The first photograph I ever took for The Natchez Democrat was published on May 27, 2000.

I mention this not because it was the best photo I have ever shot (it isn’t) or because of the subject matter (two Cathedral seniors adjusting their caps before graduation).

In fact, the photograph I took that night was not particularly memorable to me, except for when I took it.

I started work for the newspaper 11 days after F.L. “Hank” Smith ousted two-term mayor Larry L. “Butch” Brown in the race for Natchez mayor.

In the eight years since, the mayor’s office has been like a revolving door.

Every four years, voters have ousted the incumbent mayor to elect a new man for the job — not because of fresh ideas or revolutionary governmental proposals.

No. It has been the “anti” vote that has brought down the incumbent each four years in favor of change.

In 2000, it was the anti-Butch vote that elected Smith into office. My first few days of photographing were filled with conversations from residents who felt like Smith would bring a breath of fresh air to city government. Despite Brown’s accomplishments, Smith narrowly defeated the two-term mayor in a run-off.

It wasn’t so much because of Smith’s platform, but because he wasn’t Butch. Even Brown admitted as much when he said it was the “anti-Butch vote” that was responsible for getting him in a run-off with Smith in the first place.

But then the tables turned. After four years of Smith’s administration, the “anti” vote reared its ugly head to oust Smith from office.

Granted, Smith’s administration was fraught with many difficulties, including the closing of Johns Manville and International Paper. The loss of jobs and industry ultimately did in Smith’s administration.

But not far from the top of the list of reasons of why voters turned against Smith, was the fact they didn’t like how he governed. The anti-Smith vote elected Phillip West into office.

It was the politics of personality that did in both Brown and Smith and it was the politics of personality that would bring down Phillip West too.

Despite record low unemployment rates, a growing downtown, four new hotels and two new casinos on the horizon, voters decided West was not the right man for the job.

If the city was headed in such a positive direction, then what was it that made voters decide to turn their backs on West in favor of change?

The Democrat editorial board has been meeting with aldermen and mayoral candidates on the June 3 ballot.

The discussions have been filled with frank, informative discussions about the past, present and future of the city.

Out of all the comments that have been made this week, it was one statement that has stuck in my mind this week.

“It’s all a popularity contest, you know — especially in a small-town,” one of the alderman candidates asserted.

Unfortunately this candidate is probably right.

In a time when the city government seems more complicated than ever, it is easier to vote for someone because we like them or worse yet because we don’t like their opponent — not because of their platform.

But where has this thinking led us in the last eight years, except running in circles.

For the third time in a row, voters have decided that it is a time for a change.

Now comes the hard part. In which direction do they want the city to go?

My hope is that voters this Tuesday will know what the candidates stand for before they walk up to the voting machine. After three times of voting against a candidate, maybe voters will finally vote for good ideas and a solid platform.

If not we’re likely headed for the revolving door once again.

Ben Hillyer is the web editor of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached by e-mail at ben.hillyer@natchezdeocrat.com.