NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - Adams County supervisors have appointed Aisha Sanders to serve as interim county prosecuting attorney until a special election is held.
Sanders’ term will begin in June and end in November. She replaces county Prosecuting Attorney Barret Martin, who announced last month his retirement, effective May 31.
The Natchez Democrat reports (https://bit.ly/2nNyqu4) the election will be Tuesday, Nov. 7.
After her appointment Monday, Sanders thanked the supervisors for entrusting her with the position.
“I am looking forward to the challenge of the office,” she said.
Martin has held the post since 1984 and said he had been thinking about retiring for about a year, since he closed his family-run law practice. The window of opportunity opened, he said, when former Southern District Justice Court Judge Charlie Vess retired earlier this year.
“Since they are going to have to have a special election anyway, I figure now is the time or I’d have to ride it out for another three years,” he said.
Martin said he and his wife, Dianne, are looking forward to retirement and doing some traveling.
“We have booked a big trip to Disney World,” Martin said. “We have not been there in 30 years. And when we go down there, we may take a grandchild or two.”
Martin said he believes Sanders will do a good job as interim.
“Mrs. Sanders is an exceptional young attorney,” Martin said. “She has impressed me more than once in defense of her client. She is a student of the law. She has all the natural abilities and she will bring enthusiasm into the position.”
Sanders, a graduate of the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, said she would not run for the position in November but has not ruled out doing so in the future.
“I’m still trying to learn the ropes,” she said. “The experience in the interim will be beneficial in the future.”
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Information from: The Natchez Democrat, https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/
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