NATCHEZ — Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Kevin Kirby was back to work this week following a Feb. 12 incident after which he was asked to leave Natchez Visitor Reception Center, where the CVB’s office is located.

Several sources that allegedly were familiar with the incident said the matter also involved a verbal altercation between Kirby’s wife and CVB employees.

Mayor Butch Brown said Bonnie Kirby’s involvement in the CVB had been brought to his attention prior to the recent incident. Brown said when he learned of the latest dispute, he addressed the matter quickly.

“I heard about an argument or an exchange or however you want to couch it,” Brown said. “And I said, ‘Fine I’ll handle that,’ and I did.”

Brown said he hopes to put the issue to bed.

“To me, it is no longer an issue. If it comes up again, then it will be a very real issue,” Brown said. “I have reminded Kevin that his wife does not have any role at the Natchez Visitor Center and/or his operations. Trust me, there is now a clear definition of what her role is not.”

Natchez Convention and Promotion Commission attorney Christina Daugherty said she has not been given authority to give details on the incident, and CVB employee Barbara Lomasney, who witnessed the incident, said she has been instructed not to speak about it.

Kirby is a city employee, Daugherty said, and cannot be terminated by the NCPC, which oversees the CVB’s operations in an advisory capacity.

City Attorney Hyde Carby said Kirby was a city department head and a Natchez Board of Aldermen vote would be necessary in order to terminate him.

Ward 2 Alderwoman Sarah Carter Smith, who serves as a board of aldermen liaison to the CVB, said she was able to meet briefly with other members following the incident.

“I think until the entire board of aldermen has more information and hears directly from the commission, we can’t have a complete understanding,” Smith said.

Mayor Brown said a 30- to 45-day “cooling-off period” would follow before any action was taken.

Brown said the cooling-off period was a time for, “Whoever was involved and whoever thought about being involved to get their acts together and come back into a cohesive group.”

Brown said in the Natchez Tricentennial year, the mission of the CVB is even more important.

“If we can’t do it with the people we have, we will do it with people obtained from another source,” Brown said.