Aldermen will hold a special meeting 5 p.m. Monday at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership to interview city prosecutor candidates.
City officials confirmed on social media Tuesday that two applications for the position have been submitted. The application window ends 5 p.m. Thursday.
The need for a new prosecutor emerged when Roy Carpenter Jr. announced his intent to retire effective June 30. Carpenter began serving as the city prosecutor in 1986 and county prosecutor in 1983.
Carpenter submitted a letter near the end of May to supervisors announcing his intention. The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution to alert the county election commission of the need for a special election to fill the vacancy this year. Supervisors did not set a date, but Board President Orlando
Trainer said the election is expected to be held in November. The first Tuesday of that month is Nov. 5.
In his retirement announcement, Carpenter thanked the residents of Oktibbeha County for allowing him to serve more than 30 years and called his experience “an honor and a privilege.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to have worked with the many fine men and women in the court system and law enforcement community,” he said in his retirement announcement. “Their professionalism and dedication to the community have made my job a pleasure as I move on in my profession.”
Carpenter originally submitted his retirement announcement with the understanding he would deploy in September to Kuwait for a year with the Army. His deployment was canceled shortly after he decided to retire.
“I’d made up my mind at that time that I really didn’t want anyone to have to pay two people to do my job,” he said. “I’m looking forward to transitioning back to full-time private practice.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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