Ward 3

Ward 3 Alderman candidate Sarah Carter Smith, a Democrat, said she was running for a seat on the board of aldermen with no personal agenda and because she wanted to make Natchez a place where her children could come back to and get good jobs.

“Natchez is not the place it was when I was growing up, but I believe we have the opportunity to bring it back and make it better,” she said.

Smith was asked what she would do as an alderman to ensure her children could have good jobs to come back to in Natchez.

Smith said she believed the success of Natchez Inc. needed to continue, and she said she also thinks the city needs to be more business-friendly.

“Small businesses are the backbone of America,” she said.

Democratic candidate Gwen Ball said she has objected to the way city government has conducted business recently, which she said has sent a negative message to outside businesses.

“If they are observing the inconsistency, secrecy and favoritism which has occurring on that board, then that would be very discouraging to outside businesses,” she said.

“I must say I have heard some complaints about the lack of response from the person representing our ward, but I don’t want to focus on that,” she said.

Ward 6

Candidate Dianne P. Brown, a Democrat, said after moving back to Natchez she was saddened to see the many lost opportunities in Natchez and that the city was not working together to address its needs, which she hopes to help solve as an alderman.

“The most important thing is the ability to communicate and to work with others,” she said.

Incumbent Dan Dillard said he posed the question of reviewing the interlocal agreement that founded the former Economic Development Authority, which helped plant the idea that eventually resulted in the formation of Natchez Inc.

Dillard said the current aldermen have stuck by their funding of Natchez Inc., and he said he was proud to be a part of bringing 750 jobs to the area.

Mayor

Indpendent candidate Bill Furlow said he is, by nature, a uniter not a divider. He said he believes building trust among elected officials and residents is key.

“Every day I would work to build trust, and I would do so by being true to my word every time and open and honest at all times by making every effort possible to bring people together on the same page for the common good of our city,” he said.

Current Mayor Jake Middleton and Democratic candidate and former mayor Phillip West were asked what would be different about their next terms if elected from their previous terms. Middleton said he has spent the last four years laying the foundation for the 750 new jobs coming to Natchez and establishing Natchez as a place businesses want to locate. He said the next four years would be spent continuing to recruit more industries and build more jobs.

West said in the next four years, the new casino will be bringing in millions to the city. He said he will bring a brand new attitude with him as mayor to unite the community and address the city’s many infrastructure, housing and other needs.

Republican candidate Bob Buie said he believes Natchez has been on the decline for the past 20 years, especially in the areas of crime and leadership.

“You have three candidates who have already been mayor, and I ask you why would you want to vote for somebody that has accomplished nothing,” he said.

Forum moderator Jessie Turner asked West and Middleton to defend themselves since Buie had “insinuated” that the former mayors in the race had accomplished nothing.

Middleton said he came into office during the economic downturn and cut costs and sought out grants to fund city projects. Middleton also noted the importance of the jobs and money the new casino would be bringing in.

West noted that he signed the original contract for the new casino and also serves on the board of Natchez Inc., which has brought so many jobs to the area. West noted his raises for public works and the police department during his term, as well as the low crime rate and $1 million he left in the bank when he left office.

After the candidates took their seat in the audience, Furlow and Middleton were asked since there has been much discussion about raises at the police department, what their plans were for the fire department.

Furlow said he believes since crime has been focus of discussion in the city recently, he believed that may be a reason the fire department has been left out of the discussion.

Middleton said both the firefighters and fire chief are top notch.

Furlow and Middleton both said local firefighters are underpaid and deserve raises.

West, who was not given the opportunity to answer the question, said if firefighters and police get raises, it will be because of the

money coming to the city from the casino contract he signed.

West also asked to answer a previous question to another candidate regarding hiring a police chief. Forum moderator Judge Mary Toles told West he was out of order.

City Clerk

Democratic Candidate Temple Hendricks said in her experience as an administrative assistance for the city and deputy city clerk under current City Clerk Donnie Holloway that she has seen the problems that currently exists in the city clerk’s office.

One of the problems, Hendricks said, is the fact that the city is supposed to submit financial information for its annual audit in January, but, she said, the information has not yet been sent to the auditor for this year’s audit, which is due at the end of June.

Holloway said he had the documentation to prove Hendricks was hired not as his deputy city clerk but as a deputy clerk at the police department, worked in his office for one year and then transferred to the planning department. Holloway said the facts she has recently presented have not told the entire story of the inner workings of the city clerk’s office. “What I have done is helped in getting the city clerk’s office an excellent reputation in the state,” Holloway said.

Holloway’s opening remarks were cut off at the two-minute time limit, but Turner asked Holloway to continue in lieu of his first question to Holloway.

“I have my reasons,” Turner said to the audience.

Holloway continued to say that a few errors have been made in his time as city clerk.

“But a good money manager looks for ways to learn from mistakes and move forward,” he said.

Hendricks was asked what she would do to correct the problems she has pointed out in the city clerk’s office.

“Part of the problem we have now is that we have this software that’s not fully functional,” she said. “They need to get the software up and running…I think that is part of the reason the auditor cannot get the information needed (for the audit).”