FERRIDAY — A Ferriday alderman says he will continue to pursue a lawsuit against the mayor for what he characterizes as a neglect of duty.

Mayor Gene Allen says the allegations by Alderman Elijah “Stepper” Banks don’t have any merit and the circumstances in question didn’t happen as Banks has characterized them.

Banks’ court filing seeks to compel Allen to forward a resolution adopted by the Ferriday board in February 2015 “to change the position of police chief from an appointed position to one that (is) elected by the citizens of the Town of Ferriday.”

At one time, board members had discussed putting the proposed change on the 2016 municipal ballot.

Banks’ lawsuit said that while the board adopted the resolution, Allen did not forward the resolution to the Louisiana secretary of state, “in order for the contents of the resolution (to) be placed on the ballot to be voted upon by the citizens of the Town of Ferriday.”

“He sat on it. That’s malfeasance in office,” Banks said. But Allen said the board has never instructed him to do what Banks said. The minutes of the meeting show that the motion that passed was to seek information about the feasibility of altering the town charter to make the appointed chief’s position an elected one.

“I don’t think he understands what he asked the city council to do,” Allen said. “He doesn’t have any validity in what he is doing.”

The lawsuit was quietly filed in early October, and had an initial hearing set for Oct. 22. When the time for the hearing came, Allen said, Banks didn’t appear in court.

The matter was “passed without date,” which meant the court did not hear it that day and did not set a future date for it to be heard, but did not dismiss it. If it is to be heard again, Banks would have to make additional filings.

Allen said he thinks the timing of Banks’ move to publicize the matter has to do with the upcoming municipal elections.

“I am not going to be distracted by Alderman Banks,” he said.

Alderwoman Gloria Lloyd was the only board member to vote against the proposal when it was presented to the board in February.