Former Natchez mayor Larry L. “Butch” Brown may be a lot of things, but “Pigpen” he is not.

Sen. Lee Yancey jokingly referred to Brown as being like the Peanuts cartoon character Wednesday after Yancey voted against reconfirming Brown to head the state’s transportation department.

You’ll remember that a cloud of dust and dirt always surrounded Pigpen. And while Brown is certainly no angel, few leaders worth their salt are.

The majority of the committee voted to approve Brown. The matter is supposed to go before the full Senate for a vote later today.

Brown’s sometime abrasive management style rubs some state bureaucrats the wrong way, but few seem to be able to argue with his ability to get things done.

As Natchez mayor, Brown was no stranger to controversy, but the city also pushed home project after project. From the construction of the Visitor Reception Center to the foundations of the Convention Center, much was gained on his watch over the city.

And much has been gained in his work with MDOT, too, both here in Natchez and across the state. From the rapid work to rebuild infrastructure on the Gulf Coast damaged after Katrina to projects such as the Liberty Road interchange in Natchez, large and small projects alike have gotten attention — and in all corners of the state.

Brown may rub people the wrong way sometimes, and he may do some things that make you scratch your head — like writing a letter of support for the parole of a murder that he didn’t know. But we’ve yet to see anything he’s done that’s criminal.

He may occasionally play “Lucy” to Transportation Commission Dick Hall’s “Charlie Brown,” but we’ll take their sparring if he keeps getting the job done.