Furlow said conducting the city’s business in open session is one of the most important points in his platform.

“I believe executive sessions have been misused and overused to allow the board the opportunity to speak outside the public eye,” he said. “I come from a background of journalism. We always fought for open meetings, and I believe in open meetings.”

During their closing remarks, all of the candidates said they were running for mayor only because they desired to better Natchez as a community.

Furlow said he would bring common sense to city government, not “grandiose schemes of pie-in-the-sky ideas.”

“I have only made one promise,” he said. “That is if I’m elected I will lead you and always act in ways that will make you proud,” he said.

Furlow said that he believed there was distrust among city officials, the mayor and the aldermen. He said he would work to gain the trust of other city officials and restore the people’s trust in city government.

Middleton said he believed with the economic development and job prospects on the horizon for Natchez, the city is headed in the right direction.

“We’re on the right track,” he said. “This mayor has done everything you have asked him to do … sometimes it wasn’t easy, but I feel very good about the direction this city is headed.”

Brown said Natchez is at a crossroads, and he said he believed Natchez can do better than it has been.

“We’ve got to make some changes and be diligent about those changes,” he said. “We have to have a leader that will be aggressive and strong and who will stand up and speak out.”

West said he would rather not be in the race, but he said he was running because he had seen what Natchez can be and hopes to restore its greatness.

“We need strong visible leadership, and we need honest leadership,” West said. “And we need a leader that will do the kinds of things that are necessary to move us much further ahead, and I am the person who will do that.”

The primary election is May 1. Furlow will not appear on the primary ballot because he is running as an independent. The general election is June 5.

The chamber will host another forum for the candidates of the contested citywide elections from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. April 23 at the convention center.