The Biloxi City Council has called a special meeting for Tuesday at 10 a.m., when  councilmembers are expected to accept the resignation of Mayor A.J. Holloway and choose an acting mayor.
The acting mayor, who will be chosen from  among the councilmembers, would serve until a special election is conducted, which is expected to be in about 60 days.
The  council is expected to meet the week of March 17 to set the date of the special election to decide a mayor, who would serve for the remainder of the current term, which ends in 2017. Once the date of the election is decided, qualifying deadlines for candidates will be determined.
See the agenda and supporting documents
See the statute on vacancies
See the statute on special elections
More than 500 seats sold for State of the City
City Councilmembers will decide Tuesday who will be delivering the welcoming remarks for next week’s State of the City luncheon, but one thing’s for sure: more than 500 seats have been sold for the event.
Tina Ross-Seamans, director of the sponsoring Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce, reports that tickets have been selling at a steady pace, despite Mayor A.J. Holloway’s decision to resign from office on Tuesday for health reasons.
The luncheon, highlighted by a 27-minute video report on the State of the City, will be Thursday at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. Doors open at 11 a.m.; the program begins at 11:30 a.m.
“The response that we’ve seen tells me that we have a great number of people who are interested in what’s going on in Biloxi,” Ross-Seamans said. “We have a great turnout every year – a sell-out audience many years – and that could very well happen this year, too.”
Tickets – at $35 each – are available through noon Tuesday.  Call the Biloxi Bay Chamber at (228) 435-6149 or email info@biloxibachamber.org. No tickets will be sold at the door.
Among the guests expected at the luncheon are First Lady Deborah Bryant and Congressman Stephen Palazzo. The Biloxi High School Show Choir also will perform, along with the Biloxi High School jazz band.
“Those are the things that we know right now,” Ross-Seamans said. “Other than that, we’re on hold until Tuesday as far as printing the programs.”
Veterans Avenue crematory plans under review
By Jerry Creel, Community Development Director
This week in economic development, we received the building plans for the Marshall’s Crematory to be located on Veterans Drive. The crematory is phase 1 of a 2-phase project which will also include Marshall’s Funeral Home. Building plans were received this week for 2 new single family houses.
Also this week, Reef Restaurant owner Rob Stinson has acquired the former Blue Crab House Restaurant. The existing structure will be renovated to become Baja Beach Biloxi, which will be a Mexican Style Restaurant.
Our building permits valuation for the first 2 months of 2015 is $13.7 million, which is $5.7 million ahead of our 2014 total for the same period.
News and notes
Weekend preview: Â The Beau Rivage Resort & Casino hosts “Bohrdeaux,” the 13th annual George Ohr Gala poolside, Â on Saturday evening; the Spring Fest and Garden Extravaganza, a Ron Meyers production, takes place at the Coast Coliseum this weekend, and, elsewhere, you’ll find concerts by Willie Nelson, Aaron Lewis, and Rodney Carrington. To see the complete lineup of weekend entertainment, click here.
Development: The Development Review Committee, the multi-departmental city group that reviews new commercial development in the city, meets next week to review plans for a snowball stand on Veterans Avenue and an office-warehouse on Lorraine Road. To see the agenda, click here.
Webcasting: F. Cliff Kirkland, who is working to develop a city-sponsored entertainment lineup at MGM Park, explains the possibilities in this week’s City Desk webcast. To hear the program, recorded Thursday morning, click here.
