VIDALIA &8212; With Rep. Bryant Hammett&8217;s resignation from legislature effective today, Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said his town is not losing their mayor quite yet.

Copeland, who took &8220;seven to 10 days to decide,&8221; has officially announced he will not run for the House of Representative&8217;s position.

&8220;Friday I had decided I was going to run for that office, but I&8217;ve had a lot of people call me asking me to remain mayor,&8221; Copeland said. &8220;I started weighing some things out and we have so many things going on here.&8221;

Hammett, of Ferriday left the House seat open after accepting a position in the State Office of Community Development, where he will oversee a disaster recovery team for state and government infrastructure impacted by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

The team will oversee the spending of more than $1 billion to rebuild parts of Louisiana affected by the hurricanes.

Hammett has served in the Louisiana House of Representatives since 1992, overseeing Concordia, East Carroll, Madison and Tensas.

&8220;There are a lot of projects going on and for me to leave in mid-term, I felt like it&8217;s just not the right time,&8221; Copeland said. &8220;We&8217;ve got a lot of good things going on.&8221;

Projects such as the recreation facility, completion of the industrial park, the arrival of the marina and port and the convention center, among other things, are things the mayor cited as reasons to stay.

Copeland has served in area politics since 1976, serving on the city council and now is in his 14th year as mayor.

Assistant District Attorney Andy Magoun and Ferriday Chief of Police Richard Madison are still considering pursuing the position. Madison will give up police position if elected, he said.

&8220;Hopefully someone with the caliber of Bryant or Al Ater can get in there and continue to help us,&8221; Copeland said. &8220;We&8217;ve got some monies in capital outlay and Bryant said he will continue to work to see that we get that.&8221;