Prospective mayor looks forward to a ‘bold new vision’

DIAMONDHEAD -- Diamondhead’s prospective mayor Chuck Ingraham made one of his first public appearances Friday following the Mississippi Supreme Court upholding his group’s plan for incorporation.

Ingraham appeared at the Hancock Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting, telling the crowd Diamondhead will become a city on Feb. 6, putting an end to a five-year legal battle. The Mississippi Supreme Court, after denying an appeal by opponents of the proposal last week, issued a mandate on the matter Thursday, paving the way for incorporation for the area of 9,500 residents.

Ingraham, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, said Hurricane Katrina was a defining moment for Diamondhead, as many residents left after the storm because of the lack of infrastructure, while others were traumatized and simply moved away. The destruction along the Coast also prompted some residents to move northward into Diamondhead and the once retirement community began to have many new younger residents. About a year after the storm, residents began the process for incorporation.

“We look forward to becoming a partner in the bold new vision for Hancock County,” Ingraham said.

Ingraham said city officials will be able to apply for a “tax anticipation loan” which gives them operating funds in the early part of the city’s operation. The city expects to set its millage rate in September and begin to receive ad valorem taxes until October, but the bulk of those funds won’t show up until January.

The incorporation plan that would be put in place calls for an interim government until the regularly scheduled 2013 elections. In addition to Ingraham, there would be interim council members -- Ron Rech, Dianne Ackerman, Hank Holcomb, Dalton Roberson and Ernie Knobloch. They would hire a city manager.

Though fire protection, water and sewer districts already serve Diamondhead, officials will have to get police protection. That may come in the form of an agreement with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department to provide deputies to police the streets. There are no plans for a Diamondhead school district under the incorporation plan.

At the meeting, Chamber officials also touted their new website. It was also announced that Judith Redshaw was elected president of the Hancock Chamber for 2012. Redshaw said one the chamber’s main priorities will be to improve success rates for small businesses.

“Our goal is to decrease small business failures by giving support,” Redshaw said. “Statistics reveal that most small, start up businesses last only two years. We now have a counselor in house two days a week to give information, advice and support.”