By T. Scott Boatright
Granting approval for Mayor Alvin Bradley to search for and hire a new administrative assistant was the most pressing order of business during a special-called meeting Thursday evening in Grambling.
Bradley explained the need as the request began being discussed.
“I am making a personal request that (the City Council) give me approval to start a search to hire somebody because of Ms. Charlene Gray’s position,” Bradley said. “Ms. Gray has been out for a few weeks now. She’s had surgery and it looks like it may take a while for her to recover from that surgery, so I need somebody in the office. I needed it, like, yesterday. So I’m requesting that the council give me permission to find someone and make a hire.”
The City Council, with the exception of the absent John Brown, unanimously approved Bradley’s request.
Before the meeting began, a public hearing was held concerning amending an ordinance to correctly name the parcel owner of the property at 7455 Highway 80.
No one from the public made any comments during that public hearing.
During the meeting itself, the City Council approved amending that ordinance. That amendment changes the owner of the property from Elliott and Monica Jones to Councilwoman Cathy Holmes-Giles.
The vote was 3-1, with Holmes-Giles abstaining because amending the ordinance involves her.
Also approved was a request from Councilman Jerry Lewis, former fire chief/consultant of the Grambling Fire Department, former Lincoln Parish director of homeland security and former longtime member of the Ruston Fire Department.
That request was to hire Roxanne Jackson as a full-time registered firefighter.
“Miss Jackson has been with the Grambling Fire Department before she left,” Lewis said. “She has gotten at least three or four certifications.
“We’re trying to get her back into the fire department because what all those certifications do is help us on our (fire) rating. Anybody with those certifications helps tremendously as far as our manpower and our (fire) rating as far as our firefighting is concerned, so I’m recommending her tonight as a full-time hire for the Grambling Fire Department.”
Lewis’ motion passed 4-0.
Also hired was new full-time revenue specialist Terri Nichols.
“Ms. Nichols was interviewed by myself and a couple more people from the office and comes with experience in the water department in both Jonesboro and Winnfield,” Bradley said. “So I’m recommending that we hire Ms. Terri Nichols as a new full-time revenue specialist.
“We have one employee who could be out for six weeks, so this is a needed hire.”
Bradley’s request also passed 4-0.
Hired on a part-time basis as Grambling’s Main Street director was Raevyn Saint Val Lor.
“Main Street is one of the programs the city of Grambling has adopted and she’ll be working as director part time,” Bradley said.
Grambling’s Main Street program is part of the Louisiana Main Street initiative and is an economic program focused on historic preservation to help cities revitalize commercial districts by using core tenets including organization, promotion, design and economic vitality.
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