NATCHEZ — In two days Adams County voters will have their way, but not necessarily their final say.

A new slate of politicians — or at least newly re-elected incumbents — need to remember who put them in office once election season passes, local voters said, and remember what is important to those voters.

Some expectations are simple.

“I just want people who are going to do what they say they are going to do,” resident Joseph Jordan said. “That is the biggest problem I have with politics.”

Jordan said for the most part, he feels like candidates are speaking empty promises to get votes.

“Sure, there are a few candidates that I actually believe,” he said. “But most people are just blowing hot air, and as a citizen, I am tired of being promised things just for a vote.”

Natchez resident Lynn Curtis said she just wants the election to be clean.

“There have been a few shots from one candidate to the other,” she said. “But for the most part, no one has been out for blood, and I hope it stays that way through the election.”

Curtis said she wants a clean election so the candidates who win can immediately get to work.

“If there is any controversy in the elections, the candidate who is in question is going to be more worried about that than fulfilling his duties,” she said. “We don’t need that. We need candidates who care, putting forth as much time as possible toward the county.”

Other voters are ready to see elected officials get things done.

When the election results are final, Natchez resident Karl Wagoner said he wants to make sure those elected don’t forget about the county’s plan for a new recreation complex.

“I know this is something that has been on everyone’s mind for quite a while now,” he said. “And I know sometimes the hustle and bustle of an election can make people forget.”

Wagoner said he wants the county to try and build the complex, because his three children need more places for recreational activities.

“I want my children to get out from in front of the television, and it is hard to tell them to do that when they don’t really have many places to go,” he said. “Whoever gets elected needs to make sure this a top priority, because there are parents all over Adams County who I know feel the same way.”

Adams County resident Nina Temple said she also wants the county to build a new complex, but doesn’t want to see a new tax to pay for it.

“I pay enough taxes as it is,” she said. “So what’s so wrong about expecting my leaders to find funding that doesn’t come out of my pocket?”

Temple said she doesn’t know what it will take from her local government to make good things happen, but that isn’t her problem.

“It isn’t my job to make sure the county is run in a fair and just way,” she said. “It is my job to elect someone who is going to represent me and do that for me, and if I feel like they aren’t doing their jobs, I am going to let them know.”

While Adams County resident Mitch Percy said he agreed with Temple about the complex, he wants to see the newly elected leaders focus on county roads.

“I have been driving in this town for quite some time, and my truck is starting to show it,” he said. “There are so many potholes, bumps and problems on these streets, I don’t know how my tires haven’t fallen off.”

Percy said he knows many areas in Natchez need improvement, but he believes the county needs to focus on the roads first.

“If we want to make Natchez appealing to outside groups and visitors, we have to start at the bottom,” he said. “I wouldn’t move my family to an area where they can barely take care of the roads, because there has got to be more problems elsewhere.”

Natchez resident Doris Breehard said after the election, she wants her leaders to focus on bringing in jobs to the community.

“The census showed this town is declining, and it is declining in a hurry,” she said. “The only thing that is going to bring people here is a job, and we are looking scarce on those.”

Breehard said acquiring Elevance Renewable Sciences was a nice start, but it is going to take more than one company to save Adams County.

Breehard said she is going to take the final two days before the election to review the candidates so she can make the right pick for her.

Polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday.