The City of Natchez’s deal to declare the Broadway Street depot surplus and lease it out to a handpicked developer has apparently made a bunch of locals angry.

A business trip had me out of town for several days last week, but the feedback from angry residents poured into my email inbox and office voicemail (I still owe a handful of you calls back on Monday).

Perhaps not since the failed bluff condo development several years ago have as many local residents become as angry over a city project.

Few of the people with whom I’ve spoken are against the developer — Warren Reuther — per se.

Most opponents appear to be most angry over the manner in which the city handled the matter. Second in the reasons for being upset is the fact that no one — beyond Reuther, Mayor Butch Brown and perhaps Reuther’s attorney (and former city attorney under Brown’s first administration) Walter Brown — seems to know exactly what is planned for the building that is (literally) on Natchez’s front porch.

Last week Mayor Brown stuck to his guns that the project was righteous and that any criticism unmerited.

He’s gone so far as to suggest that since the first letter of intent was adopted in September, that no one had stepped forward with questions about the project or other suggestions for the site until the matter went to a final vote.

Such a stance is a bit disingenuous.

From the time the city accepted the letter of intent in early September, the city was precluded from even talking to anyone with a remote interest in developing the depot beyond Reuther.

While perhaps none of the aldermen noticed it, the letter intent they accepted did two critical things:

First, by way of the resolution accepting the letter of intent, the city simultaneously declared the depot property as “surplus” thus having no governmental use.

The property declared surplus apparently includes the patio area in front of the depot that is considered the trailhead for the Natchez Trails.

Second, aldermen in September unanimously signed off on the letter of intent that included in Section 7, a “no shop” provision that prohibited the city from accepting any offers from others or even talking with anyone else interested developing the depot.

In one quick vote the aldermen — either knowingly or unknowingly — became sucked into a setup. They voted to accept the letter of intent with no discussion. The matter was proposed and it quickly went to a vote.

Brown and Brown wanted Reuther to gain control of the building and surreptitiously created a plan to offer up the building to him and only him.

The paperwork aldermen signed off on was crafted to prohibit anyone else from even having a shot at suggesting a solution for the depot.

Whether or not someone else beyond Reuther has the means to offer a similar — or even a better — arrangement — is uncertain.

The challenge is that without any particular public notice or discussion, a few city leaders took a public building and a Mississippi Landmark, declared it surplus property and leased it to their buddy.

Something about that process just seems wrong.

With three votes — enough to set the board into a tie — and the mayor’s tiebreaking vote, it would appear four people could do pretty much whatever they want with city property with virtually no public notice and no public discussion.

That simple truth is frightening when the motives of those four people are not clear.

 

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.