care of the people in that Ward due to lack of money.
Craziest thing is Jackson probably could have handled the largest Data Center of all when previous mayor was in office had he been focused on that 3 or 4 years ago. Water under bridge now.
Now I think the city and its services need to be cut by 50%.. Close the Zoo, give all the parks away as we not even keeping them up. Also cut JPD department since capital police taken over some areas. Fire department probably needs consolidating and beefing up stations that are most active.
We can’t maintain water and sewer services when not enough people to justify cost. Ted H needs to be commended. City of Jackson can not get control of the water & sewer department.
The City of Jackson can not keep storm drains up, fix potholes or enforce building and property upkeep codes. Until City proves to its citizens it can properly maintain the current streets, parks, storm sewers, code enforcement and street lights consistently they should not get control of ruining anything else..
I am pulling for John to do the right thing. Also the city council to think about the citizens and not promoting themselves and naming streets we can’t even maintain..
Dropping like flies .
Hate Teeuwissen is leaving. Worth his weight in gold.
Post a Comment