Smith said because she is not on the board of aldermen, she was not privy to the inner workings of the casino deal.

“The decision has been made, and the money they have offered, we need use that money,” she said. “We need businesses here, and we need that money to be used for the betterment of Natchez.”

Ward 6

Ward 6 candidates Brown and Dillard, both Democrats, were asked where they stand on the city’s responsibility in pushing the recreation plan forward since a big piece of the proposed plan will be in Ward 6 in Duncan Park.

Brown said she believed recreation is an essential tool in a good quality of life, especially for Natchez’s young people.

“I would do anything I could to get it here or get it organized and changed,” she said.

Dillard said he believes the city is a major contributor to recreation. He said one of the ways a community is measured is by what it provides for recreation.

“I think it needs to include Duncan Park in a way that represents the investment that has been made there, and that would be the golf and the tennis,” he said.

Dillard said he believes the city has the opportunity to make a contributing effort towards recreation.

“I’m very pleased to see the county has demonstrated it’s interested in recreation,” he said.