In less than a few days’ time, Adams County and the City of Natchez have learned two long-time public servants soon will step down from their posts.

Long-time Natchez firefighter-turned- county emergency management director, Stan Owens announced Saturday his plans to hang up his emergency radio and retire effective June 30.

On a completely opposite end of the public service spectrum, Connie Taunton announced Monday she’ll retire after serving for 25 years with the City of Natchez in its Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Both departures close almost a generational chapter for each respective department.

But the changes also hold great opportunity for the future as well.

City and county leaders are now poised to truly rethink and reconsider what they seek from each position.

We encourage them to slow down before simply seeking applicants and hiring a replacement. First, let’s think long and hard about what each of these positions should be doing before recycling a 20-year-old job description.

At the end of the day, the jobs being done right now may be exactly what the community ultimately needs from each position. But if not, even if the adjustments are minor, now is the time to rework the positions for the future.

Change can be bittersweet for the people who are going through a life change, but change can — and should — be exciting for the leaders who can help shape the next generation of public servants.