NATCHEZ — Just hours after hundreds lined the street in front of City Hall to hear calls for “color blindness” and unity in City of Natchez government, clear lines were drawn in the city council chambers in the first meeting of the new administration.

In an apparent surprise move and their first vote as a board, Natchez aldermen voted against Mayor Darryl Grennell’s recommendation for city attorney Friday afternoon.

A few hours after being sworn in and following Grennell’s inaugural address, the Natchez Board of Aldermen voted 3-2 to appoint former city attorney Everett Sanders to his previous post at the board’s first meeting of the new administration.

Sanders was nominated by Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, who was on the board during Sanders’ previous tenure as attorney.

Ward 3 Alderwoman Sarah Smith nominated local attorney Bob Latham, who Grennell recently publicly tapped as his recommendation for city attorney.

Arceneaux-Mathis, Ward 2 Alderman Billie Joe Frazier and Ward 4 Alderwoman Felicia Irving voted for Sanders.

Smith and Ward 6 Alderman Dan Dillard voted for Latham. The vote to nominate Sanders, who is black, passed 3-2 with the vote falling upon racial lines. Grennell’s nominee is white.

Smith told Grennell following the vote she appreciated his inaugural sentiments about “color blindness” and appreciated his intentions.

Ward 5 Alderman Benjamin Davis abstained from the vote, saying he was not yet prepared to make a decision.

Davis and Irving had previously said they would support Latham’s appointment. After the meeting Friday, both of the first-time board members said at the time they voiced their support for Latham, they were not aware of any other candidates and only learned after of Sanders’ potential nomination.

After the meeting, Davis said he did not have an opportunity to properly consider the qualifications of Latham or Sanders.

“I was undecided because I really need to know more about them,” Davis said. “I want to make the right decision for the city.”

After the meeting, Irving said she did not receive any information or qualifications of either city attorney candidate prior to the vote.

When asked if without that information, Irving thought she had given adequate consideration to both candidates before voting for Sanders, Irving deferred comment until she had “more time to think” about the question.

Irving later did not return calls for comment.

Davis said he would have preferred the aldermen make nominations for city attorney, be given time to consider and review their qualifications and make a decision at a later date.

Dillard echoed the same sentiment after the meeting, saying he only learned of Latham’s nomination from reading about in the newspaper.

“I would say the process did not allow for enough deliberation and consideration of the potential nominees to make an informed decision,” he said.

Grennell said after the meeting that he had been upfront with the aldermen about his choice of Latham. He said, however, he did not contact all the aldermen personally before the news was published June 21.

Grennell said, though, he thinks the aldermen had enough time to voice opposition to Latham’s appointment.

Arceaneaux-Mathis’ nomination of Sanders, Grennell said, was racially motivated.

The move was made following Grennell’s inaugural address Friday morning that advocated for racial harmony and to end “the era of black folks on one side of the issue and white folks on the other.”

“Today I spoke about necessity of looking beyond race to heal this city,” Grennell said after the meeting. “I spoke about the necessity of hiring the most qualified person for every position, regardless of race, gender, etc.

“And with the first decision on the first day, the longtime Ward 1 alderwoman engineered the appointment of a less qualified city attorney than my nominee, simply because her choice is African-American.”

Grennell said the newly elected aldermen and alderwoman may be unaware of “the facts” about Sanders.

“The new city attorney is potentially costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in at least one lawsuit,” he said.

Grennell was referring to an ongoing lawsuit housing development company Roundstone Development filed against the city claiming $1.8 million in damages after the city denied its zoning application to allow construction of a housing development stretching from Old Washington Road to Oriole Terrace.

In 2011, Circuit Court Judge Forrest “Al” Johnson ruled against the city for breach of contract and misrepresentation. The decision was a default judgment, made because the court decided the city did not respond to the lawsuit in a timely fashion.

Sanders was city attorney at the time.

Grennell said more is at stake than racial divisions that have plagued the city and that Arceneaux-Mathis has “promoted for 20 years.”

“This is a sinister power play to reverse this election and to reverse the will of 92 percent of the electorate,” Grennell said, referring to the 92 percent of the vote he received in the general election.

Grennell called on voters to contact their aldermen and make their voices heard.

“This is the first effort to pull the cloak of secrecy around issues that the new administration has promised to make transparent,” he said. “This is an attempt by a senior alderwoman who has been part of the problem to keep the old guard in place and block the change and accountability that I have promised for a new Natchez.”

Arceneaux-Mathis denied any racial motivation in her nomination of Sanders, and said she chose Sanders because of his previous experience as city attorney and knowledge of ongoing litigation.

Arceneaux-Mathis said she reached out to Grennell on May 11 via a text message that congratulated Grennell on his primary victory and suggested there be a meeting before the June 7 general election to discuss a “transition team,” or appointments to be made such as city attorney.

Upon hearing the news of Grennell’s preferred candidate, Arceneaux-Mathis said it appeared the mayor had been making decisions without consulting her or other board members.

“Nobody asked us for suggestions,” she said, adding that multiple attorneys had reached out expressing interest in the position. “If you’re going to have an open-door policy, the door doesn’t just swing one way. I open (the) lines (of communication) and said (I would do) whatever I can to help. I heard nothing but, ‘Thank you and move forward.’”

Arceneaux-Mathis said she abided by the democratic process in place when nominating Sanders.

“The board could have voted it up, or the board could have voted it down,” she said. “This is the democratic process on which the United States was founded, and if I am going to put my hand on the Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution, and I am sure going to (do that).

“Go talk to (former mayors) Butch (Brown … go talk to Jake (Middleton) … go talk to Hank (Smith) … you win some and you lose some,” she said. “If we’re going to go home and cry every time we lose a vote, it’s going to be a long four years.”

In other news from the meeting:

4The board appointed assistant city clerk Wendy McClain as city clerk, the first appointed clerk to hold the position.

4The board split a vote on the reappointment of Municipal Judge pro tem Tony Heidelberg, a nomination made by Arceneaux-Mathis.

Recently elected Municipal Judge Lisa Jordan Dale had recommended attorney Bryan Callaway for the position.

Ward 3 Alderwoman Sarah Smith was the lone dissenting vote with her vote for Callaway.

Dale said she nominated Callaway because he was the only person who contacted her with interest in the position. Dale said she has a good working relationship with Heidelberg and looks forward to continuing to work together.